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Public Health

Trucking Companies Get to Work to Ensure Speedy Transport of First Vaccine Deliveries

February 18, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“We have dedicated and hardworking people around the world who have been trained to store, handle, transport, and deliver vaccines,” said Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS Inc. “We’re pleased to support our health care partners with smart, efficient logistics for those vaccines that will protect communities and save lives.”

Trucking industry professionals working within COVID-19 vaccination distribution are ensuring that the primary vaccine doses are ready to ship, as rollout plans are secured and prepared for at least 50 million doses. These vaccines are set for timely and efficient delivery though the end of January 2021.

Operation Warp Speed, the initial vaccine distribution plan beginning in a Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is the collaboration between the federal government and private industry groups to develop and distribute a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. The vaccine was co-developed by both Pfizer and BioNTech SE and has already been transported to 636 locations throughout the United States by air and ground travel through distribution hubs at UPS and FedEx.

UPS in particular has initiated a 24/7 command center in Louisville, Kentucky within its Worldport aviation hub.

“Vaccine distribution is a key part of moving our world forward by delivering what matters,” explained Tomé.

Also taking part in key distribution efforts is Boyle Transportation out of Massachusetts, who sent trucks to Pfizer’s facility location at the start of COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts taking place in mid-December. Boyle, as a company, focuses specifically on medical supply and equipment transportation, and is working with UPS in vaccine transportation as a subcontractor.

Boyle is especially happy to be playing a role in these efforts within Operation Warp Speed, according to the company’s co-president, Andrew Boyle.

“There have been heroic efforts by the drug developers, the clinical trial participants, and the regulators to get this far, but the execution will rely in large part on blue-collar transportation and logistics professionals,” Boyle said. “These are people at the loading docks, the professional truck drivers, the air freight handlers, the package sorters, the delivery drivers.”

Most importantly, Boyle explained, is that these distribution efforts, even within a sole company, are a team effort.

“All the people we work with and represent will play a vital role, and they’re patriots, and they’re proud to help,” he said, also noting that his company will continue working alongside many other manufacturers.

FedEx Corp. agreed, saying these efforts are some of the most impactful its employees have ever seen. FedEx’s distribution within the initial Warp Speed phase takes place among Western states, and that of UPS is within states on the east side of the country.

“This is among the most important work in the history of our company, and we’re honored to be a part of the effort to help end this pandemic,” said Raj Subramaniam, CEO of FedEx Corp. “I am immensely proud of our dedicated team members who continue to go above and beyond to help ensure the safe movement of these critical COVID-19 vaccines. This is who we are and what we do at FedEx.”

Following the approval of Pfizer and BioNTech SE’s vaccines, which were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration on December 11th, Moderna’s vaccine is next to join the ranks, and has been deemed 94% effective by the FDA.

“The next step is the Moderna vaccine, and we know we will ship just a little bit short of 6 million doses to the American people,” said Operation Warp Speed’s chief operations officer, Gen. Gustave Perna. “We’re shipping it to 3,285 locations across the country. It will be a very similar cadence to what we executed this week with Pfizer.”

Experts are staying generally optimistic in regards to the success of these distribution efforts overall.

“I expect that this rollout will work reasonably well,” said Stephen Burks, trucking expert and University of Minnesota-Morris economist. “I absolutely believe there will be glitches, but it’s looking pretty promising. This has been in the planning stages for a long time, and the distribution strategy is sensible.”

Diabetes Issues Must Finally Be Taken More Seriously by Truck Drivers

February 15, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Experts are saying diabetes is affecting a quickly-growing number of American truck drivers who are either ignoring common signs of the disease or have no idea that they even have Type 2 diabetes–the most common form.

Diabetes impacts the body’s ability to respond to or produce insulin, which allows for abnormal carbohydrate metabolism and higher-than-usual levels of glucose in the blood. Typically, a diabetic can test this impact by pricking a finger and using a test strip and glucose monitor. 

