TRUCK DRIVERS: when they begin to get sick and can't work it's OVER for everybody.

[BamaRefugee]

You think the stores are bad now.

When truck drivers aren’t rolling down the highways, our stores are going to look like the stores in Russia that we used to see on TV (if you’re a 1950s kid you’ll remember). 300 people in line for 10 loaves of bread.

Truckers bring us EVERYTHING that keeps us going, and there’s a chronic shortage of them, losing more will be devastating. Gas, food, medicine, and yes even TOILET PAPER.

So sending out a heartfelt thanks to them for what they do, and actual thoughts and prayers that they can stay safe.

[AlexSFCA]

1. they are ultimate social distancers

so I wouldn’t worry too much

[dalton99a]

4. +1

[Laelth]

15. They have to eat somewhere.

And they travel all over the country.

I am worried for them.

-Laelth

[AlexSFCA]

18. don't they usually get a takeout?

[PolarPop]

31. Yes, but you're forgetting something

All it takes is for anyone who works at the restaurant to have it and pass along.

[certainot]

35. every truck stop needs a full time employee washing handles etc constantly

that would help

but the republican ones listening to limbaugh tell them it's nothing will spread if everywhere

[denbot]

30. Not really.

We only use public toilets and showers at TRAVEL CENTERS, or rest stops with hundreds if not a thousand other travelers. We are constantly exposed to environments like coffee machines, sandwich counters, soft drink cases that hundreds touch, cough, and sneeze on daily.

I think most of us will get sick sooner rather than later. I doubt our exposure is as severe as the health care professionals or first responders, but I am certain that truckers and those that work the same travel centers come into contact with pathogens more than nearly any other vocation or trade.

[certainot]

37. employees should be constantly washing the handles, knobs, buttons and maybe they should

give out latex gloves at the door

[denbot]

44. Yesterday at an Oklahoma Pilot's I saw a cashier wearing latex gloves for the first time.

I dropped and hooked trailers in Dallas this morning, and stopped at the Choctaw Travel Plaza for my rest period. Several travel plaza personnel are wearing gloves today..

[certainot]

58. good news

[dware]

81. That's been my experience at Pilot, T/A, Loves travel centers also,

and most of the independent's too.

[Beartracks]

57. Let's hope they change gloves often and still don't touch their face.

Gloves aren't magic, but I've seen people act as if they are.

=======

[TeamPooka]

104. this

[Karadeniz]

60. It's the rest stops, gas pumps, diners.

[RussBLib]

2. things are bad

but I do grow weary of the doom-and-gloom on this board

[erronis]

47. Not doom and gloom. Just common sense and awareness.

[Lulu KC]

49. Um, pandemic?

This is what doom and gloom is made for. I consider it totally appropriate. There are always kitty cat videos for those who aren't in the mood.

[2naSalit]

3. If it's in a store, it arrived by truck.

Having been a driver for years, this was one of the first things that came to mind. Not much has changed since I retired. There is a law that in an emergency commercial trucks can be commandeered by the government and drivers directed to follow Civil Defense commands like deliver their load to a different place or ordered to haul loads not assigned in usual operations.

[Sherman A1]

7. Having been a store Receiver

I know that is absolutely correct. Nothing gets on a shelf without it having first been on the back of a truck.

[SCantiGOP]

56. Grocery stores would be out of food in a matter of days without trucks

I had a not-too-bright friend years ago who was scared of 18 wheelers on the Interstates and said we should ban all trucks. She had never thought about how food got to grocery stores. After we argued about it for a bit, her solution was--------------to run rail spurs to every grocery store so we wouldn't need trucks.
Pure genius (of the DJT variety)

[OMGWTF]

59. What's the "J" stand for Donald J. Trump? Trump: "It stands for jenius." True story.

[Sherman A1]

75. Talking with my Republican Sister in Law years ago

During a gas price hike, I mentioned that the price of everything would be going up including groceries. She asked why I thought that. I asked if she understood that everything in a store gets there on a truck that requires gas or oil as fuel. The light bulb went off, but it still remained very dimly lit.

[SCantiGOP]

96. 'very dimly lit'?

You may have a career in diplomacy

[Sherman A1]

98. One tries to be charitable when one can

regarding family, who are generally nice folks, just living in a very privileged bubble of a world.........

[dware]

83. All I can say to your friend is.............

[argyl]

105. Recall a live Little Feat LP where Lowell George introduced "Willin'"

By saying " If you bought it, a truck brought it."

Can't recall the LP but that one remark has stuck with me for damn near 50 years. And I ain't even a truck driver.

[2naSalit]

106. I loved that slogan, had it on a bumper sticker

on some of my vehicles. And it's very true.

[Happyhippychick]

5. They can train new truck drivers. Lots of people need work.

This is not an issue.

