COVID-19 and Trucking

COVID-19 and Trucking: Industry News for May 18

Selected COVID-19 and trucking industry news that may impact your business.

As of May 18, 2020:

Container import roller coaster: down, up, down … up?

American Shipper

U.S. container imports are certainly on a wild ride. The numbers plunged after the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. They briefly bounced back when delayed bookings were loaded after China came back online. Then they sank again after social-distancing rules shut down U.S. businesses and container carriers “blanked” (canceled) sailings. Read More

Volumes climb and carriers claw back a bit of pricing power

Truckload Indexes

Tender volumes are racing to the upside and are tracking positive year-over-year in May, albeit off a depressed 2019 comparison, and that is some positive news for carriers. As volumes have risen more than 15% since the trough on April 16, tender rejections are reacting slowly to the rising volumes, but rising nonetheless. Capacity remains very loose and spot rates remain depressed, but things are brighter now than they have been in many weeks. Read More

Walcott moves annual jamboree to online format

Overdrive
Organizers of the 2020 Walcott Truckers Jamboree on Thursday announced the event normally held at the Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa, is going virtual this year because of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Read More

COVID-19 taking bite out of the driver pool

FreightWaves

Trucking companies are realigning hiring practices to focus on experienced drivers as the supply of student drivers falls dramatically because of COVID-19. The shift is a direct result of driving schools that have closed and state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs) that have either cut back hours or shut down entirely during the pandemic. This is constricting the pipeline of entry-level drivers that many carriers rely on for more than half of their driver positions. Read More

Wellness programs can be a lifeline for truck drivers, office staff during crisis

CCJ

Keeping drivers safe and productive amid the coronavirus pandemic has taken an all hands on deck approach by fleet management and office staff, even when many are working remotely from home. Read More

Ford Resumes U.S. Production & Operations

Work Truck

Ford started resuming production and operations in the United States May 18, 2020. The company has implemented robust safety and care measures globally to help support a safe and healthy environment for the company’s workforce, including health assessment measures, personal protective equipment and facility modifications to increase social distancing. Read More

Slump at US Ports Continues in April

Transport Topics

The slump at the nation’s ports continued in April as 20-foot-equivalent container (TEU) volumes were down, in some cases by double digits when compared with 2019. Read More

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