Amazon warehouse bursts ahead of schedule! 200,000 containers piled up at ports

The person in charge of the port said that although the Biden administration recently required the port to operate a 24-hour shift system to handle cargo non-stop, the capacity gap has not been alleviated, especially the urgent shortage of truck drivers. Many cargoes have been waiting for more than ten days without a driver to transport them. In addition, it is currently the last few months of 2021, which is a crucial peak season for traditional e-commerce and a period when consumers are in urgent need of various seasonal and daily products. The work of alleviating the backlog of containers is urgent, and the port is currently giving priority to seasonal cargo that needs to leave the port as soon as possible.

The congestion at the port is caused, on the one hand, by a shortage of various jobs, including a lack of skilled dock workers, truck drivers and railroad workers to load and unload containers. Port officials said this largely reflects a shortage of workers caused by the Delta variant, but also a shortage of drivers, especially truck drivers, due to retirement.

Another reason is that consumers have become more pragmatic in their spending since the pandemic, reducing their travel and entertainment budgets to buy necessities. According to data, Americans are spending more and more money on shopping rather than going on vacation or eating out. Overall, demand for consumer goods is 22% higher than before the pandemic (February 2020 vs. August 2021). The arrival of important holidays such as Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday and Christmas has also significantly increased the transportation volume of festive supplies and daily necessities.

What’s even more terrible is that it’s not just the ports that are experiencing problems; Amazon’s warehouses are also a cause for concern.