As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for May 1. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL UPDATE:

As the U.S. Department of Labor continues its efforts to support American workers and position the economy for a strong rebound, the Department is hosting a national online dialogue on “Opening America’s Workplaces Again,” to solicit ideas from the public on how best to help employers and workers reopen America’s workplaces safely. The dialogue will run from Thursday, April 30 through Thursday, May 7, 2020, and will include a one-hour Twitter chat on Friday, May 1, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

As the Department continues to develop guidance and information to assist workers and employers, it seeks to draw on the public’s ideas about challenges that may be faced as businesses re-open. Thousands of workers and employers have been in communication with the department since the start of the crisis, and this dialogue provides an opportunity for even more voices to contribute to the department’s ongoing response as circumstances on the ground continue to change.

Ideas and feedback collected during the dialogue will be used by the Department as it continues to develop compliance assistance materials and guidance for workers and employers, and will be shared with policy-makers at the federal, state and local level as they develop and refine plans on reopening America’s workplaces.

The department’s Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI) will host the dialogue in partnership with OSHA, WHD, the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, its Employee Benefits Security Administration, its Employment and Training Administration, its Office of Disability Employment Policy, its Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and its Women’s Bureau. Please register to participate at https://OpeningWorkplaces.ideascale.com.

TIA’s Operations Committee is also preparing a document that will provide some guidance for our Members to consider when their workforces return to the office.

VIRTUAL LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:

Mark your calendars now and plan on joining TIA next week for two great Virtual Lunch & Learn webinars: Financial Strategies for Challenging Market Conditions on Tuesday, analyzing how shippers have responded to coronavirus and what brokers can do to prepare for the next 3-6 months (sponsored by TriumphPay); and Business as Usual on Thursday, featuring nationally recognized Sales Productivity Expert John Boyens (sponsored by Teknowlogi).

 

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

Cases are up for the U.S. and deaths down, although both remain slightly below the numbers from a week ago. Tomorrow will tell us if we are to go significantly below last week. Last week was favorable that way. Let’s hope this week is too.

The data continue to show large differences between seemingly similar countries. The U.S. and U.K. remain stubbornly high even as most other countries are on clear downslopes. Note that Sweden is also slow to respond. Its critics cite its lax social distancing rules. Although its experience is clearly worse than some of its near neighbors, its deaths per population remain well below that of its Italy, France, and Spain.

The U.S. state data was highlighted by a bad death count in New Jersey. New York also registered an increase in cases, although it remains 57% below its max since April 21. Note also the rash of new case high among mid-sized states.

---

We’ll be back on Monday with COVID-19 updates and information that came through over the weekend.

Not sure how the weather was in your neck of the woods this week but with sunshine and warm temps after a couple miserable rainy days in DC, enjoy the sounds of Spike Jones & His City Slickers’ “Cocktails for Two.” (or just enjoy two cocktails)!

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 30. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

ADVOCACY UPDATE:

TIA continues to hold daily zoom calls with Members of Congress. TIA Government Affairs staff participated on a call last night with House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), who indicated that the House is still working to move a five-year infrastructure bill this Congress, and possibly attaching it to the next COVID-19 relief package. President Trump and Speaker Pelosi are in lockstep to get this “stimulus” infrastructure package done as soon as possible, but Senate Republicans have indicated they would like to wait and concentrate on the relief efforts.

TIA UPDATE:

Today, I released a video discussing the current state of the transportation industry and how the nation’s 3PLs are responding to the COVID-19 crisis. This video is in response to recent claims regarding unethical behavior by brokers during the crisis. While there will always be unscrupulous actors in any industry taking advantage of an emergency or crisis, carriers have a choice in which brokers they work with. By selecting a broker with the TIA logo, carriers can rest assured that they’ve selected one of the industry’s most ethical businesses.

FINANCE 101 REMINDER:

Reminder to register by end of the day for your complimentary 60 day access to TIA’s new Finance 101 online course. In recognizing the unprecedented disruptions to all aspects of business and life caused by the COVID-19 crisis – as well as looking ahead to the expected boom in business once the economy reopens – TIA is offering complimentary registration to TIA Members. Once registered for the Finance 101 online course, users will have full access for 60 days.

