In brief: California, Texas and Florida in the transportation industry

California’s new gas reserve plan, Texas introduces QR code for trucks, and Florida’s fuel price drop

California: Newsom unveils plan to prevent gas price increases

On August 15, California Governor Gavin Newsom presented an innovative plan to require oil refineries to maintain a minimum fuel reserve. This measure aims to prevent supply shortages, which Newsom claims contribute to rising gas prices. The proposal will allow the California Energy Commission (CEC) to impose reserve requirements on refineries, helping to stabilize prices and potentially save Californians hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Newsom stated that price hikes at the pumps excessively benefit oil companies, as refineries do not replenish their reserves during maintenance periods. The CEC reported that last year, refineries held less than 15 days of supply on 63 occasions, contributing to price increases. Newsom estimates that the new regulations could have saved Californians over $650 million in the past year.

This proposal follows the Gas Price Transparency and Extortion Act, which aims to protect consumers from abusive pricing through an independent oversight body and the possibility of penalizing bad practices. Although economic sanctions have not yet been implemented, the law has helped Californians spend $728 million less on gasoline this summer compared to the previous year.

Oil sector representatives have criticized both the law and the new proposed sanctions. Newsom began his efforts to regulate gas prices in 2022, when prices reached record levels in California.

Texas: trucks from Mexico to be required to display QR code at entry ports

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has implemented a new requirement for trucks crossing international bridges in southern Texas: they must print and display a QR code of their cargo manifests on their windshields. This measure applies to cargo trucks from Mexico using the entry ports managed by the Laredo Field Office, including bridges in Laredo, Brownsville, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, Rio Grande City, Progreso, and Roma.

The purpose of the QR code is to streamline the inspection process and reduce wait times by minimizing administrative errors. Armando Taboada, Deputy Field Operations Director at the Laredo Field Office, explained that the QR code will facilitate the correct matching of shipments with non-intrusive X-ray inspections. Laredo is the primary international trade entry point for the U.S., with a 9.4% increase in truck traffic in July.

The Laredo World Trade Bridge now features an advanced X-ray scanner capable of examining over 150 containers per hour. Trucks without the QR code will be processed manually. Although this new measure might add some additional time to crossing, it is expected to eventually make the process more efficient and reduce costs for importers.

The Laredo Motor Carrier Association (LMCA) has welcomed the change, noting that the QR code should speed up truck inspections at the border.

Florida: fuel prices continue to decrease

In Florida, gasoline prices decreased last week, averaging $3.25 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This price is 12% lower compared to a year ago. Additionally, the average has dropped 19 cents since last month and is expected to continue decreasing. The lowest price recorded last year was $2.81 per gallon.

Nationwide, the average price of gasoline last week was $3.41 per gallon, representing a 4.8% decrease from the previous week, when the average was $3.45 per gallon.

Regarding diesel in Florida, the price stands at $3.35 per gallon, down 24 cents from the previous week.