Ever since the emergence of Covid-19, private carriers have needed to shift towards more use of technology to survive through the storm of the pandemic. Carriers have had to work on reducing contact, ensuring that the employees are safe and sound, limiting the spread of the virus. Jim VonAchen, director of transportation support at McLane Co., reiterated that they are working on ensuring safety by providing facemasks, sanitizers, and ensuring surfaces are cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Marie Robinson, an Executive at Sysco, stated that the ability to move with haste in both making decisions and operating businesses is a trend that they will undoubtedly carry forward even after the pandemic passes. McLane’s VonAchen stated that they decided to venture into areas that needed much help, such as the grocery sector. VonAchen said that decisions became quicker to make, sparing more time to develop other strategies and procedures. Robinson said that they had a plan to improve deliveries, which was scheduled to consume a whopping eighteen months in the wake of the pandemic, and the same was laid down and implemented in four weeks.  

The industry executives stated that technology had played quite a role in seeing carriers through the hard times. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, for instance, converted their messaging system into a communication tool to give their employees updates. VonAchen added that they now have access to lots of data from ELDs used to improve operations. The technology has also been used to minimize operating costs. Southern Glazer also has thermal scanners to check for fever in both customers and employees.Ron Flanary stated that investment in technology is something long term. According to Jim Griffin, chief operating officer at Fleet Advantage, carriers must invest heavily in trucking equipment to ease operations.

There has been a significant shift towards ensuring that tough sanitation is highly maintained to ensure that safety is prioritized at all costs. There are many people employed to do a thorough cleaning. The main aim is to reduce contact as much as possible. Others have heavily moved towards working remotely, for instance, Clean Harbors. The move may be suitable for now, but Robinson sees it as impossible to hold on forever. She thinks that some activities need people on the ground to assess and give reports.