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Empty Christmas stockings? Don’t blame COVID, blame California
American Thinker ^ | 10/15/2021 | Andrea Widburg

Posted on 10/15/2021 7:34:43 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The conventional wisdom from the left is that COVID is the reason that shipping containers are in the waters off California with no stevedores or truckers available to take care of them. The implication, of course, is that if people would stop being selfish and take the vaccines, the whole problem would magically vanish. That’s nonsense. As a couple of astute articles explain, the problem is that California has passed two laws—one for “climate change” and the other as a sop to the unions—that destroyed much of California’s trucking industry. Add in woes unique to the industry and COVID payments that discourage people from working and...voila!...empty Christmas stockings.

Stephen Green, at PJ Media, explains some of what’s going on. As a preliminary matter, truckers are aging out of the job and new ones aren’t coming along. Because federal law requires that truckers be at least 21, kids who leave school at 17 or 18 get involved in other careers, leaving trucker shortfalls. Women don’t offset this problem because, as is typical for most physically difficult jobs, it’s not their thing. Those are long-term problems.

The short-term problem, though, is that California has passed laws taking trucks off the road:

Twitter user Jerry Oakley reminds us that “Carriers domiciled in California with trucks older than 2011 model, or using engines manufactured before 2010, will need to meet the Board’s new Truck and Bus Regulation beginning in 2020.” Otherwise, “Their vehicles will be blocked from registration with the state’s DMV,” according to California law.

“The requirement is to purchase electric trucks which do not exist.”

Sundance, at Conservative Treehouse, expands on this, explaining that the EPA reached an agreement with the California Air Resource Board...


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; supplychain
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Sundance, at Conservative Treehouse, expands on this, explaining that the EPA reached an agreement with the California Air Resource Board...

...to shut down semi tractor rigs that were non-compliant with new California emission standards. [snip] In effect, what this 2020 determination and settlement created was an inability of half the nation’s truckers from picking up anything from the Port of LA or Port of Long Beach. Virtually all private owner operator trucks and half of the fleet trucks that are used for moving containers across the nation were shut out.


1 posted on 10/15/2021 7:34:43 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Don’t blame California, blame Biden the Grinch who stole Christmas.

Someone please feel free to photo shop a picture of President Sniffer in a Grinch outfit.


2 posted on 10/15/2021 7:37:17 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: woodbutcher1963

Enviro-whackos are to blame and the gullible people who buy into their nonsense. Leftist policies enacted in California always end up hurting the whole country.


3 posted on 10/15/2021 7:41:13 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX (“A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.” ~ H.L. Mencken)
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To: woodbutcher1963
Stephen Green of PJ MEDIA makes this observation:

There are multiple causes, including union rules preventing extra shifts or longer hours to get the ships unloaded, a lack of rail capacity for the extra goods, and not enough truckers to haul everything away.

What if I told you the trucker shortage isn’t just what you’ve been told?

What if I told you that in California, the trucker shortage is a self-inflicted wound?

What if I told you the wound was inflicted by Democrats?

You can’t find your shocked face, can you?

Long term, this nation does have a trucker problem. The average age for truckers is 55, and the industry is having a hard time attracting new workers.

Redwood Logistics explains:

The Federal requirement states you must be 21 years old to hold an Interstate Commercial Divers License. This leaves a 3-year post-high school gap, where possible employees become distracted by new employment opportunities.

Over the next 10-15 years, a lot of truckers are going to retire, and there aren’t enough replacements in the pipeline.

Also, trucking is a lifestyle that doesn’t much appeal to women, who represent only 6% of drivers, making it even harder to find replacements.

The immediate problem, the one in Los Angeles, has been caused by the state’s vindictively regulatory state government.

We’ll get to the trucker shortage in just a moment, but California also faces a shortage of trucks for them to drive.

Twitter user Jerry Oakley reminds us that “Carriers domiciled in California with trucks older than 2011 model, or using engines manufactured before 2010, will need to meet the Board’s new Truck and Bus Regulation beginning in 2020.” Otherwise, “Their vehicles will be blocked from registration with the state’s DMV,” according to California law.

“The requirement is to purchase electric trucks which do not exist.”


4 posted on 10/15/2021 7:41:41 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: Pining_4_TX

If the entire Pacific coast weren’t insane, this would be quite an opportunity for a port-city.