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

Another typical weekday for the U.S. and most European countries. The U.S. remains slightly better than a week ago.

The big actor in the States was California which added almost a thousand more cases than in any of the previous six days. This was obvious a catchup count, something California has shown a penchant for.

The next two days will be telling, being the typically highest count days of the week.

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

Please enjoy the Andrew Sisters as they sing “Three Little Sisters.”

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 29. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

TIA UPDATE:

Don’t Miss Out! TIA is excited to announce the launch of our new Finance 101 online course. In recognizing the unprecedented disruptions to all aspects of business and life caused by the COVID-19 crisis – as well as looking ahead to the expected boom in business once the economy reopens – TIA is offering complimentary registration to TIA Members through tomorrow, April 30, 2020. Once registered for the Finance 101 online course, users will have full access for 60 days.

VIRTUAL LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:

Reminder to join us tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET for the latest installment of TIA’s Virtual Lunch & Learn webinar series – What Shippers Want… Technology. It is the hot topic at the moment and can often determine if you land that customer or not. Additionally, technology will likely be the ultimate determination on which companies continue to thrive. TIA will be releasing a comprehensive whitepaper on this lunch and learn on this exact topic. Please join Aaron Huff from CCJ as the moderator of this great panel of shippers and 3PLs as they discuss what their needs are from a technology perspective. Register now!

 

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

The U.S., along with many other countries, experienced its normal Tuesday weekday surge. However, Exhibit 1 shows that this week’s surge yielded values lower than last Tuesday’s for both cases and deaths per day. The data reminds us to be patient with the American progress while remaining confident in its positive direction.

Exhibit 3, the U.S. state detail, shows us the cause of the Tuesday surge, big catchup counts in a number of the big city eastern states. Most had much lower numbers the previous several days. Note also the addition of two new columns that present the percentage change from the maximum daily values since we began collecting the state data. The presence of nine states that set new maximums for deaths registered in a day tells us that we have a ways to go yet.

You can identify them by the red coloring in the left-most column and the zero values for their change from the maximum. That means they either tied the previous max or set a new one. This weekly variation reminds us to pay as much attention to improvements in mid-week days as to the prettier numbers from weekends.

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

Please enjoy Count Basie and “Jivin’ Joe Jackson.”

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 28. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:

TIA’s Government Affairs team has been keeping busy and not letting the COVID-19 crisis slow their advocacy efforts. Over the past few weeks, Chris and Scott have been actively meeting with Members of Congress via Zoom video conference. These Zoom meetings allow us to promote TIA’s legislative priorities, while highlighting the impact of TIA Members in these members’ districts and state. If you are interested in participating in a Zoom call with your Members of Congress, please contact Chris Burroughs at [email protected].

TIA UPDATE:

TIA has launched a brand-new members-only podcast focused on TIA’s government affairs and advocacy efforts. The TIA Delivers Advocacy Insights Podcast has been developed to cater to active TIA Members, providing industry updates and insights on all of TIA’s current lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. In the first episode, we hear from Chris Burroughs, TIA’s Vice President of Government Affairs, who discusses the importance of government affairs to both the association and the 3PL community. You must log-in to the website to access this members-only content.

VIRTUAL LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone who joined us this afternoon for our Virtual Lunch & Learn panel discussion – New Frontier: How to Best Protect Your Operations During COVID-19. Join TIA every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 PM ET for the latest installment. Reminder that all previous webinars in the series are available on-demand.

 

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

More pretty colors yesterday for the U.S. and Europe. Of the countries, only Mexico shows red, but it was down for yesterday, just not enough consecutive drops to be sure the increasing trend is over.

In the U.S., cases were down again despite it being a weekday. Monday was the lowest new case day since 30 March when the numbers were climbing rapidly. U.S. deaths were up modestly, but much less than the normal Monday rise. We have added two new columns in the state data to show the percentage drop in the numbers since the peak day (since 21 April). Some of the numbers are impressive indeed. Note also that 25 states had less than ten deaths yesterday. Those are very promising numbers. Understandably, restrictions are being lifted in a number of states. Even Pennsylvania is allowing golf courses, private campgrounds, and marinas to reopen on 1 May.