Still, many truckers who have been diagnosed with the disease fail to eat correctly, exercise, or watch their weight adequately, experts say.

“Early on, you’ll feel fine, until one day, boom–your body is going to crash,” explained TrueLifeCare senior vice president, Kay Pfeiffer. TrueLifeCare specifically helps employers and their workers handle diabetes and its effects.

“Medications are a temporary solution,” Pfeiffer continued. “[If] diabetes [is] not managed, sooner or later, something is going to happen.”

One of the potential side effects of untreated diabetes? Blindness.

“If blood sugar is too high for too long, you run the risk of having damage to the eyes, the kidneys, and the heart,” said medical doctor and truck driver health expert, Natalie Hartenbaum. “Those that can’t control their blood sugar will generally end up on insulin.”

When a truck driver is healthy and passes his or her medical exam given by a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examiner, he or she will be granted a two-year medical card. If a driver has a diagnosis like diabetes, that driver will receive a certification of one year or less.

According to chiropractor David Thorpe, who trains FMCSA-certified medical examiners, around 43% of truckers currently possess a medical card for one year or less.

“It’s a stressful job, a lot of time away from home, poor eating habits…drivers are notoriously overweight, and in poor health in general,” said Thorpe in regards to diabetes’ prominence among truck drivers. “Plus, [truckers are] an aging population.”

Still, there is not currently any cure for Type 2 diabetes, so the disease must be managed by one’s dedication to eating and exercising healthily.

“You have to get in front of diabetes,” Pfeiffer said. “You have to have the will to manage diabetes.”

Truckers can often handle their diabetes without drugs, but they’ll commonly utilize some kind of oral medication.

“Oftentimes [oral medications] work very well, other times they don’t,” said Thorpe. Even with drugs, Type 2 diabetes needs to be monitored closely.

“Really, we don’t know that much about Type 2 diabetes,” said Pfieffer.

Those with Type 1 diabetes must rely on insulin to stay healthy and risks can be fatal if insulin isn’t taken regularly.

According to a 2014 survey by FMCSA, long-haul drivers self-reported higher diabetes rates than national averages. These drivers showed that 14.1% of them were diabetics, as opposed to the 7 to 10% of the U.S. population with the disease. TrueLifeCare estimates that 25% of truckers over the age of 54 have diabetes.

Additionally, obesity rates are more than doubled when compared to national averages, with 69% of long-haul drivers being obese and 17% being morbidly obese, and the national numbers being 31% for obesity and 7% for morbid obesity.

“It’s almost an epidemic,” said retired medical doctor Larry Wolfe, who was a Vanderbilt University Diabetes Center staff doctor for a decade. “Truck drivers tend to be obese, don’t exercise, they eat wrong–so their diabetes is a real problem to manage, even under the best of circumstances. The major fear always was that they would experience hypoglycemia and lose consciousness while they are driving.”

Type 2 diabetes symptoms can include blurry vision, shaky hands, profuse sweating, irritability, and a lack of coordination. Ignoring these signs can lead to foot or leg ulcers that could end up causing the limb to need an amputation.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Center for Truck and Bus Safety initiated a “Commercial Driver Safety Risk Factors” study this June and used data collected from more than 21,000 truck drivers. Although the study found that diabetic truckers who are being treated are not at any larger risk of accidents, those drivers are 38% more likely to have a moving violation when compared to drivers who do not have diabetes.

“Diabetes goes along with the epidemic of obesity,” said Wolfe. “And unfortunately, we won’t be able to get a good handle on the treatment of Type 2 diabetes until we get a handle on how to treat obesity. That’s the real problem–that we don’t know how to get people to lose weight. If we could, there would be a whole lot less Type 2 diabetes.”

To better regulate and combat obesity and diabetes, experts say that FMCSA must not rely so heavily on a trucker’s physician and examiners to make sure said trucker is taking the necessary insulin or medication. Currently, there is an overall lack of federal guidance in this area.

