Loadstar, via gCaptain, has a disturbing report:
Persistent and mounting congestion at US west coast ports has caused some shippers to seek the sanctuary of the east coast to speed cargo through the supply chain – but this avenue is also becoming increasingly problematic.
As congestion at Pacific gateways worsened, the shift to east coast ports gathered momentum, but now these are struggling with increasing congestion – halfway through last week there were 24 ships waiting for berths at the port of Savannah, and Maersk Line called the situation at Georgia “increasingly challenging”.
The number of vessels at anchorage in San Pedro Bay waiting for berths at Los Angeles and Long Beach climbed to around 70 last week, signalling ever-lengthening wait times. …
Much of the problem stems from issues beyond all the ports, namely a congested rail network and shortage of trucks to move boxes off the docks. According to one report, in Los Angeles there are 16 containers waiting for every available truck.
Which leaves me to wonder: The Biden Administration has been struggling to manage the influx of illegal immigrants, but each has to be checked and put through the immigration courts. How about training some of them to drive trucks? Pair them with experienced American drivers, offer incentives – still to be invented – and perhaps the trucking problem, if not the rail problem, could be ameliorated.
It’s worth considering, at least. The shortage of truck drivers is well-known, and anyone arguing that it’s illegal immigrants stealing jobs can be kicked in the teeth, metaphorically, with the stats about the truck driver shortage.
