High Demand in the Trucking Industry Due to Coronavirus

The Coronavirus pandemic has shifted commerce in the last several weeks. From businesses closing, to reduced hours, and store shelves going completely empty of toilet tissue and hand sanitizer, countries are now understanding the value of always being prepared for crises. One industry that is not sleeping and ensuring store shelves are continuously stocked is the trucking industry.

That’s right. While many businesses have slowed down and are suffering because of the pandemic, the trucking industry is doing the opposite.

Freight companies are currently booming due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and the urgency of needing essentials.

“There’s been a huge increase in supply and demand,” said Kimberly Carver, a trucking company owner and transportation consultant with over 20 years experience in the industry.

And while it seems like there’s not enough supply to go around as toilet paper, water bottles, and cleaning products are swept completely off the shelves within the first hour or two of companies receiving the products, the issue is not with the supply, but rather the amount of trucks.

“There’s more freight than trucks,” Carver said. “There’s not enough trucks.”

Carver described the trucking industry as typically being at “an equilibrium.” Normally, there is the perfect number of trucks for the amount of items needing to be delivered. But, because people are in a frenzy about what’s going on, there’s a much higher demand than normal.

“People are waiting outside the store at 5:30 a.m. to walk in the building at 6 to buy as much paper products as they can,” said Samantha LaFrance, an employee at a local North Carolina Food Lion.

“The meat department’s meat pallets are getting smaller and smaller…” LaFrance said. “…Our Shelves are nearly empty. There are hardly any canned vegetables, no dairy products, and we as employees are working overtime to do the best we can to provide to our customers.” 

With so much uncertainty and fear in what’s going on with the pandemic, people are fighting over items in the grocery stores.

At LaFrance’s Food Lion at 6307 Burlington Rd. in Whitsett, NC, they’ve implemented a “two limit” on meat and gallons of milk, and a “one limit” on toilet paper and paper towels.

The trucking industry has begun to mirror that combative behavior. 

“It’s similar to what’s going on in the stores with the toilet paper,” Carver said. “There’s lots of aggression.”

Instead of fighting over toilet tissue, freight companies are fighting over trucks and truckers to deliver their products. 

To many Americans, it may seem like there aren’t enough products to go around, but the issue is not with the amount of supplies. It’s with the amount of truck space for the products to fit. 

And, just like the demand for meat and paper products have gone up, there’s a higher demand for refrigerated and dry van freight. 

During this time of crisis, America’s 3.5 million truckers are working non-stop to move freight and keep shelves stocked.

According to USA Today, The American Trucking Associations has been in regular contact with the Trump Administration about ensuring the smooth flow of goods across the country.