“FMCSA doesn’t monitor medical conditions,” said Hartenbaum. “They don’t monitor sleep apnea, they don’t monitor blood pressure, they don’t monitor heart disease. They have medical standards and medical guidelines. But it’s up to the medical examiner to evaluate whether the individual is at risk of sudden or gradual incapacitation due to a medical condition, and whether a study is needed to evaluate that.”

Pandemic-Related Supply Chain Challenges Anticipated by Food Transportation Experts

February 14, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Food transportation industry leaders are collaborating in efforts to learn from their experiences during the era of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the sector and the country as a whole.

Now, these groups have formed their own formal working group aiming to address food supply chain difficulties that have arisen during this time. The group members discuss issues and potential solutions that will prevent any further disruptions of this kind.

“What I found during the different conversations with each sector was they were all doing something, but it was segmented within their own sector,” said Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference executive director, Jon Samson. “There weren’t a lot of conversations, and there were gaps within that food supply chain. The goal of the group was to share information.”

The Conference is part of the American Trucking Associations and was the source of the beginning of the working group.

At the start of the pandemic and the stay-at-home orders that came with it, food waste became a major focus of the working group as many food and beverages, like milk and beans, were being dumped.

“I reached out to a handful of folks within the supply chain, like the dairy side and livestock side, then also food production, food manufacturing, and food shipping,” Samson continued. “That smaller group turned into a larger group pretty quickly.”

The working group “started as a response to the perishables problem, when there was a visible oversupply of certain commodities bound for food service,” said FMI senior director of supply chain and sustainability, Marjorie DePuy.

She also explained that the Food Industry Association had begun working on forming links between retail groups and food service distributors in order to make communication easier and solve any supply shortages. This helped to create member forums for participants to further discuss solutions.

“It was helpful to share information with others on the calls so we could be aware of the situation in various sectors of the industry and learn about resources where they existed,” said DePuy.

When the working group was able to connect producers, trucking industry members, the government, and food-distributing charities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency began to find ways to get involved and help food be hauled to areas in which it was needed most.

“We worked with the USDA on their Farmers to Families Food Box program to get them linked up with people and get them started,” explained Samson. “We worked with FEMA, [which] was working on getting food assistance to needy families.”

Then, many other groups found interest in the working group’s efforts after noticing federal government involvement.

“We participated in the working group calls to get a better understanding of partnership opportunities across the supply chain,” said vice president of packaging and sustainability for the Consumer Brands Association, Meghan Stasz. “Collaboration and information sharing was critical in the early stages of the pandemic, as different organizations and stakeholders worked to find quick solutions to immediate supply chain challenges.”

Soon, the Consumer Brands Association was able to involve blockchain organization Connecting Food, a group that provides supply chain anomaly identification through its digital auditing capabilities. CBA also brought in members of its Food Waste Reduction Alliance to collaborate with the working group.

“The initial step last spring was to just stop the bleeding,” sais Samson. “Longer term, there has been a fair amount of academic and private work that is being done.”

When academic consultant Dan Holladay joined the group’s efforts, he was collaborating on an agriculture industry technology roadmap with the University of California. He is now helping to find methods of lasting supply chain improvements.

“COVID hit, so I backed up and said, ‘We probably need to reorganize this and focus on the biggest crisis area right now,’ and that was the food supply chain disruptions,” Holladay explained. “That’s when I shifted it over to that.”

Now, Holladay is working to gather the information that has been discussed and deemed beneficial for future efficiency efforts.

“It started evolving to where we want to hold a formal workshop,” he said. “The goal is to make it very formal. In fact, we want to make it into a document that U.S. industries and ecosystems are aligned with.”

COVID Vaccine Nears Readiness, DOTs Prepare for Transport

February 13, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The emergency order allowing hours-of-service regulation relief to truckers during the time of high demand brought on by the pandemic has been extended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The expansion of the declaration is an effort to loosen rules and allow for easier transport of long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines.

This extension will last until February 28th, 2021 for truckers participating in direct support of coronavirus emergency efforts–especially those working to transport these vaccines.