As we watch the numbers decline, it is instructional that only six of the 24 countries we follow have reached recovery stage. Of those 18 countries not in full recovery, only one, Switzerland, is getting close to full recovery. We are reminded of the time it is taking this contagion to recede. Having said that, the statistics to date show no signs of a second surge in cases, nor are the totals anywhere near the catastrophic projections we heard a month ago. It looks like this flu strain will go down as well above average but within the range of the several notable flu seasons since World War II.

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

On this last Tuesday of April, I leave you with The Ink Spots’ “We Three (My Echo My Shadow & Me)” – enjoy!

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 27. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

The TIA 2020 Membership Directory is currently in production and will be published this summer. TIA encourages you to review your company’s contact information and make updates as needed. This will ensure TIA has the most accurate directory for all TIA Members to use. To review your listing and make changes, click here. Please Make Your Updates by COB Today!

 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:

The SBA PPP loan program is back live and active with a new $320 billion available for small businesses. If you didn’t take advantage of the last round of money, please act quickly on this, as it will not last long. TIA Government Affairs staff has been actively working with Members of Congress on holding zoom meetings to tell the important role you all are playing in the supply-chain during this time of crisis. If you wish to participate on one of these calls, please contact your Government Affairs team at [email protected].

 

TIA UPDATE:

TIA is excited to announce the launch of our new Finance 101 online course. In recognizing the unprecedented disruptions to all aspects of business and life caused by the COVID-19 crisis – as well as looking ahead to the expected boom in business once the economy reopens – TIA is offering complimentary registration to TIA Members through April 30, 2020. Once registered for the Finance 101 online course, users will have full access for 60 days.

 

VIRTUAL LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:

Reminder to join us tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET for the latest installment of TIA’s Virtual Lunch & Learn webinar series – New Frontier: How to Best Protect Your Operations During COVID-19. In this webinar, a panel of insurance experts will discuss coverages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about how best to protect your operations against claims from allegations of negligent hiring, vicarious liability, high risk cargo, and other issues to consider before moving freight. Register now!

*This webinar is about risk management and is not intended to provide legal advice, for which those attending should consult their legal counsel.

 

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

Lots of pretty colors today. Part of it is certainly the weekend effect. Still, you can see in Exhibit 1 that this Sunday’s value is well below the Sunday values of the last two weekends. The U.S. death/day count is now less than half of that terrible number of last Tuesday. Let’s pray that we get only a modest weekday inflationary effect this week, and next Sunday’s numbers are lower still.

My approach to these numbers has consistently been guided by the statistical evidence that this contagion has a limited life/size and eventually inflects and starts a decline, fitful at times, but a decline that leads to recovery. Although the inflection points and rate of decline are later and less steep than originally indicated from China and South Korea, they have happened in Western Europe, Malaysia, and Australia and appear to be happening here.

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

Please enjoy Martha Tilton as she sings, Cole Porter’s It’s De-Lovely from “Red, Hot and Blue.”

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 24. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:

Today President Trump signed into law the latest interim relief package that provides an additional $310 billion for the PPP loans. TIA recommends that all members that didn’t take advantage of the first round of funds, needs to take advantage of this pot of funds as soon as possible, as it is high unlikely that it will last. There have been several questions about what to do with commission based employees, and unfortunately there isn’t too much guidance on this from the SBA and Treasury. The guidance defines the payroll costs as:

Payroll cost means the sum of payment of any compensation to (or income for sole proprietors and independent contractors), that is a wage, commission, income, net earnings from self-employment, or similar compensation, paid during the Covered Period, in an amount which does not exceed $100,000 per person on an annual basis, prorated over the Covered Period. At least 75% of the forgiven amount must fall into this category.

TIA UPDATE:

TIA is excited to announce the launch of our new Finance 101 online course. In recognizing the unprecedented disruptions to all aspects of business and life caused by the COVID-19 crisis – as well as looking ahead to the expected boom in business once the economy reopens – TIA is offering complimentary registration to TIA Members through April 30, 2020. Once registered for the Finance 101 online course, users will have full access for 60 days.

INDUSTRY UPDATE:

Today’s industry update comes to us from Ken Adamo, DAT’s Chief of Analytics. It is our mission at DAT to help customers mitigate uncertainty in their businesses. We have been closely observing trends in the markets in near-real time and aim to provide valuable and actionable information to the market, not sensational and reactionary headlines. To advance that objective, we are releasing this market update with hopes that it provides value and helps those trying to understand this tumultuous market.