[Sherman A1]

6. There is a driver shortage right now and has been for awhile

do you believe that we can magically create new drivers?

[soryang]

20. Yes there is a shortage

I stopped driving almost four years ago. The company kept contacting me trying to get me to come back along with other companies. After about 2 years the solicitations stopped. Just within the last month or so they started again. They must be hard up.

I'm worried about a friend of mine who still drives. Using common bathrooms, and showers, eating in restaurants with drivers who come from all over the continent, I think there is an increased opportunity to get sick that comes with travel.

[appalachiablue]

24. Training & tests that truck drivers have to pass is extensive

as we learned from friends who worked for Schneider's out of No. Ohio some years back.

They're very bright, quick and sensible; said some of the drivers failed the tests of course. Much respect & appreciation for these employees.

[dware]

84. Ummmmmmm, yeah it is an issue,

it isn't that easy to train a truck driver, it's not like you just get behind the wheel and start driving, the FMCSA regulation book itself is about 3" thick.

Please don't make it seem like one can just jump into a tractor/trailer and head off on the highway.

[Nature Man]

99. I like how you sound so certain

about an issue you likely don't know anything about.

[RhodeIslandOne]

102. Lot of people like that on the internet.

The "it's just a cold" people are still in force.

[frazzled]

8. Can we please

tone down all the apocalyptic, end-times scenarios? It's really counterproductive.

Yes, this is bad; yes, it's dangerous and every one of us needs to be cautious and attentive and helpful to others, etc.

But for f@#!'s sake, people. Buckle up and stop panicking. There are much worse things: like trying to flee a war-torn country like Syria and having to live in a refugee camp for months or years. Fleeing deadly gang-war threats in Latin America. Think about the Brits during the Blitz in London during World War II, having blackouts each night while bombs fell on the city, or hunkering down in air-raid shelters. They didn't act like shrieking babies.

I'm sorry if this is over the top. But all the over-the-top posts I'm seeing here only create more stress for many of us. And they kind of make me ashamed of the lack of gumption and resilience and selflessness we are showing as Americans.

Forget about Trump and his gang right now: we all know he's a bag of dog doodie. Our governors and mayors are trying to do the best they can on their own to flatten the curve and prevent more spread. They are making sensible choices about public closures and recommendations to the citizens of their states. Some are even finding ways to procure testing.

Can we just dial it back a bit, please?

[defacto7]

10. It's good to take a break if you need it.

It's an info and discussion site. Insert yourself where it serves your needs and avoid what doesn't.

[frazzled]

28. I'm perfectly fine, Jack

My post was simply directed in general about hypothesizing mega-disasters. This isn't Hollywood.
One day at a time, and do your duty as best you can.

[defacto7]

46. Everyone has their own way of dealing with life.

Be well.

[a la izquierda]

62. Thank you.

This and other social media sites have become quite bad for my mental health.

[artemisia1]

109. It is not inappropriate to consider the health of those who service our infrastructure

It is not inappropriate to consider the health of those who service our infrastructure such as truck drivers than it is to consider those who man our emergency rooms. Modern America would be in a world of trouble if our truck drivers were decimated. Thank "just in time" inventory and the destruction of private farming for our being only days away at any given time from want for basic necessities.

[BamaRefugee]

14. I'm not panicking, just brainstorming. It was a shout out to people who do a hard job and hopefully

can KEEP doing it for a long time.

My post is hardly "over the top" and certainly not the cry of a "shrieking baby".
Real life is gonna happen, no matter who posts what.

[relayerbob]

33. Thank you!!

[relayerbob]

39. Can I steal your post?

[frazzled]

41. Steal away /nt

[DashOneBravo]

50. +1

[Thekaspervote]

66. Agree..I think everyone is aware of the issues

To keep repeating it, doesn’t help

[procon]

77. Discussions on a global pandemic is not "counterproductive"

If you feel that sensitive about the current emergency then just don't open these threads.

Solution - your problem is solved.

Everyone is concerned about the effects of the Corona virus here, and abroad. We have questions and we are looking for accurate information, sharing tips, ideas and resources to help us all stay safe and protect our loved ones.

We can't Do that from a bubble. We can't rely on our lying, ass clown of a president for accurate information, and even most of his administration is suspect. DU is a like a support group for anyone to vent, ask questions or try to find the most up to date info, if you choose not to use that service, it's all good, but don't criticise the greater community who supports these critical current event discussions.

[druidity33]

97. Um... war-torn Syria and the Blitz in London...

were kinda like the "end-times" to the people living through them. They REALLY WERE THE END TIMES to the people that died.

You're stressed? Wanna tune it out? Get off the computer, walk around your yard or something. Read a book... i dunno.

I ain't dialing nothing back.

[genxlib]

9. On the flip side

Traffic will be much lighter so the smaller numbers of trucks on the road can get things done faster.

