OK anons, talked to a good friend yesterday, owns a very large trucking business. Says the PORTS are the problem. Not letting cargo out of the yard. Who owns the ports (anons know).
I encourage fellow anons to chat with your trucker buddies, ask for their opinions. Let's see if we can get some collaborating testimonials. Yes it's anecdotal, but if anons are the news we can push this.
Received this AM from a large engineering firm I do business with:
Date: October 7, 2021
As a fallout of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the commodities and labor market has shifted
greatly. Reduced manufacturing and logistical capacities worldwide have played a large part in this shift.
Steel, copper, and aluminum are all notable items that are prevalent in construction projects. These
metals can be found all throughout the building including the structure, concrete reinforcement,
ventilation systems, electrical components, and in the various types of equipment found within the
building. We at XXX have been tracking the increase of commodities and have recognized
the peak increases in the commodity classifications listed below.
• Aluminum Materials Escalation of 14.7%
• Portland Cement Materials Escalation of 2.4%
• Hot Rolled Coil Steel Materials Escalation of 312.9%
• Standard structural shapes Materials Escalation of 31.5%
• Lumber Materials Escalation of 49.7%
These increases have been tracked between the months of September 2020 and September 2021.
This is a partial list of specific items that we are tracking but it is not inclusive of all construction items that
have been showing price fluctuations because of the pandemic. In this same period the Engineering NewsRecord (ENR) has reported that the Building Cost Index has increased 14.2%, and a Construction Cost
Index increase of 8.0%.