Hey everyone! It’s time for your Monday Daily Trucker News Update!
We have a lot of news to cover today, including:
- The record-breaking congestion at California ports
- A bill to stop to Pennsylvania’s Bridge Tolls
- and the strange cause of a semi fire in Texas.
So, let’s get trucking!
Carlin: The congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is breaking records… and is showing no signs of slowing down. In 2015 – contract negotiations with dockworkers caused a lot of congestion and issues… It peaked with a high of 28 container ships at anchor in Mid-March of 2015. In 2020, and so far in 2021, the ships at anchor has hovered around 30 – with a peak of 40 on February 1 of this year. But that’s not the only issue – the ships at port are carrying much more than those in 2015 – averaging more than 10-thousand twenty-foot equivalent units on board.
Isela: Let’s stick to the west coast – and talk about a proposed bill from Oregon that would ban the sale of diesel fuel in the state by 2028. If passed, it would begin in phases, beginning in 2024 – with the ban of petroleum diesel for nonretail dealers in several counties, it would then ban retail sales in those counties as part of the second phase in 2025. By 2027 and 2028, the third and fourth phases would stop the sell of petroleum diesel anywhere in the state. Proponents say the bill is an effort to push renewable diesel fuel in the state – but opponents say the short timeline make it extremely difficult to achieve, especially without a renewable diesel facility in Oregon. No action has been taken on the bill yet – as it awaits referral to committee.
Carlin: With the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest report card – it’s clear the United States infrastructure is in desperate need of repairs. Perhaps the most pressing issue is our nation’s bridges… According to the Federal Highway Administration – more than 46-thousand bridges are deficient… and a recent report claims the fives states with the worst bridge systems are: Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Iowa, West Virginia, and Rhode Island.
Isela: State legislatures in Pennsylvania have proposed a bill to stop plans to toll 9 bridges in interstates around the state… You may have seen our previous coverage of the story… The state has drawn the attention of drivers from across the country after a proposal to toll the bridges to generate money to repair them. But after harsh criticism – lawmakers are now stepping in – with a bill that would require legislative authorization of any proposed transportation projects with a user fee – even if it was approved by the public-private transportation partnership board.
Carlin: This next story is an important reminder to anyone hauling anything – make sure your loads are secured! These pictures show the remains of a truck that was burnt to a crisp in Texas last week – after an unsecured mattress flew off a pickup truck and got stuck underneath the rig. It caught fire as it was being pulled along… Thankfully the driver was able to make it out safely.
Isela: Some great news out of the South! As several states continue to recover after the severe winter weather that hammered them in February – truckers are helping with relief efforts, delivering almost a million and three hundred thousand bottles of water to Louisiana and Texas residents! Great jobs guys!
That does it for today’s update!
Tune in tomorrow for all the trucking news you need!
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