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:

Another mixed mid-week day, although the U.S. is a thousand cases per day below the average of last week’s weekdays. Again, the death count fell. You can see in the last column of Exhibit 2 that most states are below Tuesday’s level, the day I began the state analysis. Massachusetts produced almost all the case increase yesterday. They have been up sharply the last two days, reflecting their acceleration of testing. The Massachusetts death count per day is stable. New York and New Jersey are also testing more people per day.

---

We’ll be back on Monday with COVID-19 updates and information that came through over the weekend.

For our [5th or 6th] Friday of captivity, please enjoy the antics of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby as they sing “Put it There Pal,” with clips from their “Road Pictures” which have kept us entertained since 1940 with the “Road to Singapore.” Bob Hope made 57 tours for the USO between 1941 and 1991 and was declared an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1997 by an act of Congress. Crosby joined Hope on many of these tours and conducted his own. True national treasures that continue to make us smile and laugh – two things we need a lot of right now. Have a great weekend, do something different, sit in a different chair.

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 23. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:
The House is set to pass the additional relief package this afternoon that was passed by Senate on Tuesday, sending it to President Trump to sign into law. Work is also underway on Phase IV of the relief efforts. We expect that package to be considered around mid-May.

LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who joined us this afternoon for our Virtual Lunch & Learn webinar, Sales Strategies for Uncertain Times, presented by Bill Bartlett. As a reminder, all of TIA’s Virtual Lunch & Learn webinars are available on-demand.

TIA UPDATE:
There was a guest editorial in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal from Kurt Huffman, a restaurant owner, about the challenges of enticing idled employees back to work. The editorial, Our Restaurants Can’t Reopen Until August, addresses the unintended consequence of Congressional action. Mr. Huffman states that the starting wage for a line cook in one of his restaurants is $15 hour. The cooks receive at least $1 an hour in tips, so at a minimum, they make $16 an hour, or $640 before taxes for a 40-hour week. Normal Oregon unemployment would have paid the cooks $416, with the $224 a week shortfall acting as an incentive to find a job.

With the CARES Act, however, those workers are now receiving $1,016 a week, or $376 more than if they were employed, an hourly rate of $25.40. The extra CARES Act payments run through July 31, which is why Mr. Huffman states that he will not be able to fully open until August. This same knock on effect will translate into every hourly business.

INDUSTRY UPDATE:

 

 

Each week Truckstop.com publishes a summary of their spot market data in a document called Trans4Cast. The summary is available for free to all their customers. If you are a Truckstop.com customer, I strongly recommend you make that report your regular early week reading. The two most revealing data sets in the report are summarized below. The first, the Truckstop.com Market Demand Index (MDI) is the ratio of loads posted to trucks posted.

As such it is a rough, but useful proxy for capacity utilization, or market tightness. If a lot more loads are posted than trucks, the index goes up, indicating a tight market and vice versa. In the example below you can see the surge in tightness from the “hoarding” effects of the virus (Weeks 6-11 to the right) followed immediately by a collapse in tightness as all the business closed due to the Governors’ restrictions (latest weeks to the right). One hopes that the little curl in the drop at the bottom right is evidence that we have reached a floor. For comparison, the lowest reading for this index during the Great Recession was below 3.

Reaching a floor is important because of what we see in the second graph, a picture of the rates offered by people posting on Truckstop.com’s load board. The graph shows that the already low spot rates levels have collapsed over the last three weeks in response to the loosening of the market shown in the first graph. One hopes that we are nearing a floor. For comparison, the lowest readings for posted rates during the Great Recession were ten cents per mile below the current levels. Note that the data is presented seasonally adjusted to reveal the underlying market forces free of confusing seasonal effects.

One final point: In a market starved for good, real-time data, this Truckstop.com data is a major asset. It and several other such sources all help businesspeople understand what is going on in times of stress, as things are happening, rather than guessing and then studying data months or years after the facts to see if the guess was accurate. In a time of such rapid change, companies who are alert to such data and in possession of contingency plans will have a major advantage.

