The top trend in supply chain regulation this year was undoubtedly the ELD mandate. From fierce debates and testimonies to new hope renewed by a Supreme Court appeal, only to have it be struck down, many truckers held their breath hoping the mandate would at least be postponed.

Nevertheless, the implementation deadline date has come and gone, and now truckers are feeling the effects of implementation. Some other big regulatory trends included continued consolidation of the ocean shipping industry, as well as deregulation under President Trump.

These stories exemplify the top trends, with emphasis on the ELD mandate. Going into 2018, the theme of deregulation is likely to continue, but may be accompanied by more regulatory attention toward autonomous trucks and updates on NAFTA 2.0 negotiations.

1. FMC rejects Japanese lines' merger over jurisdiction concerns

   The Federal Maritime Commission classified the merger as a "new business entity," surrendering the responsibility of approving the merger to the U.S. Justice Department. Despite this initial setback, the three lines (K Line, MOL and NYK) ended up merging successfully at the end of May.Read More >>

2. Supreme Court refuses to hear ELD mandate case

   Much to the dismay of truckers, the Supreme Court refused to hear the OOIDA's appeal regarding the ELD mandate, effectively finishing the ELD fight as truckers resigned themselves to inevitable implementation (which began last week).Read More >>

3. SEC suspends conflict mineral rule enforcement

   The Securities and Exchange Commission told U.S. companies in April they no longer need to conduct audits regarding sourcing of conflict minerals, which expanded sourcing options for U.S. companies and removed the financial burden of audits.Read More >>

4. Trump pick for FMCSA will not delay ELD mandate

   While some within the trucking industry may have hoped that a new FMCSA head would delay the ELD mandate, Raymond Martinez did not live up to such expectations: upon appointment, he stated the ELD implementation plan would carry on as before.Read More >>

5. Truckers fear ELD mandate's side effects, aggravated capacity crunch

   The truck driver turnover rate is at almost 100%, which is why truck drivers fear that ELD installation costs, hassle and problems will discourage drivers from continuing in the business, leading to an bigger capacity shortage.Read More >>