Another Roadblock in the Global Supply Chain

[Jim Koepke]

As if supply channels weren't messed up enough, there is now another broken cog in the machine.

Search > urea in short supply < to learn about one chemical being in short supply that can not only affect farmers but also the trucks that transport everything.

If you have a vehicle with a diesel engine you may know about DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid or Diesel Environmental Fluid) it is made with urea. It breaks down the components of diesel pollution.

Urea is also used in fertilizer for growing the world food supply.

A by product of the urea making process is food grade carbon dioxide to carbonate beverages like beer.

THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS!!!

Currently urea is made in a process using natural gas and coal. Both of which are experiencing price increases.

jtk

[Ronald Blue]

I haven't noticed any shortages around here but I'm also not driving a def vehicle any longer since retiring a month ago.

[Doug Garson]

A by product of the urea making process is food grade carbon dioxide to carbonate beverages like beer.

THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS!!!


jtk

Luckily most if not all craft beers are naturally carbonated so they are not affected.

[Jim Koepke]

Luckily most if not all craft beers are naturally carbonated so they are not affected.

Just wait, when people can't get their Budwiper they may take a step up and start affecting our supplies of the good stuff.

jtk

[Doug Garson]

Just wait, when people can't get their Budwiper they may take a step up and start affecting our supplies of the good stuff.

jtk

Now that would be serious.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Oh no! Now we will be "milking the cat" to get DEF for our trucks. DEF is lovingly referred to as "cat pee." Must have something to do with the smell. To add to problems, West coast ports don't allow any trucks in that are over 8 years old, which means in less than a month, a whole years worth of trucks will be banned. Plus they are no longer taking in empty shipping containers. Thankfully EPA has come to it's senses, and allowing a temp. run around for broken DEF sensors that affect most of the PACCAR trucks ( KW, and Peterbilt.)

[Jim Koepke]

Oh no! Now we will be "milking the cat" to get DEF for our trucks. DEF is lovingly referred to as "cat pee." Must have something to do with the smell. To add to problems, West coast ports don't allow any trucks in that are over 8 years old, which means in less than a month, a whole years worth of trucks will be banned. Plus they are no longer taking in empty shipping containers. Thankfully EPA has come to it's senses, and allowing a temp. run around for broken DEF sensors that affect most of the PACCAR trucks ( KW, and Peterbilt.)

Maybe Blue DEF is different but when adding some to my truck it didn't seem to have as overpowering a smell as the cats around the house. It does use urea which is a component of mammal urine. It seems someone could make some good money if there was some way to refine it.

About older trucks being banned, your information may be a bit jumbled. My source says it bans engines from before 2010. The truck body doesn't matter. Of course engines are not cheap.

Enforcement with the California DMV started January 1, 2020. Because of COVID-19, it wasn’t talked about much. Now, there are only two remaining years. All trucks in California will need to have a 2010 or newer engine by December 31, 2022.

https://www.worktruckonline.com/1014...ce-regulations

Beyond that there are also federal regulations on using older engine components in 'glider trucks.'

This is from 2016:

Glider kits — new trucks that are equipped with older engines and drivetrain components — will be almost outlawed by 2021 due to provisions of the federal Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy rules released earlier this month.

https://www.truckinginfo.com/136586/...of-glider-kits

People love to knock California. California has the fifth largest economy in the world, ahead of India, behind Germany.

There is a major energy related economic shift occurring in the world. Our current pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench in to the works.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

I saw a video where the cost of DEF/AdBlue is supposed to double over in the UK.

[Myk Rian]

Won't be long before everyone has to pee in a milk can for urine collection every Wednesday.
Just drag it out by the mail box Tues. night. It gets taken to the urea processing plants, then to the refineries.
Trouble is, this will cause a shortage of milk cans, so we move to plastic milk jugs.
Until someone mistakes it for Kool Aid, then it's a house of cards.

[Jim Koepke]

Won't be long before everyone has to pee in a milk can for urine collection every Wednesday.

I'll never be able to hold it that long!

jtk

[Kev Williams]

Anyone else catch this, making chicken from nothing? Making Urea should be cake!

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/202...ed-gps-vpx.cnn

not intending to be political, I just find this kind of stuff fascinating

[Jim Koepke]

Anyone else catch this, making chicken from nothing? Making Urea should be cake!

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/202...ed-gps-vpx.cnn

not intending to be political, I just find this kind of stuff fascinating

This may change over time, currently cultured meat costs more than ranched meat. Many years ago my diet was vegetarian. My vegetarian grandson likes my vegetarian cooking when he visits. He always requests a few of his favorites. Being able to purchase cultured meat in the local grocery makes it easy.

Another bonus is over the years the cultured chicken has improved. A few years ago it kind of squeaked on my teeth while chewing. This last fall when Mike was here the chicken was much better.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

In Ancient Rome people paid bribes for the right to collect the urine from public restrooms. It was used for tanning leather?
Bill D

[Mel Fulks]

In Ancient Rome people paid bribes for the right to collect the urine from public restrooms. It was used for tanning leather?
Bill D

I think it was used for treating wool ,but can’t remember exactly what it did.

[Jim Koepke]

It seems a lot of workers from many industries and occupations have decided it is time to look for something better.

One sentence that jumped out at me in the article >

The trucking industry has a term for this which I’ve come to hate: “Industry Standard”.

A few employers in my past used very much the same reasoning for not paying their workers better or changing methods. "Association Wage Surveys" "Standard Operating Procedures" "We've Been Doing it This Way Forever" "Must be Vetted a Full Year for a Raise" All of these are phrases that should clue a worker to make sure their resumé is up to date and start looking for something better.

It seems with the pandemic, many workers have discovered there are better employers to be found.

One of my recollections during my early years of working was an owner of a firm complaining about how lazy people must be for not wanting to work a minimum wage job. They never seemed to get a clue by high employee turnover rates.

jtk