• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » Logistics » U.S. Retail Lobby Sends S.O.S. to Congress on Supply Chain Chaos

U.S. Retail Lobby Sends S.O.S. to Congress on Supply Chain Chaos

U.S. Capitol
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo: Bloomberg.
October 27, 2021
Bloomberg

The U.S.’s biggest retail lobby asked Congress to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package as well as update shipping and trucking laws to ease a supply chain crisis that’s raising prices and causing shortages. 

Lawmakers “can help retailers keep store shelves stocked and address some of the issues plaguing supply chains by acting on a few pieces of critical legislation,” the National Retail Federation — which represents vendors from mom-and-pop stores through the big-box chain behemoths — said in a blog Tuesday. 

Logjams throughout manufacturing, transport, retail and labor have deteriorated to the point that the Biden administration has had to set up a task force to smooth out the bottlenecks as the holiday shopping season looms.

Read more: Biden Confronts Supply Chain Crisis Stretching Past His Grip

Having the House pass the infrastructure bill that went through the Senate in early August would make funds available to modernize ports, roads and bridges, which would help “save our shipments,” the NRF said.  

Outdated federal regulations prohibit truckers aged 18 to 20 from driving across state lines, exacerbating the shortage of drivers that the American Trucking Associations estimate at about 80,000, the federation said. The bipartisan Drive Safe Act, which was reintroduced as a bill in the House in March, would allow for the legal operation of a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce by holders of commercial drivers’ licenses under the age of 21.  

In a July executive order, President Joe Biden targeted uncompetitive practices in the container-shipping industry — where 85% of capacity is controlled by about 10 major carriers — calling on the Federal Maritime Commission to vigorously enforce rules so exporters aren’t hit with “exorbitant charges.” 

Ocean-freight rates to bring goods from China to U.S. West Coast ports peaked at a record $20,586 per 40-foot container and at more than $16,000 now remain multiples above the $1,590 pre-pandemic average.

Passing the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act would establish minimum service requirements for contracts to ensure that freight is not unreasonably refused and give the commission new enforcement tools, the NRF said.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Logistics Global Gateways LTL/Truckload Services Ocean Transportation Transportation & Distribution Supply Chains in Crisis Retail
    • Related Articles

      Supply Chain Chaos Spurs New ETF Filing to Ride Shipping Boom

      LA Looters Raid Unattended Containers Amid Supply Chain Chaos

      U.S. Retailers to Spend More on Supply Chain Management This Year, Report Says

    • Related Directories

      Tecsys, Inc.

      ProcureAbility

      GLS US

    Bloomberg

    Dubai’s DP World Talks Alliance With Northern Canada Port

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • On Demand Webinar Peak Zebra - SupplyChainBrain Webinar - Thu Oct 22 2026 2p ET.png

      RFID and Machine Vision are Having a Moment

      Webinars
    • GEARS MANUFACTURING iStock-bernie_photo-2219946641.jpg

      Five Current Challenges Preventing Real-Time Visibility in Connected Manufacturing

      Last Mile Delivery
    • An overhead view of a collection of multicolored lithium-ion batteries

      Building a Resilient U.S. Battery Supply Chain

      Green Energy
    • A table titled "Transportation Nexus Assessment" that lays out a list of companies and scores them based on a series of weighted categories

      Better Supply Chains Releases Framework for Evaluating TMS Systems

      Technology
    • A blue container ship stacked with multi-colored containers sinking into an ocean of red tape that reads "tariffs"

      From Russian Oil to U.S. Supply Chains: The Hidden Risk of Secondary Tariffs

      Regulation & Compliance

    Digital Edition

    Scb q3 26 cover

    100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2026: The Secret to Supply Chain Success

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Amazon Freight Anaplan
    Arkieva AutoStore Blue Yonder
    Canadian National Railway Company Carton Cloud CoEnterprise
    Dassault Descartes Dexory
    Duravant E2Open EPG
    General Logistics Systems GEP Hy-Tek
    iGPS Knapp Korber
    Lyngsoe Odyssey Logistics OMP
    PeakAI Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Staples
    S&P Global Mobility Systech TADA
    Tive TransImpact US Bank
    Werner WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing