Posted on 08/30/2021 6:37:06 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
The global economy was supposed to be getting back to “normal” by now, but instead more problems are erupting with each passing day. As I write this article, supply chains all over the planet are in a state of chaos. The worldwide computer chip shortage is making things very difficult for thousands upon thousands of manufacturers, the process of moving products across our oceans has become insanely expensive and is often plagued by horrendous delays, and a lack of truck drivers is causing enormous headaches when it comes to transporting goods to retailers and consumers in a timely manner. We have never seen anything like this before, and at this point even CNN is admitting that “the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse”…
The vast network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world is badly tangled, and the cost of shipping is skyrocketing. That’s troubling news for retailers and holiday shoppers.
More than 18 months into the pandemic, the disruption to global supply chains is getting worse, spurring shortages of consumer products and making it more expensive for companies to ship goods where they’re needed.
Earlier this year, some of the economic optimists were projecting that we would experience a tremendous “economic boom” during the second half of 2021.
But now we are facing empty shelves, shortages and major headaches in the months ahead.
One shipping executive that was interviewed by CNN says that things won’t get any better until “the first quarter of 2022 at the earliest”…
Shipping companies expect the global crunch to continue. That’s massively increasing the cost of moving cargo and could add to the upward pressure on consumer prices.
“We currently expect the market situation only to ease in the first quarter of 2022 at the earliest,” Hapag-Lloyd chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen said in a recent statement.
Here in the U.S., quite a few experts are now making very bleak predictions about the upcoming holiday season.
But we are definitely not alone. Over in the UK, it is being reported that the “worst supply-chain crisis since the 1970s” could potentially “ruin Christmas”.
One of the big problems that the British are facing is an unprecedented shortage of truck drivers and warehouse workers. Business leaders are begging for more EU workers to be allowed into the country, because they believe that will help to alleviate the crisis.
Empty shelves and shortages are now a daily reality in the UK, and some large fast food chains are now being forced to completely drop certain items from their menus…
Gaps on supermarket shelves have been spotted across the country due to a combination of factors, including lorry driver shortages and Covid.
Supplier issues have also led to shortages at fast food chains like McDonald’s, Nandos and KFC, with some items missing from menus and branches closed.
Greggs is the latest to say that it’s short on food faves and Costa Coffee has reduced its menu due to the supply chain chaos.
Could you imagine going into a McDonald’s and not being able to order a milkshake?
Sadly, that has now become a reality at every single location in the United Kingdom…
McDonald’s says it has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers.
The fast-food chain says it is also experiencing shortages of bottled drinks.
Here in the United States, we are dealing with similar issues.
At this point, it is being reported that finding new truck drivers to hire in this country is “next to impossible”…
Finding truck drivers is “next to impossible,” he said, while freight costs are rising daily. The company’s orders are arriving late and consequently facing delays in being sent to customers. On the outbound side, on-time deliveries are still above 50% but have fallen from the usual rate of more than 90%.
“We all thought it would be over by now. It’s just one thing after another,” he said. “This is going to be the norm for a while.”
For decades, we have been taking our truck drivers for granted. We pay them poorly, we treat them like dirt, and we make them work ridiculously long hours.
But without truck drivers, our country simply cannot function.
These days, most young people don’t want jobs that require a lot of hard, physical work and that don’t pay very well. Instead, they would rather make money producing Tik Tok videos or becoming Instagram influencers.
Traditionally, truck drivers have been strong, physical men with traditional values. Of course our society likes to demonize such individuals these days, but maybe this crisis will get everyone to understand that we actually need them.
Even if we had enough truck drivers, we would still be facing a wide range of shortages because of the global shortage of computer chips…
A global shortage of computer chips is causing major headaches for American manufacturers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the disruption of supply chains and manufacturing the world over. Manufacturers of computer chips in Asia have been especially hard hit. And that means companies that make products that rely on such chips are feeling the pinch.
As I have warned previously, the computer chip shortage is causing massive headaches for thousands of other industries.
We should have never become so dependent on chip production from Asia, and now we are paying a great price.
Yesterday, I discussed the fact that Kamala Harris is warning parents to buy their Christmas presents now because of the severe shortages that are looming on the horizon.
On Fox News, contributor Leo Terrell said that this “sounds like a very dangerous warning sign”…
Fox News contributor Leo Terrell expressed concern on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday that Democrats are aiming to shut down the U.S. economy again after Vice President Kamala Harris advised shoppers to consider buying Christmas presents now due to global supply chain issues.
LEO TERRELL: That scares me because that sounds like shutdown, that sounds like we’re going to expect that the economy is going to basically be locked down again. And that’s frightening. Again, the Democrats have used the pandemic to control Americans. And basically that sounds like a very dangerous warning sign.
Yes, I would definitely categorize her statement as a “warning sign”.
This is not going to be a “normal” holiday season.
And 2022 will definitely not be “normal” either.
We have moved into crazy times, and they are only going to get crazier.
A lot of people didn’t want to listen to warnings from people like me at first, but now seeing empty shelves and shortages is starting to wake some of them up.
Our economic infrastructure is being shaken, and many are starting to realize that the “invincible” U.S. economy is not actually so invincible after all.
Why should I be away from the safe haven I made in the wilderness to attempt making money driving a truck from state to state when they will put up covid checkpoints at every border with camouflage National Guard carrying M-16s, with lab coat doctors carrying syringes, when there will be no more currency, when this country has no future? Why would I do that?
We’ve been stocking up on non perishable foods for a while now, more than usual.
👍
Very smart! Wish everybody else would too, but I’ve lost all hope for most in this society.
I’d feel a lot more sympathy for truck drivers if they didn’t drive like di*cks.
Meth makes one aggressive.
Lower truck drivers ages to 18. Allow non-violent jail inmates to do the driving-cross country. Every truck stop has a check-in for them. Urine test +Make sure they don’t run away.
That's a complicated explanation for a more simple explanation of why every milkshake machine in McDonald's is "out of order." They just require too much labor to clean and maintain, so they have to come up with a better cover story.
Brits are a hardy lot - they can survive on beans-on-toast and fish-and-chips for a decade! With a touch of pub sauce on one and malt vinegar on the other, a meal for a frugal prince. :)
Truck companies need to sign a pledge for all new employees that will never require a vaccine of any kind—and watch the applications pour in....
Well let’s see now.
New Orleans will be needing a lot of roof repair material.
Dang.
Sounds good to me.
If people released from jail can’t get jobs, they’ll just commit crimes again.
This past Friday night my son and his girlfriend went to eat at a local Chilies. The place is usually quite busy, but this time there was a sign on the door saying they now close at 4:30 pm daily because they simply cannot staff the place. We were shocked when he told us this.
Heartbreaking to hear stories like this.
This is all being done intentionally to destroy the nation and economy - all nations for that matter. I know where this ends, they always have “the” solution.
PING!
I’ve noticed the bare shelves at a small pharmacy near work, not one that is part of the big chains.
Also have found that products in restaurants change for the worse. When the staff or managers are asked about it, they say they can’t get any more of the good kind of whatever it is.
I’ve said for years we’d rue the day we let the rail system go to hell.
Well…here we are…
I am perplexed as to how a global shortage of computer chips has left chip manufacturers in Asia “especially hard hit”. By traditional terms of supply and demand, they should sitting on top of the world. Can anybody explain this to me?
Truck drivers paid poorly??? Non union maybe but union drivers are paid surprisingly well.
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