[defacto7]

11. I never thought if that.

Although if people are going to travel it will be by car, not jet, bus or train. But I don't think people will be out there as much anyway. It will be a truckers world.

[maxsolomon]

12. When the Oil Tanker crews begin to get sick

it's OVER OVER OVER FOR EVERYONE. The entire economy runs on fossil fuels. No fuel, no trucks, no food!

PANIC NOW!

[cynatnite]

13. Husband has been a trucker for 20+ years...

There's been a shortage for drivers his entire time of driving.

All the drivers we know taken a lot of precautions in order to protect themselves. The trucking industry so far remains strong as it has been.

The only impact we're worried about at this point is load availability. That right there can have the biggest impact on getting product to stores due to the coronavirus.

It's a bit early for this kind of impact right now.

[marybourg]

16. I hope it doesn't come to this, but the military

has plenty of qualified drivers.

[zackymilly]

36. Military get sick too...THEN IT'S OVER FOR EVERYONE! lol n/t

[Thekaspervote]

68. Yes, but people also recover. Why keep pushing it down the road

[homegirl]

70. Captain Tripps

is on the March!

[flibbitygiblets]

103. Captain Trumps. Credit where credit is due.

[homegirl]

108. Trump

is fictional Trips come to life!

VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO.

[uponit7771]

17. My understanding is the routes will be cut to 25% anyway ... China is only selling what they got

... and not making ton more is my understanding

[cynatnite]

19. Do you have a source for this?

We've not gotten anything like that and we're usually pretty up-to-date on the trucking industry.

[uponit7771]

21. I read on DU they were cutting hours at docs etc I related that to trucking and the oncoming shock

... from CV hunker down.

Nothing empirical

[cynatnite]

25. Well, the ports are a bit different than OTR drivers...

Although, the trucking industry does have a role there.

It's still hard to say how this will impact trucking at this point.

[uponit7771]

27. 👍, If we had a thinking leadership the OTR drives need would sky rocket during a hunker down time t

... to keep the economy going.

There are software patterns based on distribution; the people who can't get as sick from CV are the ones sending the ones who can stuff to their houses so they don't get bored to death.

In a matter of weeks Obama admin had 1 million tests done from the WHO spec of Swine flue or Ebola

[librechik]

22. so sadly true

we are fucked.

[Initech]

23. Now might be a goood time for Tesla and Volvo to start rolling out those autonomous trucks.

Or at least begin mass testing of them.

[Wellstone ruled]

40. I-10 and I-40

all-ready have convoys of these trucks from Phoenix to just east of LA. Tesla runs decaded between Freemont Cali and Sparks Nevada weather permitting.

[zackymilly]

43. Self-driving trucks are already on the roads and most people don't know it.

Lots of videos on YouTube.

[Kaleva]

26. I placed an order for LP gas yesterday to top off my 500 gallon tank

With winter nearing its end, a full tank ought to last me till next fall.

didn't want to take a chance that the delivery guys end up sick and I run ought of gas which not only heats the home but is used for cooking.

[Richard D]

29. On top of it . . .

. . . there are few populations that are less healthy than truck drivers.
Yikes.

[relayerbob]

32. Bear in mind that 99% of people will get well

Yes, there are going to be issues going forward, but this is not like bubonic plague, or smallpox, or any one of the many diseases that rampaged around the world unchecked. At some point, we'll have a vaccine, and there are treatments for more severe cases, although limited.

While I wish them all the best, the bottom line is that the vast majority of them (and us) will get sick and recover after a week or two. We all just need to stay as healthy as possible, wash up, stay away from crowds and not stress, as stress lowers immune response.

The main issue is not overwhelming the medical system, hence stopping the mass gatherings.

And not panicking and buying up all the fucking toilet paper, chickens and bananas would be a good thing too.

[Pobeka]

38. +1. --And the majority will not even notice they have it.

[carlvsam]

73. Funny thing about that panic buying,

I was in the grocery store this morning, and I found sometime odd in the drug & make-up area of the facility - while all the hand sanitizer were sold-out, there was plenty of bar & liquid soap available right next to the empty section.

All these runs on hand sanitizer are going on in spite of officials constantly telling people that a 20 second hand wash with soap & water is one of the best ways of destroying Covid-19. Even yesterday, the NY Times had ran an article on soap, and what it does on a molecular level (it literally rips coronalviruses -as well as other viruses with the same structure - apart)

[relayerbob]

74. Exactly

Soap works best, period. Saponification agents break down the molecular bonds. Always.

[ClusterFreak]

34. Thank you for pointing this out.

I had not even thought about this fact. What you say is so true. Hoping and praying they remain safe and healthy.

[Mr.Bill]

42. Like any other occupational group,

they won't all be sick at the same time.

