Since the pandemic began two years ago the public has been questioning… what about the supply chain? Will we be able to get the food we’re accustomed to finding on store shelves? How about other products that are shipped globally? Over the months our expert at AMS has been covering the issues in his “Freight Freak” blog and keeping us informed as to what he sees.
Now, as we see the trucker protest in Canada come to an end, and a new protest in the US begin, it’s time to talk with our supply chain expert on the impact of these protests. In an article published by NBC News on the 11th of February, the reporter stated: “Fruits and vegetables have been harder for Canadian grocers to get. But soups, spices and cereal, which were already hurt by factory worker strikes in the U.S. have also become more scarce.”
Newsweek recently covered the American truckers protest, which is in the beginning stage. The convoy plans to pick up steam across the U.S. and gather in Washington, DC. According to the article, “Organizers say the American truckers’ protest, dubbed ‘The People’s Convoy,’ will depart on Interstate 40 heading east from Barstow on February 23.”
John Bevacqua, author of our ‘Freight Freak’ series and AMS’ VP of Logistics has agreed to weigh in on how these protests might impact an already stressed supply chain.
Here below are John B’s observations:
“The Canadian blockades at the borders have, ironically, largely impacted the trucking industry and its cross-border drivers. The protests have added hours of transit time for drivers both US and Canadian — including unpaid time waiting in traffic for many — and slowed down the operation of carriers. Keeping in mind this blockade shut down the busiest crossing between Canada and the US, which is one of the main line supply chain arteries for many raw materials and products desperately needed for both countries.
“Therefore, we can certainly expect more shortages across both northern and southern borders. This affects manufacturing companies throughout north America. It’s also adding additional stress on our supply chain shortages of consumer goods. We have seen layoffs within the American auto industry due to lack of raw materials. We have seen a disruption of agriculture exports affecting our grocery chains.
“It was estimated to cost over $310M in trade between the two countries per day. At this point with this initial “Freedom Convoy” There has been a slew of copycat protests popping up in the US. Another group, called the “People’s Convoy” is planning a cross-country convoy starting in Los Angeles and ending in Washington, D.C. Dates were expected to be announced as soon as Monday. We can only hope it doesn’t create another big flare up causing more disruption.”
Thank you John B for the Supply Chain update.
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About the Freight Freak: John Bevacqua is the VP of Logistics at AMS Fulfillment. His area of excellence is in creating distribution and fulfillment operations that function as a capable interface between suppliers, retailers, and wholesale distributors. His experience includes developing and leading FedEx/ Kinko’s Distribution Services into the FedEx post acquisition, USA Wireless Technologies, and a top Logistics Management company. He has also worked with third party fulfillment companies, preparing him for his current position with AMS Fulfillment.