FEMA

FEMA awards $2.6M security grant to Port of Long Beach

The Port of Long Beach has been awarded more than $2.6 million by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to protect critical infrastructure and ensure the safe movement of trade at the nation’s second-busiest seaport.

Long Beach, as the third-largest recipient of funds from the agency’s Port Security Grant Program, plans to strengthen cybersecurity, improve drone detection capabilities and upgrade network infrastructure that supports the efficient flow of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fema-awards-2-6m-security-grant-to-port-of-long-beach

Milton makes landfall on freight market

Chart of the Week: National Outbound Tender Rejection Index – USA SONAR: OTRI.USA

National outbound tender rejection rates (OTRI), the rate at which carriers turn down requests from their customer for truckload capacity, jumped from 5.13% to 5.62% from Oct. 8 to Oct. 9 as Hurricane Milton closed in on Florida’s west coast. This was the largest single-day jump of the past two years. What are the takeaways for transportation providers and managers in the wake of the third major transportation...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/milton-makes-landfall-on-freight-market

What a fleet or driver should expect running FEMA loads

Pallets of supplies ranging from generators, bottled water, to MREs 

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This article was originally published on freightwaves.com in 2017 in reaction to Hurricane Harvey....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/2017/8/27/what-to-expect-with-fema

Trucker remembers time at ground zero on anniversary of 9/11

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Sept. 11, 2021. FreightWaves has updated it and is republishing it for this year’s remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

On the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, truck driver Russell Vereen reflects on the 205 days he spent working at a refrigerated trailer morgue at ground zero, ensuring the trailers were fueled and running and storing the remains that medical personnel worked tirelessly to identify.

At the time, Vereen was leased to Bennett...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucker-remembers-time-at-ground-zero-on-anniversary-of-9-11

What to look out for when hauling FEMA loads

Even as city, state and federal officials urge residents to flee ahead of high winds and flooding, truck drivers answer the call to haul emergency supplies to areas where hurricanes are expected to strike. 

However, the way truckers heed that call has a huge impact on when, how and how much they get paid, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller points out.

“Hurricane-relief loads offer an opportunity for trucking companies to demonstrate to the public how critical trucking is, regardless of how challenging...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-to-look-out-for-when-hauling-fema-loads

Loaded and Rolling: Hurricanes and FEMA freight; power-only grows in importance

Hurricanes and FEMA freight 
(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Hurricane season can frequently — and unexpectedly — change the trucking dynamic. Part of this involves the positioning of equipment in anticipation for hauling FEMA freight. With the approach of Hurricane Ian, the yearly tradition of disaster relief supplies began anew. But understanding the extent of the impact FEMA loads will have on truckload markets and spot rates will take time, as declines in outbound tender rejection rates and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-hurricanes-and-fema-freight-power-only-grows-in-importance

Trucking comes to the rescue during hurricanes

This story was originally published on August 26, 2017, but has been updated for the 2022 hurricane season.

In 2003, I got caught in the middle of a hurricane. But it wasn’t the high winds and water that I faced, it was the surge of truckloads that my startup on-demand trucking division received.

My small but agile team of 11 made up the on-demand provider of US Xpress, known as Xpress Direct. We were set up to handle the spot on-demand capacity needs for major shippers, brokers, and airfreight...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/2017/8/25/trucking-comes-to-the-rescue

Will Hurricane Ida cause carriers to chase FEMA relief loads?

Satellite animation of major Hurricane Ida approaching Louisiana.

At this time, we do not know the level of destruction that Hurricane Ida will inflict. Hopefully, for the people and property impacted, the damage will be minimal. 

To the degree necessary, local, state, and federal emergency management agencies, relief organizations, churches, major corporations, and ordinary people will band together to help those affected by the storm. 

However, when major hurricanes have hit the United States in the past (as recently as last week, unfortunately), the Federal...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-hurricane-ida-cause-carriers-to-chase-fema-relief-loads

How-to on hurricane relief efforts

Hurricane Ida’s outer bands began dumping heavy rain on Louisiana early today as its sustained wind gusts reached 150 mph.

Because of weather satellites and a range of other technologies, man’s ability to track and predict the path of hurricanes improves yearly. In North America, communications technologies give us the ability to warn residents of areas in the predicted path of hurricanes several days ahead of time that the storm is coming and its potential severity. Usually people and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-on-hurricane-relief-efforts

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