A lot of people’s lives changed (for the worse) since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020 and turned the whole world upside down. For many weeks (and, in some cases, months), millions of people barely left their homes. But you know who did? Truckers. They’re the unsung heroes of this pandemic.
Truck Drivers Are the Hidden Heroes of the Pandemic
Despite civil unrest in some cities, as well as crazy weather (like wildfires in CA and CO) and all that comes with driving traffic-filled highways, truckers worked their butts off to deliver the goods to make sure Americans had access to essentials like toilet paper, bottled water and medicines. If not for truckers, store shelves would have been bare. Restaurants would have no food to serve people. Hospitals wouldn’t have the supplies they need to properly treat patients. Not only does the American economy depend on the trucking industry, but our very modern daily life does as well.
Almost 8 million Americans are employed in America’s trucking industry– that’s about 5 percent of the U.S. workforce. The industry generated just under $800 billion in gross freight revenues in 2019. Did you know that trucks transport about 70 percent of all goods around the U.S.? Without truckers, grocery stores and Wal-marts would lack the essentials people need to live their daily lives. Where would we be without truckers?!
Truckers are brave, productive and tireless. In an era when most people stayed home, truckers didn’t. They got to work, risking their lives, to get the job done. Surely some of them worried, “What if I get Covid? What if I die?” Just like police and firemen have to worry about potentially dying on the job, so did (and do) truckers. Taking those kinds of risks for people they don’t even know? Well that’s as noble and brave as it gets!
If you’re a trucker, thank you. If you know a trucker, thank them. Now is the time to honor the unsung heroes of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you need a reliable truck driver to help your company, learn how Platinum Drivers can help.