There were many new transportation updates in the shipping industry last month. Check out some of the top stories and transportation updates of May 2021!
Trending Transportation Updates: May 2021
Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse 2021 unveils states with most violations
New information published by the federal Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse shows Texas is at the top of the list of a number of registered truck drivers with a positive drug and/or alcohol test violation. Louisiana, in turn, is ranking highest in violation rates based on a number of employers. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Texas recorded 7,268 violations, accompanied by California with 5,312 and Florida with 4,033. The highest violation rates among all states regardless of the number of employers were Louisiana, Hawaii and Mississippi, with rates of 72.3%, 61% and 59.3%. (The District of Columbia compiled 85 violations with only 66 employers listed in the clearinghouse, for a rate of 129%.) Read more here.
Republicans propose Biden nearly $1 trillion for infrastructure plan
A group of Senate Republicans has introduced its latest offer to the White House on a huge new infrastructure package on May 27, which is estimated to propose almost $1 trillion.
“This is going to be a very good offer. The latest counter will be ‘close’ to $1 trillion, spread over eight years,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi. Democratic legislators have warned that time is running short to determine whether a bipartisan deal on infrastructure is possible, with progressives already calling for a go-it-alone approach using fast-track budget procedures. A new offer around $1 trillion would still be well short of the May 21 $1.7 trillion proposals from the White House. Read more here.
Food supply chains in the US ramp up as the country reopens
People in the US are getting back to restaurants, bars and other dining places as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, adding new strains in food supply chains. Vendors and logistics providers say distributors are handling deficits of everyday products like chicken parts, and the struggle to find workers as businesses try to shift the impactful changes in food services.
“Over the last six weeks, we have seen the market come roaring back faster than anybody would have anticipated. The start-up has been, in many ways, as difficult as the shutdown… Everybody is trying to turn it on immediately and the capacity might not be there”, said Mark Allen, chief executive of the International Foodservice Distributors Association. Read more here.
PLS Market View Report
The PLS Market View is a monthly report presenting insights from research and key market indicators as to the current conditions of the transportation and logistics industry. In this report you will find valuable insights from the following market indicators: the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, DAT’s Trendline Report, and two surveys from Morgan Stanley’s Equity Research division.
Truckload Freight Index (TLFI): Morgan Stanley’s TLFI again increased sequentially and outperformed vs. seasonality. This update, our index continued to increase sequentially and outperform seasonality, led primarily by demand as it increased sequentially and outperformed seasonality (a continuation from last update) while supply decreased sequentially and slightly underperformed seasonality.
Truckload Sentiment Survey: Sentiment continues to increase sequentially and outperform as it returns green arrows across the board. Both current and 3-month forward demand sentiment increased sequentially and continued to outperform seasonality.
Download these reports below.