[GusBob]

45. HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Wake up

Greatest risk and less of them is worse

[Ex Lurker]

48. The trucks never stopped rolling in China

And they haven't stopped in Italy.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

51. We need autonomous trucks

[dware]

85. Yeah, that's a great idea, let's put hundreds of thousands of truck drivers

out of business.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

87. Sorry to inform--it will be happening

[dware]

88. I seriously doubt it,

at least not in my life time.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

89. I live in Bay Area--ton of autonomous vehicle startups here. Local exemptions

Allowing limited driverless testing. A matter of when in next 10 years—not if

[dware]

90. And you're in favor of this?

You're good with putting hundreds of thousands of skilled truck drivers out of business?

[SiliconValley_Dem]

91. They should be reskilled by publicly funded education

My brother was a long haul driver and then couldn’t pass physical. I encouraged him to go to Community College which he did. He’s now got a good auto parts white collar job

[dware]

92. IOW, you're good with decimating my profession. nt.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

93. It is safer for American highways--yes

[dware]

94. Wow, just wow.

So you think that autonomous vehicles are safer? Over one that is piloted by a human?
A human who can make an instantaneous decision in an emergency situation?

[Nature Man]

100. Spoken like a true four wheeler

[keithbvadu2]

52. If you got it...

[yaesu]

53. If it gets to that point the military will be used to transport "essential" goods

which means no toys, electronics, furniture, lumber, ect, just food, medication, fuel and medical devices. In other words, it will be the last straw economically for US and China.

[PatrickforO]

54. Indeed. Without our transportation infrastructure, which

the Republicans have been steadfastly ignoring, we are vulnerable to famines and shortages the like of which Americans have never seen.

[Nitram]

55. What, exactly, will be OVER for "everybody?" We're all going to starve to death?

Die of the Coronavirus? Expire due to an overload of hyperbole?

[totodeinhere]

63. Yes, it's probably hyperbole. But sometimes a bit of hyperbole may be necessary to wake people up.

This is a serious crisis but not everybody thinks so.

[BamaRefugee]

65. OVER for middle class/rich Americans who have never previously experienced any kind of deprivation

Their/our "OVER" will come at a point that a lot of the rest of the world would consider still living in luxury.

[Nitram]

107. Yes, some people are clueless, but most of the middle class people I know are taking this in stride,

calmly preparing for a few months of difficulty.

[totodeinhere]

61. We hear that panic buying is not necessary, but maybe it is.

Better to stock up now in case this happens.

[stopdiggin]

64. Thanks

Thumbs up for panic buying. 'Cause .. ya' never know ...
-- -- -- -- --

[blue-wave]

67. Then it's time for the asshat

to call out the National Guard. But he won't do it. He would rather we all die slow painful deaths I'm sure.


And what about trains, planes and ships? They are all huge cargo carriers too.

[Hangdog Slim]

69. I deliver the oxygen

I deliver the oxygen to hospitals. You're welcome! It's kind of cool really. Its delivered as cryogenic liquid in a tanker and pumped into the hospital's storage tank and stored in liquid form until needed and then converted back to its gaseous state. And the poster is correct. Everything you own was on a truck once. It's a little after 4 pm and I bet I've either washed or sanitized my hands 50 times today

[BamaRefugee]

71. Thank you for your service!

[Shermann]

72. All Jobs Matter!

[NoMoreRepugs]

76. There are many reasons to feel unsure about our

immediate future. PRIMARILY because we have an Orange Baboon as the man in charge. If he could not envision what was going to happen with a virus spreading across the country do you really think he is capable of guiding us through a full fledged pandemic affecting millions, possibly tens of millions???

[Brainfodder]

80. and a big chunk thinking there is little to no problem even with ALL THE CLUES to the contrary?

Blob dying feels about 50/50 at the moment, and just talking for March 2020.

I saw a brief look of terror in eyes when he was struggllng with breathing on his Weds night BSfest?

Typhoid Trump and his bad examples & with Fox News still extreme white washing?

VERY GOOD LUCK!

[dware]

78. Trust me when I say we are taking extreme precautions,

I can confidently say that the truckers are going to keep on trucking and keep the food and goods coming.

[BamaRefugee]

79. Right on Brother!

[dware]

82. Keep on Truckin.

If the wheels ain't turning, I ain't earning.

[bullwinkle428]

110. As someone whose career has been dependent upon the trucking industry, I absolutely

thank you for your service!

[Quixote1818]

86. Maybe pull healthy truck drivers into food delivery from other services that are tapering off? nt

[applegrove]

95. Maybe they can get a bag lunch outside if truck stops. Much safer

to be outside at every meal and eat in the truck.

[Wednesdays]

101. I salute all truck drivers, and all others in service of transportation!

I believe they're strong, and will keep the nation running, even in the worst of the crisis!