WHERE WAS PETE? 24/7 Operations Might Not Be Enough to Solve Supply Chain Collapse.

The supply chain problems are more deep-seated than they look, and the critical factor at play is how quickly the new 24/7 measures may improve a complex supply chain network that has been strained to a snapping point.

As a recent Financial Times article underscores, “The US is facing a shortage of warehouse space and truck drivers, and shifting to 24/7 operation will require enormous co-ordination between the publicly operated ports and private sector groups, including large retailers and freight companies.”

The Port of Los Angeles has been operating on a reduced schedule for months, even as record imports have piled up there. That has led to a bottleneck of 73 or more ships waiting off the coast of Los Angeles, compared to usually no more than one ship waiting for a berth in more normal times.

Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg has been such a nonentity I’d almost forgotten we had a Department of Transportation.