The coronavirus pandemic has hit almost all parts of the world, and the truckers have had it rough, leading to lots of food delays. For instance, in Europe, the truckers have been made to experience hours of waiting due to restrictions put in place to curb the virus’s spread. In South America, food delivery is an essential service at the national levels, but some local laws have disputed the same, making it hard for truckers to operate. Similarly, some African parts also have had it hard with the complete shutdown of the public transport sector. Drivers can’t even get places to eat nor sleep, and cannot go through drive-thru lanes as the trucks are too big.
In Brazil, one of the largest food suppliers, life for truckers has become even tougher, making some of the drivers refuse to take on new trips. Food and agricultural products are all at some point, transported by road. Derek Leathers, CEO of Werner Enterprises, confessed of having never seen such a thing as what is currently being experienced. He acknowledged that despite the situation, they were still open to carry out their business.
A 62-year-old truck driver, Bob Santon, reiterated the fact that he wouldn’t risk his health any further since he already has some underlying health conditions, which leaves him even more vulnerable. He claimed that if he was to take a vacation, people would starve since there would be no deliveries made. He also expressed his worries that he wouldn't wish to be ill far away from his home.
The problem is even more severe in the US s it has been hit so hard by the pandemic. Some other parts have just experienced a small slowdown. Some areas facing delays have led to deliveries of foods beyond their “best before” dates. In India, vegetable has lagged in stores due to a reduced number of trucks. In Uganda, according to Mary Kamugisha, public transport has been shut down, and they depend on motorcycles for delivery, and it hasn’t been any easy since there are lots of delays.
Some governments are working on policies to have an enabling environment for food deliveries. The European Commission has come up with a green lane to be used by food trucks freely, to reduce delivery delays. Argentina has also become lenient to allow deliveries of soybean meal; they had initially blocked road access, fearing that drivers would infect them. Some businesses have taken it further, providing packed meals for the drivers. In the US, with most people at home, traffic is light, enabling quicker loading and deliveries.
Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, noted that some of their trucks had been driven empty to go pick up foods in the US. The empty trips have led to cost increases for the foods. Though demand for trucks in the US is higher, the effectiveness is low since they make rounds with no goods while drivers are exposed and at risk of getting the virus. Charles Stallings, has tweaked his driving routine to keep safe, using his personal pen to sign off, sanitizing regularly and using a mask during transit.
