People have been looking for solutions to their worries about the global supply chain as President Joe Biden has done so.
Biden proposes a solution to delays, but it is already happening: overnight truck drivers.
“That means an increase in the hours for workers to be moving cargo off ships and onto trucks and railcars to get to their destination. And more than that, the night hours are critical for increasing the movement of goods because highways are less crowded in the evening, at night,” Biden said in a news conference Wednesday.
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According to American Trucker, Todd Spencer, President and CEO of Owner-Operator Independent Driving Association, issued a statement regarding Biden’s comments.
“Truckers have been working tirelessly to keep the country safe and productive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have already been operating around the clock but are often restricted by factors beyond their control such as excessive detention time and the lack of readily-available, safe parking for their trucks,” Spencer said.
Spencer then attacked the president, claiming that the solution sounded easier than it really is.
“These problems must finally be addressed if the administration hopes to implement any significant supply chain solutions. Most of what we are seeing is not a surprise to our members who have been plagued with dysfunction in the supply chain for decades, and it’s not realistic to expect the supply chain will suddenly operate efficiently on a 24/7 schedule when drivers aren’t being fully paid for their time.”
Biden mentioned earlier in his remarks that 40 percent of the shipping containers in the United States are handled by the Port of Los Angeles, and the Port of Long Beach. This is not true.
“After weeks of negotiations and working with my team and with the major union retailers and freight movers, the Port of Los Angeles announced today that it’s going to begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Biden said.
According to the Long Beach Post News, there is no terminal at Port of Long Beach that is open 24 hours a day.
“It’s a bit of a process, it’s not an overnight thing,” Port of Long Beach spokesman Lee Peterson told the outlet in a phone call about the transition.
Biden pulled off a classic politician move, making the solutions sound better than they really are. The delays in the holiday season will likely get worse.
These shortages increase inflation and Biden is trying to find a solution to help him politically. The New York Times suggested.
Although asking companies like FedEx, UPS, and Walmart to work more hours to reduce delays is a good idea, it could be too late to fix the crisis.
Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact problem to Biden because of the complexity of the global supply chains, American voters could place blame on him if they cannot get the goods they require in the next few months.
