According to the American Trucking Association, there are nearly 3.5 million truck drivers working around the country in 2020. They carry more than 10 billion tons annually, which is about two-thirds of the total freight tonnage.
When things are going well, most of us don’t recognize all they’re doing behind the scenes to keep our lives running normally. However, in a crisis like the present Covid-19 outbreak, truckers have joined healthcare professionals on the front line of the battle.
It’s time we realize that the trucking industry is leading the country’s response towards the Covid-19 pandemic. Without truck drivers, the thousands of us who have been advised to stay at home would be without food and other essential items. Healthcare workers would have even lesser personal protection equipment than what they already have. Cities would be without sanitary supplies that help us stay clean and healthy.
Truckers are helping to enable sustainable living by replenishing life’s essentials. This leads us to the common refrain that “if trucking stops, the world stops”. They are truly some of the unrecognized heroes of this pandemic.
How are truckers helping in this pandemic?
With many truck drivers putting in long hours under these stressful circumstances to ensure life’s essentials get restocked, operating efficiently has become a huge priority. Here‘s how they are keeping operations efficient during Covid-19 and what they use to navigate through these circumstances:
Timeline sharing and real-time Location:
Truckers are using real-time location and timeline sharing to manage and view their assets in real-time and to stay connected with the on-field teams at any moment. VegitOne provides this service to multiple truck drivers.
Enabling scheduling and automatic routing
Schedule timely delivery and optimize route planning with VegitOne, as it’s a complex process to be done manually.
Addressing the gaps in vehicle up-time as they arise:
VegitOne allows users to put comments on vehicles, service entries, vehicle records, jobs, invoices, and reminders. This enables easy communication and truckers can provide clarity and share information across day-to-day fleet operations and upcoming responsibilities.
Live driver behavior monitoring and alerts:
Factors such as distracted driving, overspeeding, red-light running, sharp turns, drow no-gutters driving, and seat-belt use can contribute to ill-famed accidents. Using VegitOne, keep a tab on them with the driver behavior module of our product.
Digital proof of delivery to maintain social distancing:
Using VegitOne, truck drivers can put comments and upload images regarding the consignment. Alerts can be sent when the product reaches the destination enabling faster invoicing and payments. This also reduces payment disputes and running cash-flow problems.
It’s crucial to recognize the people who keep our world running smoothly, even during unprecedented times.
What are the precautions?
Now, truck drivers are taking the same precautions as the rest of America to slow down the spread of Covid-19. They’re practicing social distancing and good hygiene. In Covid-19 hot spots across the country, even severe precautions are being taken.
For instance, CDC, the Centre for Disease Control is giving precise guidance to truck drivers who have to deliver goods. The agency suggests that drivers should stay in their vehicles to the maximum extent when supplies are being loaded onto the truck and unloaded at the destination.
Also, the CDC is advising trucking companies to switch to digital receipts. This will enable truck drivers to maintain a healthy distance from other people. Further, truck drivers who are unwell or have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, are being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
If they minimize their exposure to people, it will be less likely that these frontline workers will get novel coronavirus.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that the US would not get through this outbreak without truck drivers. They are the unrecognized heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic that are holding the supply chain together. Without their readiness to work around the clock to deliver the supplies needed to restock our shelves, the country would come to a halt.
While working, truck drivers are also doing their best to keep themselves healthy. Every day they put their lives at risk when they get into their vehicles and go about their business. We can help keep them safe by practicing social distancing.
Every supply chain is dependent on the movement of goods. For the first time in several years, the country has faced a pandemic. Truckers are certainly doing their part to get us through it as smoothly as possible.
VegitOne would like to thank all truck drivers, fleet managers, and dispatchers. They are all making rounds on the road, stepping up beyond the call of duty, and are potentially risking their health and comfort in the process. They do this just to ensure that we get the required medicine and food we need in these challenging times, and the freight remains on the move to boost our economy.
This article first appeared on the VegitOne Blog at:
https://www.vegitone.com/truck-drivers-the-unrecognized-heroes-of-covid-19
