Today’s Pickup: Port of Houston reopens to container traffic

Good day,

The Port of Houston is expected to open today after shutting down operations last Friday ahead of Hurricane Harvey.

“Employees are on-site, facilities are back online, and we are ready to operate,” Roger Guenther, the port’s executive director, told the Wall Street Journal in a statement.

According to the Journal, seven cargo ships are scheduled to arrive today, but the U.S. Coast Guard was still restricting ships in the Houston Ship Channel to 37-foot draft or less. Truck gates opened at 7 a.m. local time with some lane closures.

Port officials said there was no evidence of flooding on terminals or damage to containers, cranes or other equipment.

Did you know?

In Colorado, the number of drivers in fatal crashes testing positive for alcohol jumped 40% from 2013 to 2016. Those testing positive for marijuana increased 145%, according to NHTSA data.

Quotable:

“Right now, there’s a six-hour wait for our trucks. I’ve been telling drivers to fill up on as much as they can. One truck can hold 8,600 gallons of unleaded or 7,400 gallons of diesel.”

– Beau Jay, dispatcher for Coastal Transport, talking to the San Antonio Business Journal on lines to fill tankers for deliveries to gas stations

In other news:

Consumer sentiment on the rise

Data from the University of Michigan has found that overall consumer sentiment during August was 97.6, up from 93.4 in July. (Supply Chain Brain)

More drivers involved in crashes testing positive for marijuana

The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes that have tested positive for marijuana has more than doubled in Colorado since 2013, according to the Denver Post. (Denver Post)

Rates rising in Texas

According to DAT data, rates between Dallas and Sequin, TX, have risen 49% in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and loads into the area are dropping. (CCJ)

White House envisions states paying more for infrastructure

The White House this week says it wants to streamline the process for approving infrastructure projects, but it wants states and local governments to pay more of the final bill. (Governing)

Ram introduces updated commercial vans

Ram Trucks has officially introduced its updated commercial vans with new features including more connectivity. (Fleet Owner)

Final Thoughts

News that those involved in fatal crashes in Colorado have increasingly tested positive for marijuana, warrants further study on the society effects of legalized marijuana. Marijuana may not have been a factor in many of those crashes, but it requires a deeper understanding of the causes beyond simply looking at traffic incident reports.

Hammer down everyone!