The Biden administration is expected to soon issue a strategy for placing charging infrastructure for electric freight trucks in strategic and busy corridors. Proponents of this approach argue that it could allow for more infrastructure to be available where a lot of trucking occurs, possibly making it easier for companies to invest in electric trucks rather than gas-powered trucks. Criticism from the trucking industry of the rule has included that it underestimates the costs and feasibility challenges of building up significant truck charging infrastructure — a complaint the anticipated strategy may aim to combat. One source said that the strategy could be announced Tuesday.
Contract talks at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports are starting this year under very different circumstances than the West Coast negotiations that rattled supply chains over the past two years. Cargo bottlenecks that left imports tied up at sea and at ports have largely cleared while record earnings for ocean carriers, a source of rancor during the West Coast talks, are dissipating in a vastly changed freight market. The International Longshoremen’s Association is seeking to build on strong wage gains other transportation unions have won. The dockworkers’ union is already threatening a strike against shipping companies and port employers if a deal on a new multiyear contract can’t be reached before the current agreement expires September 30. Harold Daggett, the ILA’s combative president, told dockworkers at a protest in January outside the Manhattan offices of wind energy giant Orsted, that the forthcoming contract would be the best the union ever had. “Just remember, when we shut down, this whole f—ing world shuts down,” Daggett said. “They don’t realize how f—ing strong we are.“
Kohl’s said Tuesday that it’s teaming up with the owner of Babies R Us to bring baby gear, furniture and more to approximately 200 of its stores across the country. The retailer struck a licensing deal with WHP Global, a brand management firm with a portfolio that includes Bonobos, Joe’s Jeans and Anne Klein. The two companies did not disclose the terms of the agreement. Kohl’s said the first Babies R Us shops will open this August and expand to more stores in the fall. The shops will range from 750 to 2,500 square feet, and will add more brands and merchandise to Kohl’s baby category. The new shops will be set up next to the baby merchandise that the retailer already carries, including clothes and items from Graco, Carter’s and Fisher-Price. Later this fall, customers will also see an expanded assortment of baby products on Kohl’s website, and the company will launch a baby registry, its new CEO, Tom Kingsbury, said on an earnings call.
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the weekend and the song of the week, Sally MacLennane by the Pogues.
The post This Week in Logistics News (March 9 – 15) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.