5 posted on 10/15/2021 7:46:22 AM PDT by ferret_airlift
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To: ferret_airlift

Maybe Baja California will take up the challenge.


6 posted on 10/15/2021 7:57:02 AM PDT by bIlluminati (Demonetize the Left. Buy nothing from them. Sell nothing to them. Shun them.)
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To: SeekAndFind

California and Trucks - bump for later....


7 posted on 10/15/2021 7:58:12 AM PDT by indthkr
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To: SeekAndFind

Somebody supported these stupid Democrat sons of bitches.

Probably the same idiots who come here and write that the Republicans are in charge.

Or the idiot paid shills who read every one of my posts and then complain about them.


8 posted on 10/15/2021 8:01:50 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer”)
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To: SeekAndFind

I deal directly with many independent trucking companies primarily in the Pacific NW.
They tell me the largest deterrent to hiring new drivers is that 50% of the applicants can not pass a drug test. Especially in Oregon where basically ALL drugs are legal.

Keep in mind it may be legal to smoke pot, but from a liability standpoint, would you as a owner want to put someone in a $150K tractor, pulling a $75K trailer with someones product on or in that trailer. Also, that tractor/trailer combination can weigh in excess of 100K lbs going 75 mph.


9 posted on 10/15/2021 8:44:25 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: SeekAndFind; All

ANYTHING that reduces imports or drives up their cost IS A GOOD THING.


10 posted on 10/15/2021 8:48:34 AM PDT by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: woodbutcher1963

80,000lbs is the limit.

And why would anyone care if the driver smoked weed Saturday night and drove that rig on Monday?

Would you care if he drank whiskey on Saturday night?


11 posted on 10/15/2021 8:53:19 AM PDT by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: Mariner

The key is that they are sober when they get in the truck and stay sober until they park it.


12 posted on 10/15/2021 8:54:14 AM PDT by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: ferret_airlift

Calif needs a 12 point earthquake.


13 posted on 10/15/2021 9:18:34 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
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To: woodbutcher1963

IF I am running a flower shop—I don’t want such a driver in my VAN delivering flowers to hospitals—weddings—funerals, etc.


14 posted on 10/15/2021 9:20:34 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
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To: Mariner

Would YOU like to own a company & pay the LIABILITY insurance for such a driver???

EVEN if you only owned a florist business????


15 posted on 10/15/2021 9:21:53 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
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To: SeekAndFind

the truth of the matter is that ships are piling up at CA ports simply because there’s not enough trucks and drivers to haul away the containers once they’re offloaded due to the following triple-whammy:

1. CA outlawed private owner-operator trucks by outlawing private “contractors”.

2. CA requires ten year old trucks to be removed from their highways and replaced with non-existent electric trucks

3. Employee vax mandates reduce the truck driver pool

Does anyone really believe that dementia joe and pete “forrest gump” buttigieg will do anything to resolve the above issues? or will they instead: 1.) declare the problem solved; 2.) blame Trump; 3.) blame someone else; 4.) whine; 5.) wring their hands and clutch their pearls; 6.) some combination of the above?


16 posted on 10/15/2021 9:35:34 AM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: ridesthemiles

Potsters gotta pot. It’s a religion just like COVID.


17 posted on 10/15/2021 9:35:51 AM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: ridesthemiles

The only difference between the dope smoker and the whiskey drinker is federal transportation law and insurance.


18 posted on 10/15/2021 9:55:56 AM PDT by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: SeekAndFind

I know a younger trucker and he was thinking of quitting, but he saw a KW camper, so he his family went on the road with him. His kids are homeschooled and they stop at historical sites.


19 posted on 10/15/2021 9:59:39 AM PDT by Deplorable American1776 (I'm the one trying to save American Democracy...Donald Trump 6/21 at the NCGOP convention)
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To: Mariner

80,000 lbs is only the limit on a 48’ trailer. It is not the limit in the OR, WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, UT. In those states you can ship whats know as a Maxi. Either a 53’ flatbed trailer(tri axle) or 40/20 truck and a pup, roughly 95,000 lbs. It varies from state to state somewhat. Inter MT you can haul much more weight than OR.

In Michigan and all of Canada you can ship on a B-Train which is two 28’ trailers that have 4 axles on each trailer. The total weight can be 125,000 lbs.

Also in northern New England you can ship on a triaxle trailer that allows more weight than a regular 48’ flatbed.


20 posted on 10/15/2021 10:30:05 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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