Supply chain problems expected to linger

Sarah Wright | Editor

Idon’t envy fleet managers. It’s tough enough to keep up with one vehicle even in the best of times, let alone an entire fleet of them, especially in the current climate. And to top things off, supply chain problems do not appear to be lessening, though the affected items seem to fluctuate any given week or month. Most economic pieces predict years more in recovery time.

“The issues of supply will continue as companies sort through the issues with Covid, war-torn Ukraine, and food insecurity in Africa,” writes Lora Cecere in a Dec. 26, 2022, article on Forbes, titled “Keep Your Seatbelts Buckled. Don’t Expect a Return to Supply Chain Normalcy in 2023.”

Meanwhile, CNBC surveyed logistics managers at major companies and trade groups and found that half didn’t expect the supply chain to return to normal until 2024 or after.

Its article, “Most supply chain managers expect problems to continue at least through 2024,” published in December 2022, notes, “Among the biggest challenges cited by logistics managers noted in the survey were the lack of availability of raw materials, port congestion, a lack of skilled workers and dwindling warehouse space because of soaring inventories. Also cited were terminal rules on picking up and dropping off containers, late container fees (Detention and Demurrage), and canceled sailings.”

The impact ripples throughout this issue of The Municipal. Writer Denise Fedorow reached out to different fleet managers across the country to ask how inflation was affecting their fleets’ operations. The frustration is palatable as orders for new vehicles are canceled or ordering windows tighten. It has led fleet managers to adopt new purchasing strategies. Meanwhile, others are opting to make lemonade out of lemons by considering a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act to ramp up their purchase of electric vehicles.

The supply crisis is broached in our other fleet service articles, further underlining its massive reach. But we have plenty of positives in the fleet sector to share.

One of my favorites is the trend of fleets enlisting the public to name snowplows and other pieces of equipment. Talk about a feelgood news story, and the names are hilarious. Kevin Kilbane reached out to several cities that have held such contests. The positive community reaction is great to see.

Writer Julie Young also looked at the trend of police departments welcoming e-bikes into their fleets; the Santa Barbara, Calif., Police Department is finding more benefits than drawbacks. Also, in California, Writer Beth Anne Brink-Cox checks in with Riverside, which was awarded the No. 1 green fleet award by NAFA. Finally, Lauren Caggiano shares the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s efforts to give rural residents the lifts they need to reach vital appointments.

I often say that public works folks are some of the most creative problem-solvers I’ve ever met, but fleet folks are definitely up there, too. How they are facing these unprecedented challenges is all the proof needed.