Pub. 1 2020 Issue 2

Kentucky Trucker 41 KyTrucking.net contact with touchpoints such as fuel pumps and the scales at weigh stations. Semi-truck drivers and their families have the option of getting financial help from the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, which is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The organization has seen increased dona- tions but can currently only help qualified applicants who have tested positive for the virus and whose situa- tion is serious enough for them to need medical care. Kathleen Cartmell, an associate professor whose specialty is epidemiology, is within the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University. She offers the following information and recommendations: • Long-haul truckers interact with fewer people than delivery drivers. That lowers their risk. • Necessary precautions consist of not coughing on people, washing hands frequently, and sanitizing surfaces. Masks should be reserved for healthcare workers and people who have the virus. • If you are around someone, especially if they are sick, keeping a distance of several feet from them can help you stay healthy. • Meet outside as often as possible. Closed areas or buildings with closed circulation make it easier for the virus to be transmitted. One piece of good news is the fact that there have not been any cases of infection caused by imported goods. Domestically, there is a small chance of infection from cardboard, which is shorter than the time it can survive on stainless steel or plastic. But mail and parcel delivery services have updated guidelines for sanitation, and the risk is considered low. Companies like Amazon are doing what they can to meet the concerns of affected employees. Changes include paid sick leave and a relief fund for contractors and drivers. Some truck manufacturers have shut down their opera- tions temporarily, but this is not as serious a step as one might expect. The trucking industry has had an oversupply; shutdowns are an opportunity to decrease inventory. Aftermarket operations are still open and fully supported. More worrisome is the sudden rise in layoffs, although the U.S. Senate’s $2.2 trillion relief bill is expected to help businesses, health care systems, and workers who are affected by COVID-19. According to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, the central bank is in a good position to keep the country function- ing until the pandemic subsides. However, although COVID-19 has ruined the second quarter, some com- panies, such as Amazon and Walmart, are hiring. The trucking industry is also hiring in the short term; it is an open question how trucking will be affected in the long term. The freight mix is sure to change, and that may help offset drops. Timothy Denoyer, who is a vice president and senior analyst for the ACT, acknowledges a steep drop for the second quarter of 2020. Still, he also said he expects stabilization of the trucking industry in the third quar- ter of the year, and he expects a recovery in the fourth quarter. An economist named Noel Perry, who works for Transport Futures, does not expect the recovery to offset the drop; he thinks the best case is that they will offset each other. According to Robert Koopman, Efforts to disinfect work areas have been increased, and self-service food areas have been converted to full-service. Some locations have adjusted hours and services. continued on page 42