Posted on 11/08/2021 8:05:47 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The supply chain crisis under Joe Biden is going from bad to worse and that’s not even the most disturbing news: At this point there is simply nothing to stop the massive shortages that are coming.
We’ve said for weeks now that there is no shortage of goods and commodities; American and foreign factories have continued to crank out items despite labor shortages and whatnot. The problem created by a year’s worth of COVID-19 shutdowns is that now there is no way to get goods to market quickly or at all in some cases.
We have air, rail and seafaring transportation available but by far the single biggest portion of the supply chain is trucking; they make up the vast majority of the delivery aspect of the supply chain. And while actual trucks are in great supply, people who know how to, and are licensed to, drive them, are not.
And, of course, there is a bureaucratic backlog as well, which is typical in this current governmental environment with a half-wit at the helm.
The trucking industry is desperate to get drivers into seats at a time when the supply chain needs them most, but a variety of factors is stalling the industry’s ability to gain traction.
Chief among those factors is the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Since January 2020 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began recording substance abuse violations in the clearinghouse database, over 91,000 drivers have been taken off the road for testing positive or refusing to take a test. That number is expected to hit 100,000 before the end of the year.
While this is considered proof that the clearinghouse is doing its job — keeping unsafe drivers off the road — it is also increasing pressure on carriers trying to deal with unprecedented freight demand.
“We’ve lost, at least temporarily, 44,000 drivers so far in 2021 to drug or alcohol violations, which really stings when freight is sitting at the dock waiting to be picked up,” said P. Sean Garney, the Scopelitis Transportation Consulting co-director, in an interview with FreightWaves.
“With only 21% of drivers disqualified from driving a [commercial motor vehicle] taking the steps necessary to get back behind the wheel, the industry needs to continue to find creative ways to fill seats.”
Got that? Only one-fifth of the drivers who were disqualified are bothering to try and get back into the industry again; that leaves an 80 percent deficit.
And why would they? Consider what it takes just to be able to drive a truck:
And what is the government (and governments) doing to make this situation better, to alleviate some or most of the requirements for this emergency situation? After all, some of these same functionaries told us they had to change voting laws to ‘protect us’ from COVID (resulting in a stolen election); they can’t do anything to help alleviate the backlog of disqualified drivers so they can get on the road again?
Here’s another issue created by left-wing Democrats that is preventing drivers from getting back on the road: Drugs and in particular, marijuana.
“Some contend that the inability of more would-be and current drivers to pass a drug test is exacerbated by an increasing number of states legalizing marijuana. The clearinghouse has consistently revealed marijuana to be the top substance identified in positive drug tests,” Freightwaves reported.
And before you get upset about that, remember that companies don’t want their drivers behind the wheel drunk, either.
“But there’s a lot of other things that are having a negative effect as well. Parts to fix trucks are in short supply, which means trucks have to be parked,” said Karen Goodpaster, manager at St. Louis-based Apollo Express, adding that many drivers are moving from over-the-road to delivering locally because of shifting purchasing habits by shippers and consumers.
All in all, the point is the supply chain crisis, made much worse by a dearth of truck drivers and trucking parts, is not getting better. Stockpile now.
Have you ever considered feeding your dog RAW dog food?
We feed ours a mixture of RAW chicken backs, RAW ground dog food(beef, poultry, etc) and kibble.
Also, supplement 100% canned pumpkin or squash.
Those wanting to drive cannot pass a drug test. You would think they would take the vaccine.... if it gave them a high!
Only 3% of truckers are in a union.
You make a good point. Add a little “juice” to the mix and when word gets around you get a high, they’ll flock to get their clot shot.
#12 Freeze some cats : )
Use a Foodsaver bag....
Going to try to top off more of our supplies, this week.
Vacuum sealing and mylar w/02 absorber sealing helps.
A couple of years later JFK (D) said he wanted to put men on the moon by the end of the 60s because it was hard to do. It required finding a bunch of guys who were willing to strap themselves to the top of an explosive and see if they really could survive the ride and then space itself. By the end of the decade a couple of Americans were walking on the moon.
In 2021 we ran out of truckers because of laws that made it expensive and risky to run trucks in California and lavish unemployment benefits made it easier to make your living on the couch. So Biden (D-mentia) had his transportation secretary take a vacation and then lecture us on the importance of gay paternity leave while the rest of the administration tells us there is no fix and it will last at least until next year or longer.
A few days ago a reporter asked Biden's energy secretary what she would do to solve the problem of Americans having to sacrifice because Biden destroyed our energy independence and fuel costs had skyrocketed and she ... laughed in his face and said it was up to OPEC to do it.
American sure has come a long way in the last 50 years.
I’ll think about getting back on the road once this country out of the hands of communists.
Shes allergic to that stuff, Except pumpkin.
Really, she is allergic to raw chicken?
I have never heard of that before.
But wait, Biden said ordinary Americans aren’t smart enough to understand supply chain problems.
You found lids?? I haven't seen lids at any store for almost a year.
Another option besides the freezer, if you live in the north, is to secure it on an outdoor porch during the winter months.
Once winter hits and the temperature remain below freezing, stuff that it is not critical remains frozen solid can be stored there.
The local Wal-mart has them intermittently.
I go early in the morning. I have never seen the past lunchtime.
Maybe the Biden admin can have someone go on and laugh about this too.
Try these…..
Tattler Reusable Canning jar lids.
https://reusablecanninglids.com/
They work very well.
Timing could be my problem. As long as they were on the shelves, I bought a few on every trip but they’ve been gone for awhile.
BTW, it’s definitely hit or miss, more miss, but every once in a while…..
It keeps me checking.
😉I wish some of our stores would get some in, but I really don’t expect that to happen until spring/summer season. I do have a fair sized stash from earlier this year.
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