In today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour, we dive deep into a critical but often overlooked pillar of the agriculture industry, freight. Nick Papagni and Josh McGill talk with Mark Wood, owner of Wildwood Express, to uncover the mounting pressures facing California’s trucking sector.
Wood, who operates a fleet of 60 trucks across California and Arizona, shares a candid and emotional account of the challenges confronting the freight industry: skyrocketing fuel prices, suffocating regulations, skyrocketing insurance premiums, and an increasingly uncertain future for diesel vehicles. He warns that freight, like water and labor, is an essential part of agriculture’s supply chain, without it, the entire system crumbles.
From electric truck mandates to infrastructure decay, Wood paints a bleak picture of what it takes to stay afloat in California’s regulatory environment. His message is clear: let us do business. He stresses the importance of common sense leadership and the need for policy makers to truly understand how their decisions impact the people who keep America’s food system moving.
This powerful conversation highlights the strain on California’s freight operators, the ripple effects on farmers and packers, and the urgent need for action before more companies are forced to shut down or flee the state.
Plus, the show wraps with a preview of the upcoming Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo in Tampa, where key issues like immigration reform and, you guessed it, freight will take center stage.
Full interview coming soon on AgNetWest.com
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