Good day,
Did you know that June 28 was the first National Logistics Day? Everyone or everything deserves a day, so why not a sector that in 2018 accounted for 11.4 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product? To mark the occasion, politicians and industry leaders gathered in Erie, Pennsylvania for an event sponsored by Logistics Plus Inc./, which arranged to have the commemoration listed on the “National Day Calendar” every June 28.Q
Quotable:
“When I say now, I mean now. Do not wait until October, November or December”
– Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Raymond P. Martinez on the December 16, 2019 mandate for fleets with Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AORBD) that received a two-year extension to comply with the 2017 Electronic Logging Device (ELD) guidelines. Martinez spoke last week at the SMC3 annual summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Did you know:
The average Indian-American earns $110,000 a year, by far the highest of any American demographic. (Source: Jeffrey Rosensweig, Emory University)
In other news:
Space logistics takes flight
NASA will issue a formal call for proposals later this summer for cargo transportation services for its lunar gateway, seeking to model that effort on the space station’s commercial cargo program. (SpaceNews.com)
Ford enters home health care transport market
Ford Motor Co. is entering the health care transportation game through its “Ford GoRide” program, an on-demand or scheduled service for non-emergency medical needs. (Home Health Care News)
The ‘Nexus of Hell’
Boston-area commuters say the interchange of I-90 (also known as the MassPike) and I-495 (Boston’s beltway) is poorly designed and are eager for a planned improvement project that will improve safety and reduce congestion. (WCVB.com)
EV charging infrastructure next big challenge in California
Electric-powered vehicles are gaining traction in California, according to Steve Cliff, deputy executive director of the California Air Resources Board. The next big challenge, he says, is building a suitable charge infrastructure. (Environmental Defense Fund)
AI pays off for Indian transport and logistics providers
Early adopters of artificial intelligence in transportation and logistics already enjoy profit margins greater than 5 percent – while non-adopters are in the red. (Business Insider India)
Final thoughts:
Nothing is easy in Washington. However, relative to everything else, a federal transport spending bill is a slam-dunk because of its bipartisan nature. That’s what makes it so striking to hear comments from Washington insiders that there will not be a new bill by the time the five-year FAST Act expires on September 30, 2020. President Trump touted a massive infrastructure bill almost from Day One, and early in his term even offered political cover to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to push through hikes in the federal motor fuels tax to pay for it. Yet nothing has happened, and given the animus between the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) heading into an election year, nothing likely will. Even with an opposition Congress, President Obama signed two transport spending bills into law during his term.
Hammer down everyone!