Federal agencies cite farmer complaints about equipment access

The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said they opened a joint public inquiry “seeking information into the manufacturing and distribution markets for the equipment” amid a growing number of complaints to the USDA, according to the WSJ Logistics Report. The agencies invited comments from the public, saying farmers across the country are facing barriers to acquiring the equipment and the services required to keep the equipment operating. Shares of Caterpillar, CNH Industrial, Agco and Deere fell.

The newsletter also reported that intermodal containers and trailers carried on U.S. railroads rose 7.4% in the week ended Oct. 3 compared with the same week a year earlier, according to data from the Association of American Railroads.

In a separate item, the same newsletter described a proposal under which the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would pay zero-emission truck operators $60 each time they pick up or drop off containers with a zero-emission vehicle, up to a maximum of $36,000 per truck per year, over the next three years. The boards of the two ports are expected to vote on the proposal in the coming months. Drivers of electric-powered rigs are asking the ports to subsidize the high costs of owning and operating zero-emission big rigs, saying they cannot compete with diesel-powered rivals even as fuel prices surge to record highs, the report said. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said struggling carriers approached the port to request help earlier this year.

“I don’t know that just subsidizing people is a complete answer. But maybe in the interim we’ve got to do something to help,” Seroka told the Journal.

The ports, as well as state and federal agencies, have already committed hundreds of millions of dollars to install charging infrastructure and subsidize purchases of zero-emission trucks, the report said.

The WSJ Logistics Report is edited by Mark R. Long. Paul Berger reported the electric-truck story, and Elias Schisgall reported the FTC/USDA probe.