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:
Wednesday was a mixed day as is typical of mid-week days. The U.S. case count was up significantly, influenced strongly by New York and Texas. From here on we will be presenting the state breakouts (Exhibit 2.) so that you may see where caution is most necessary and where relaxation of restrictions is likely.

To the good, there is lots of green in the U.S. death count change, save only Texas. We are hopeful that such a midweek reduction is a sign of the long-awaited inflection point for U.S. deaths per day. Europe was also down in deaths, although up modestly in new cases, notably in Italy.

To illustrate the difficulty of interpreting these statistics we have learned that some states are including their “probable’s” counts, situations where the cause of death was unclear.

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

Enjoy Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra as they play “Gal in Calico.”

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 22. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:
Last night the Senate approved the latest relief package that would provide an additional $310 billion for the SBA PPP loans. The House is expected to take up the package tomorrow and approve it, thus sending the bill to President Trump for his signature. Additionally, we have received inquiries regarding what “utilities” are included as accepted costs under the PPP loan. The language mentions “transportation,” which has been interpreted to mean fuel costs for business vehicles. This cannot be used for business activities related to the arrangement of transportation.

LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:
Be sure to join us tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET for the latest Virtual Lunch & Learn – Sales Strategies for Uncertain Times. Presented by Bill Bartlett, this webinar will review five strategies to keep your business on track during the difficult times we are facing. Participants will be able to employ these strategies and tactics immediately, directly impacting their bottom line and positioning their business for success. Register now.

TIA UPDATE:
TIA is excited to announce the launch of our new Finance 101 online course. In recognizing the unprecedented disruptions to all aspects of business and life caused by the COVID-19 crisis – as well as looking ahead to the expected boom in business once the economy reopens – TIA is offering complimentary registration to TIA Members through April 30, 2020. Once registered for the Finance 101 online course, users will have full access for 60 days.

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:
Yesterday was a great day for U.S. new cases, dropping 2,138 on a weekday when the number usually goes up. It was not a good day for deaths, which reached a new peak, 865 above the previous day.

You can see the difference between the history of cases and deaths in exhibit 2. Both series have a distinct weekday pattern, although the death line has a much greater variation weekday to weekend. While the case numbers are influenced by the number of tests, counting them is simple. Does the test show positive? Not so with deaths, where there is considerable interpretation as to whether COVID-19 was the causal factor.

Apparently, states are handling the classification chores during the weekdays, hence the 30% to 40% increases in reports compared to weekend days. Still, the lack of a clear inflection in the death count is disappointing. We got that in cases more than two weeks ago. In Western Europe inflection for deaths occurred twelve days after inflection in cases. We are thus due this week for the death’s inflection, perhaps today.

 

---

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

Please enjoy the Andrew Sisters as they sing the “Pennsylvania Polka.”

As TIA continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 and it’s impact on the 3PL and transportation industries, here is your Daily Update for April 21. As a reminder, you can find all the latest information, resources, guidance, and news from TIA’s COVID-19 Response Center.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE:
The latest COVID-19 relief package (replenishing the SBA’s PPP loan with more than $400 billion in additional funding) is headed to the Senate floor this afternoon and expected to pass by unanimous consent, since an agreement between Republicans and Democrats has been reached. The House is expected to take up the measure on Thursday.

LUNCH & LEARN UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who joined TIA and Noël Perry this afternoon for the Virtual Lunch & Learn, which reviewed COVID-19 data and the examined the effects of sequestration on the economy and trucking. As a reminder, all Virtual Lunch & Learn webinars are also available on-demand!

NOËL PERRY UPDATE:
The U.S. showed a typical weekday increase yesterday, but not up to the level of last week’s increase. Tomorrow will tell us more about that.

Europe had a very good day – excepting Belgium. Having a decrease despite the weekday surge is a good sign for Europe. Apparently, Singapore had a metrics update, given their untypical surge.

The world numbers are now down from their peaks, 13% on new cases and 33% on deaths. The downward slope is not as steep as we would like, but it is definitely trending downward.

---

We’ll be back tomorrow with COVID-19 updates and information that came through overnight.

On a blustery Tuesday across the Nation’s Capital, please enjoy The Pied Pipers and “Dream.”