The Biden administration’s December expansion of the H-2B visa program, which nearly doubles the available permits for foreign truck drivers and other nonagricultural workers in 2025, was hailed as a solution to what some argue is an ongoing truck driver shortage. The initiative, which adds 64,716 supplemental visas on top of the 66,000 annual H-2B visas, was intended to give U.S. employers, including trucking companies, greater access to foreign labor to fill seasonal and temporary job...
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Report: US imports high percentage of goods made with forced labor
A research firm contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a report on forced labor in the global supply chain, the role it plays in international trade and how the U.S. can prevent importing goods made by slaves.
The report by the Rand Homeland Security Research Division – which operates the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center – estimates that 28 million people around the world are bound by forced labor, including some 3 million children.
The research was...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/report-us-imports-high-percentage-of-goods-made-with-forced-labor
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
Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico relaxes rules on foreign tankers
The Biden administration has approved a “temporary and targeted” Jones Act waiver to boost fuel supplies to hurricane-battered Puerto Rico. But supporters of the law argue the waiver is unnecessary and could disrupt recovery operations on the island.
“In response to urgent and immediate needs of the Puerto Rican people in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, I have approved a temporary and targeted Jones Act waiver to ensure that the people of Puerto Rico have sufficient diesel to run generators...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/jones-act-waiver-for-puerto-rico-relaxes-rules-on-foreign-tankers
FreightWaves Classics: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has key freight responsibilities
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, numerous changes were made at federal agencies. For example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was founded on November 25, 2002. Among the agencies that are part of DHS is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP.
CBP became the first comprehensive border security agency in the U.S. on March 1, 2003. The agency’s focus is to maintain the integrity of the nation’s boundaries and ports of entry.
Before the creation of...
US maritime group fears waiver abuse by fuel shippers
A group representing U.S. domestic maritime interests has warned the Biden administration that the Jones Act waivers issued by the government to address fuel shortages could be used by shippers to make money off the crisis.
In a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) urged the administration to reject any waiver of the Jones Act — a law that requires all cargoes moving domestically to be loaded into American vessels — unless U.S.-flag ships are...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-maritime-group-fears-waiver-abuse-by-fuel-shippers
US greenlights fuel transport by foreign ships
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has waived the Jones Act to allow a foreign shipping company to move domestic fuel supplies to help shore up fuel supplies on the U.S. East Coast.
“In the interest of national defense, I have approved a temporary and targeted waiver request to an individual company,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement late Wednesday.
“This waiver will help provide for the transport of oil products between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-greenlights-fuel-transport-by-foreign-ships
Biden readies critical supply chain review
President Joe Biden is preparing to make good on a campaign promise to review critical supply chains and reduce American dependence on imports for pandemic-related equipment and materials.
In July 2020, while he was officially still the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Biden laid out a plan to help the U.S. prevent shortages of critical products needed in times of crisis. The plan was in response to what he and others saw as failed efforts of the Trump administration during...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/biden-readies-critical-supply-chain-review
COVID-19 taking bite out of the driver pool
Trucking companies are realigning hiring practices to focus on experienced drivers as the supply of student drivers falls dramatically because of COVID-19.
The shift is a direct result of driving schools that have closed and state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs) that have either cut back hours or shut down entirely during the pandemic. This is constricting the pipeline of entry-level drivers that many carriers rely on for more than half of their driver positions.
“A lot of the driving schools...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/covid-19-taking-bite-out-of-the-driver-pool
DOT doubles progress in human trafficking fight
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) more than doubled a goal staked out earlier this year to get 100 pledges in 100 days to raise awareness of human trafficking in the transportation sector.
Over 200 companies and organizations answered the call for the effort that DOT Secretary Elaine Chao made in January. Those that have signed on to the effort “are joining the Department to ensure that America’s transportation systems are not hijacked to facilitate human trafficking,” said U.S....
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-doubles-progress-in-human-trafficking-fight