What would happen if truck drivers went on strike

What Would Happen If Truck Drivers Went on Strike?

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Running a trucking company is rewarding, but challenging.  If the entire BYX team decided to call it quits and sell ice cream on the beach in the Bahamas, however, our customers would be less than thrilled. Just one trucking company hitting the breaks would be enough to slow down the daily operations of dozens of businesses. Imagine if truck drivers went on strike nationwide. 

Life as we know it would grind to a halt. To appreciate how important the logistics industry is to our economy, let’s look at the timeline. 

If truck drivers went on strike, problems would start within 24 hours 

Day One

Once truck drivers quit, it wouldn’t take long to start noticing the effects. Within one day, gas shortages would start. The most popular fuel stations need gas deliveries multiple times a day. They’d run out in just a few hours, leading to traffic-stopping lines at any station still stocked. 

Hospitals, nursing homes, and any other facilities that rely on medical supplies to function would be in immediate trouble. Although they’ve likely prepared for emergencies, they would still have to resort to extreme measures to conserve their remaining supplies. Syringes, catheters, and other products needed to save lives would be reserved for those in critical care. 

The manufacturing industry would also fly into a panic. Many manufacturers, like those in the tech industry, produce goods at the last minute to avoid making more than they can sell. Without any reserves to fall back on, they wouldn’t be able to continue production for long.  Read more

Logistics facts

Logistics Facts and eCommerce Stats Everyone Should Know

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Did you know the biggest ship in the world could easily transport the Eiffel tower? It’s true, and some of the more practical logistics facts are just as intriguing. The logistics industry is huge, and life as we know it wouldn’t exist without UPS, Amazon delivery drivers, and companies like yours truly. 

The shipping industry is changing, however, and it affects every person who relies on shipping to do business. (Plus, the consumers who shop from them!) Whether you’re a shipper or a shopper, these logistics and eCommerce stats are handy to keep in mind.  Read more

An Inside Look at the BYX Family

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As you probably already know, Best Yet Express is a family-owned business. It’s led by Jay Newjahr, Owner and CEO, the son of founders Chris and Sherry Newjahr, and his wife, Lara Press-Newjahr, who serves as President. The husband-wife team has learned a lot along the way. In celebration of another successful year serving So-Cal, BYX sat down with Lara and Jay to get a closer look at what it’s really like behind the scenes. 

 

How has doing business changed since BYX was founded? 

Originally, much of the business consisted of one-off shipments. Companies with occasional shipments would hire us here and there, but they lacked the volume to offer steady business. This meant we were constantly chasing down the next lead, creating instability. 

We still have some of those customers, but the focus of the business shifted to building partnerships with other businesses that rely on us to keep their operations going. We think of ourselves as an extension of these businesses that need us to perform to operate themselves. 

Technology has also changed the business a lot. We’ve come a long way from two-way radios and handwritten post-it notes hanging on a pegboard. Everything is done online now and that has drastically changed efficiency. The company started with a pickup truck and a strict focus on trucking. Today, we’ve also expanded into the warehouse and brokerage space.

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Consumer spending trends

Consumer Spending Forecast: Expect Trends to Continue Until 2024

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With 2023 around the corner, business owners are all asking the same question: As inflation continues, what does it mean for us? Consumer trend predictions through the end of 2022 and beyond suggest that consumer spending will remain high for some time. It’s good news, giving us time to prepare for the less predictable years ahead. 

Let’s look at the current consumer spending stats

While complete data isn’t yet available for Q4, monthly consumer spending is trackable. Retail sales through October were elevated 8.3% year-over-year. That figure includes gas and food, but even with those out of the picture, retail alone was up 7.5%. Of course, inflation changes those figures significantly. Adjusted for inflation, however, retail sales were still 0.5% higher than they were this time last year. Spending continues to hover at an almost unprecedented high. Read more

Things to be grateful for

7 Things to Be Grateful for This Holiday Season

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The holidays are one of the busiest seasons for business owners and logistics professionals alike. It can be stressful, but there’s also a lot to celebrate. If this year’s holiday rush is stressing you out, take a breather and think about these seven amazing reasons to be grateful this year. 

1. Christmas shopping can be done from your couch. Who wouldn’t be grateful about that?

We’ve gotten so used to this one that we almost forgot how holiday shopping used to work. Black Friday was exclusively an in-person ordeal. Shoppers had to get up at the crack of dawn to camp out in front of Best Buy. There was a literal stampede at Walmart. If you wanted to get the best deals, you had to power through a day standing in line at the mall. Now, you can get the same deals while catching up on Netflix’s latest Christmas specials and snacking on leftover pie. Read more

BYX fleet

5 Things Every BYX Customer Should Know

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A lot has changed since BYX was founded over 40 years ago. As times and technology have changed, we’ve changed too. In 2022, we went the extra mile to make sure we live up to our motto: Our goal is to make the lives of our clients easier, one steady shipment at a time. We update our technology and improve our training practices on an ongoing basis to continue offering our customers the best, least stressful logistics services in all of Southern California. 