“FMCSA is helping lead the way to allow for an efficient and effective distribution of the first COVID-19 vaccines,” said Wiley Deck, FMCSA Deputy Administrator. “The agency is continuing to provide additional regulatory relief to our nation’s truckers to get critically important medical supplies, food, and household goods to Americans in need.”

The original hours-of-service changes, announced in May by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and former acting Administrator Jim Mullen, consisted of four major revisions–including the relaxation of rules regarding sleeper berth time splits, 30-minute rest break requirements, adverse driving condition regulations, and maximum on-duty driving times.

The expansion declaration applies to all 50 states and the District of Columbia and extends the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations exemption from Parts 390 to 399. These Parts cover hours of service, longer combination vehicles, and parts and accessories necessary for safe vehicle operation.

Regulation relief mandates are extended for commercial drivers hauling: medical supplies, equipment, vaccines, and vaccine administration kits; testing-related medical supplies, such as those diagnosing COVID-19; COVID-related sanitation, community safety, and community transmission prevention supplies like masks, gloves, soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfectants; livestock and livestock feed; and food, groceries, and paper products meant for restocking stores and distribution centers.

The hours-of-service change extension will not be offered to those hauling routine commercial deliveries and mixed loads “with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of the emergency declaration, according to FMCSA.

These efforts follow the December 1st announcement of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s measures being taken “for the safe, rapid transportation of the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine by land and air,” as stated by the DOT. “With the unprecedented pace of vaccine development through Operation Warp Speed, the Department has made preparations to enable the immediate mass shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Operation Warp Speed officials have worked with the private companies transporting the vaccines from manufacturers to distribution centers. Necessary safety regulations have been put in place regarding any potential difficulties and hazards that could arise from vaccine transport, which include dry ice and lithium battery standards.

“The Department has laid the groundwork for the safe transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine and is proud to support this historic endeavor,” said Chao.

The first vaccine supplies are set to become available during December, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that as supply becomes more available, all American adults are likely to be able to receive the vaccination in 2021.

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Department has played an active role in supporting the Administration’s efforts to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus, and ensure continuation of critical infrastructure support and relief for the American people,” the DOT explained. “Response measures implemented by the Department to date have included direct stakeholder outreach and guidance, expanded Federal assistance, and expedited regulatory relief.”

Still, the hours-of-service changes have been a source of concern for many safety advocates, as the new regulations allowing for longer on-duty hours and less-strict rest time regulations will allow more fatigued drivers on the roads for longer periods of time and for more hours in adverse driving conditions.

Driver fatigue has been a top concern for safety advocates across the country, with the National Transportation Safety Board focusing heavily on the issue and naming the reduction of fatigue-related trucking accidents on its ‘Most Wanted List’ of 2019-2020 safety improvements.

“These [hours-of-service changes] are opportunities for drivers to be pushed to their limits further, to drive without resting,” said the Trucking Safety Coalition’s executive director, Harry Adler, when the rule revisions were first announced. “It’s more opportunity for a driver to operate while fatigued, which is really detrimental.”

As COVID Vaccine Becomes Available, Truckers Could be Among First to Receive It

February 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Right now, many major pharmaceutical companies are cooperating with transportation firms in order to deliver the first rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations. Among the first people to receive such vaccines are those working in essential and critical jobs–which could include truck drivers.

Operation Warp Speed–the name for these early distribution efforts–have been slated to begin in mid-December. By the end of 2020, the country could see at least 40 million doses having been delivered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held a virtual open meeting in an emergency webcast on December 1st in order to vote on a temporary recommendation as to who will receive the vaccine first.

The committee decided, in a 13-to-1 vote, that health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities should be the first to get the vaccine during its Phase 1A release. They also voted that essential workers–potentially including truckers–would comprise the entirety of Phase 1B’s deployment.

Phase 1C will include adults over the age of 65 and adults with high-risk medical conditions.

Now, the advisory committee’s interim recommendation will go to Robert Redfield, CDC Director, for its final approval.

