HOW THE SHUTDOWN IS IMPACTING TRUCKING

On Monday the United States Senate rejected a budget proposal put forth by Congress, prompting the first government shutdown since 1996. Over 800,000 “non-essential” government workers have been told not to come to work, though currently there are still some 2.5 million workers still reporting for work. That number may change in the coming days and weeks if a budget isn’t passed and the government revived. Here’s the impact the government shutdown will have on the trucking industry according to thetruckersreport.com. According to an article published on Overdrive Online, 18,481 DOT employees have already been furloughed. This still leaves 36,987 employees regular hours, but it is not known what sort of backlog or work shortage will result from the absence of a third of all the DOT’s employees. The FMCSA meanwhile has stated that their operations will continue as normal. None of their 1,102 employees have been placed on furlough. According to the DOT, the FMCSA has “sufficient balances of liquidating cash to operate for a limited period during a lapse of annual appropriations.” If the shut-down lasts for longer than the “limited period” however, we may see FMCSA employees taking unpaid vacations like other government employees.