For a quick recap, here’s what’s new at the end of 2022

More space, more warehousing options

  1. We have a new warehouse
    Our 100,000 sq. ft. racked warehouse facility boasts 32 ft clearance, 23 dock doors, state-of-the-art security cameras, and the latest tech to keep your valuables organized and safe
  2. We’ve updated our fleet
    With over 75 trailers and 45 power units, all with the latest tracking and safety tech, we can service more shipments in less time
  3. We’re offering more storage solutions than ever
    With all that additional space, BYX can now manage both warehousing and shipping needs all under one roof. Streamlined services simplify logistics for our clients, in addition to offering a more flexible and efficient shipping experience
  4. We offer cross docking, transloading, and devanning services
    The entire mission of BYX is to offer the most comprehensive logistics solutions possible. Our job is to make yours easier. In addition to offering fast, competitively priced shipping, we aim to streamline our customers’ supply chains and help their businesses succeed. Less turnover time and lower handling and storage costs are just a few of the perks.
  5. Our team has gone up a size
    With over 65 employees, including some key new managers, we have plenty of hands on deck to ensure reliable service around the clock.

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Tesla semi

The New Tesla Semi Might Be the Biggest Trucking Development in Decades

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Whether the cars of the future will be electric or gas-powered used to be up for debate. Not anymore. California is moving to have all new vehicles sold in California be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2035. Not everyone is happy about it since electric vehicles remain less affordable than gas models, but the perks of driving electric are undeniable. Elon Musk recently announced that a new Tesla Semi is in production, and the good news couldn’t have come sooner. 

A quick look at the Tesla Semi’s specs

Originally intended for release in 2019, the Tesla Semi is finally coming out in December 2022. Pepsi is scheduled to have its first Tesla Semi on the road by December 1, and even with the three-year delay, the development is revolutionary. An electric semi is something no company has ever produced, placing Tesla (unsurprisingly) miles ahead of the competition. 

Interestingly, it’s one of Tesla’s most cost-effective vehicles yet. It’s also powerful enough to have real applications in the trucking industry. Reportedly, the new vehicle has the following features: 

  • The ability to haul the largest possible semi-truck payload of 80,000 lbs
  • Enough juice to accelerate 0-60 mph with a full payload in 20 seconds
  • Full highway speeds up a 5% gradient with a full load
  • A battery 8.5 times larger than that of the Model S
  • A range of 500 miles with a full payload
  • Recharging abilities to 70% in 30 minutes

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Jobs in the trucking industry

14 Jobs in the Trucking Industry Other Than Driving

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When most people think of jobs in the trucking industry, truck driving is the only one that comes to mind. There are over a dozen other jobs in logistics, however, that do not require a commercial driver’s license. Many of them don’t require applicants to step behind the wheel at all! If you’re curious about career options, keep reading for an overview of some of the most common trucking industry jobs below. 

Note: The salary ranges are sourced from Indeed.com based on national averages. It’s safe to assume they’re higher in areas where the cost of living is higher, like right here in Los Angeles. The most lucrative ones are saved for last! Read more

New Smog Check Requirements for Trucks May Help LA’s Air Quality

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No one gets excited about getting a smog check, but there’s one thing all Los Angeles residents can look forward to: Fewer days in which our local mountains disappear in a cloud of brown haze. Numerous factors contribute to pollution in southern California, including smoke from wildfires and chemicals produced by refineries and other factories. The main cause of air pollution in LA County, however, comes from the emissions produced by the vehicles backed up on the 405. 

The air quality in LA has improved dramatically in the past 30 years, but cars and trucks are still responsible for over 50% of all emissions. In hopes of further reducing the number of days that our Google Home devices tell us that the air quality is too unhealthy for a walk on the beach, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is cracking down on trucks.  Read more

Drive safely

How to Drive Safely Around Trucks (Or in One)

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We all think we drive safely, but do we really? August 16, 2022 started out like any other day. 71-year-old Larry Lee Atham, President of a West Virginia-based trucking company, got behind the wheel for a routine day of driving. At mile marker 132 on the I-79, everything changed. He lost control of the truck, hitting a guardrail, skidding across traffic, hitting the guardrail again, and catching fire. That was his last drive. Just a day later on a winding mountain highway in Buffalo, Wyoming, another driver, Texas-based Javier Cardoso-Reyes, couldn’t slow down, rolled over a guardrail and down an embankment, and never made it home. He was only 47. 

29 truck drivers lined up their vehicles to pay their respects after Atham’s memorial service, rolling slowly past the funeral home to say goodbye. As touching as their gesture was, the loss of Atham, and just a day later, Cardoso-Reyes, in single-vehicle trucking accidents, raises serious concerns. Just one driver lost is one too many. Are we doing enough to prevent casualties?  Read more