The Ripple Effect
The pandemic and vaccine mandates have an effect on commerce unseen until now.
Unloaded container ships waiting offshore for their dock time contain not just the Christmas gifts all the kids want, but, as we already know automobile parts are trickling in to US factories. Companies that support these factories are starting to slow down (with eventual layoffs) as the auto companies don’t need the local parts if they can’t get the imported parts. You can’t build half a car!
The problem may actually start getting worse. How do those parts get to those auto plants? Trucks. What keeps those trucks rolling? Drivers, fuel and yes, spare parts. It doesn’t make much forward thinking to understand the problem here. If 30% – 40% of the drivers are locked out due to mandated vaccines AND the trucks we have on the road are aging without replacements coming out of factories AND replacement parts being stuck on a containership because we have no drivers… the problem is a downward spiral leading to eventual disaster.