The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC), Washington, D.C., issued a warning that various political actions at Federal and state levels may quickly escalate into a supply chain crisis for Americans.
"We are currently watching three issues that may result in a major national supply chain crisis for Americans," says James Lamb, executive director.
Impeachment
"As the House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach the President, this could very well set off a chain of events that could result in nationwide riots that will impede truckers' ability to make deliveries of products for Americans' consumption," says Lamb. "While there is sure to be a backlash by the President's supporters after the Democrat-controlled House presumably votes to impeach, we are more concerned about probable violent reactions of the Left when the Republican-controlled Senate expectedly votes to acquit. We should expect to hear chants of ‘no justice, no peace,’ and see pictures of overturned cars on fire.”
Gunfight at the Culpeper Corral
"We are very concerned that the current gun control vs. gun rights controversy may quickly escalate into armed conflict reminiscent of the Civil War, as the Democrat Governor threatens to send in the National Guard to enforce new Democrat-pushed gun laws and county governments are declaring their municipalities as 'Second Amendment Sanctuaries,'" Lamb says. "Most concerning is the possible showdown in Culpeper, Va., in which the sheriff is gearing up for armed conflict by preparing to 'deputize' residents to form a 'militia' to thwart the state's enforcement of new laws slated for January 2020.”
The SBTC will continue to monitor the situation, which may result in a warning for truckers to steer clear of the "war zone." If a large scale conflict ensues, SBTC expresses concern over typical war time tactics of disrupting the other side's supply chain.
Electronic logging device capacity crisis
While all eyes are focused on impeachment and the gun rights controversy in Virginia, most Americans are unaware that today marks the first day of nationwide enforcement of a new regulation that requires all truckers log their hours of service electronically through Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
"Today is the implementation date for Phase 2 of a two-phase process to move truckers from paper to electronic logs," says Lamb. "While small motor carriers and independent truckers were required to make the switch two years ago, today, 'hard enforcement' will commence on drivers employed by larger carriers who were previously grandfathered if they were using a substandard version of electronic logs."
Drivers who fail to switch from automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs) to ELDs will be placed out-of-service by law enforcement around the country.
"This second wave of ELD enforcement will cause significant supply chain disruptions as we head into the Christmas holiday season and the dead of winter," says Lamb. "Americans should expect late holiday deliveries and prepare for disappointment on Christmas morning. And, worse, we predict disruptions in home heating oil deliveries up North, which will cause significant hardships for the American people."
