Today’s Pickup: Amendment restricting state impact on HOS moves forward

Good day,

The Denham amendment, written to restrict a state’s ability to set its own rules on meal breaks and other shifts in the HoS, moved forward on Thursday with the passage of the FAA authorization bill by the House of Representatives. Here, the ATA and OOIDA find themselves on opposite sides of the debate, as ATA quoted its President saying the Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce as it did first in 1994 and now by approving the Denham amendment.

Meanwhile OOIDA says the amendment would impact driver pay and is not just about issues like meal breaks, and wants to push for a more concise amendment as it believes the one in contention is ‘overly broad’ and that it has no business being considered in an aviation bill.

Did you know?

Spot market activity picked up during the week ending April 21 as the number of posted loads increased 3.1% and truck posts rose 4%, according to data from DAT Solutions. 

Quotable:

“Motor carriers would only have to pay drivers on a piecework or per-mile basis. Gone could be any chance at pay for detention time, safety inspections, paperwork, or any other work-related tasks that do not involve racking up miles. It could also gut the ability of states to individually address these sorts of issues in the future.”

-OOIDA acting President Todd Spencer

In other news:

Companies Feel the Impact of Rising Oil Prices

The highest oil prices in years are increasing expenses for companies that had grown used to low energy costs since crude’s 2014 tumble, while the turnabout is proving to be a boon for some businesses. (Wall Street Journal)

Freight Shipments, Spending Levels Post Double-Digit Gains

A measure of quarterly freight shipment and spending activity showed big gains in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same time a year ago, reflecting a stronger economy. (Truckinginfo)

Dior and Nine West rank ‘0’ on supply chain transparency index

Consumer interest in socially conscious movements is driving many companies to rethink their sourcing decisions. (Supply Chain Dive)

FTR Shippers Conditions Index points to still difficult market environment for shippers

Reasons cited by FTR for the difficult market shippers are dealing with included rising regulatory pressures, coupled with the capacity required for a “hot” freight market slow to increase in the first quarter, which subsequently added pressure on rates. (Logistics Management)

Grain Prices Turn Higher While Inventories Turn Lower

For soybeans, the total South American crop is down about 580 million bushels. This is a game changer. We are in a world with increasing livestock numbers and growing demand for protein. (Agriculture)

Final Thoughts:

The growth of e-commerce has created a retail apocalypse that has led to the shutdown of almost 7,000 stores in 2017 in the country. But this is not the end of retailing, says a report from CB Insights. A lot of traditional retailers are bucking the trend by planning to open more stores this year, and are leveraging cutting-edge technology like AI and augmented reality to improve the experience of consumers who visit brick-and-mortar shops. 

Hammer down everyone!

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