No easy solutions and the problem may last for a long time
One of the best things I read this weekend was a Medium post from a trucker describing what's happening in US shipping on the ground and why it won't be fixed any time soon.
- Crushing wait times at ports
- Shortage of shipping container chassis
- Containers are being stored wherever they can find space, just so they can unload the next ship
- Warehouse unloading is also a snag due to poor worker pay and shortages
- Consumers will be hit next with delays
He highlights how it's a problem right from the port through trucking incentives and at warehouses.
This is the scary part:
"What is going to compel the shippers and carriers to invest in the needed infrastructure? The owners of these companies can theoretically not change anything and their business will still be at full capacity because of the backlog of containers. The backlog of containers doesn't hurt them. It hurts anyone paying shipping costs - that is, manufacturers selling products and consumers buying products. But it doesn't hurt the owners of the transportation business."