On the day of the webcast, American Trucking Associations sent letters to the White House, President-elect Joe Biden, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the National Governors Association in an effort to convince them to take into account the essential status of the trucking industry while the national vaccine distribution strategy is decided upon within the government. In the letters, ATA claimed that truckers must be considered critical infrastructure workers and be among the first vaccinated.

“As the trucking industry is called upon to deliver vaccines across the country, it is imperative that truck drivers have prioritized access to the vaccine to minimize the potential for supply chain delays and disruptions,” said Bill Sullivan, ATA Executive Vice President for Advocacy, in the letter. “Our nation’s efforts to successfully confront the COVID-19 pandemic depend on the resilience and integrity of the transportation network. As we saw at the outset of the pandemic, when supply chains are disrupted, consequences are fast to follow.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation has been meticulously preparing for the safe and efficient transportation of the vaccine, once it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in order to avoid said consequences.

“The Department has laid the groundwork for the safe transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine and is proud to support this historic endeavor,” said Elaine Chao, U.S. Transportation Secretary.

UPS Inc., DHL, and FedEx Corp. have also said that they are already establishing their distribution plans, as are many other major transportation providers. Logistics companies that will need to transport the vaccine have been building new cold storage facilities where possible in order to have enough space for the vaccine.

Former truck driver, current trucking industry expert, and University of Minnesota-Morris economist and professor, Stephen Burks, who is also a recent COVID-19 survivor, maintains that it is imperative for truck drivers to be among the first to receive the vaccine.

“Medical personnel taking care of COVID patients would be the first in line, and that would make perfectly good sense,” he said. ”And there are essential workers, such as truck drivers and grocery store workers, who have to be interacting with people to make the basics of the economy go on, even when we have a lockdown. Truck drivers count in this group of essential workers.”

Burks explained that he feels positively in regards to the trucking industry and logistics industry’s plans that will hopefully allow for the speedy and efficient transportation of the vaccine to wherever it is needed.

“I am expecting some glitches, but I would expect [that] overall, it will mostly work,” he said. “It’s going to be tricky, especially for the Pfizer vaccine. The problem is to get through the next six months or eight months. After that, we’ll be in a world that will be relatively plentiful with vaccines. We’ve got to get through the summer. Will we substantially get the job done? I am hopeful.”

In regard to these truckers receiving the vaccine early, the panel is holding meetings this month while the vaccines go through the federal approval process in order to make its final decisions.

Trucker Efforts Praised in Virtual Conference as ATA Discusses Current Industry Issues

January 19, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“2020 has been a year of endless challenges,” said American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear. “We rolled up our sleeves, and we’re getting the job done. Throughout this pandemic, trucking has done what it does best: care.”

These remarks come from Spear’s virtual address at this year’s Management Conference and Exhibition, in which he sang the praises of the efforts of the trucking industry and its dedication to stepping up to the country’s demands during this unprecedented time.

The event was conducted virtually this year due to COVID-19 safety protocol, and focused on the difficulties that arrived with the pandemic as well as the current opportunities for truck drivers to show their dedication to the stability of the country. Attendees also discussed the importance of the ability for the public to show its appreciation for those who hauled vital resources and PPE in the midst of the coronavirus breakout.

“During COVID-19, the American people have gained a much greater appreciation for the trucking industry’s vital role in keeping our supply chain open,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. “Without [truck drivers], food, medical equipment, and essential supplies can’t get to where they need to go.”

Spear also noted the trucking industry’s efforts to make use of its position in the public eye during this time, with industry experts appearing on national television to discuss the importance of their work, as well as Chao and other industry representatives joining President Donald Trump at a White House ceremony in April.

ATA also worked quickly to secure its “essential” status for truckers during the beginning of stay-at-home orders across the country in an effort to work with state leaders in keeping rest areas open for truck drivers as they perform their important duties.

Additionally, Chao explained that the Department of Transportation has worked diligently to keep truckers safe, and claims that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s emergency declaration of hours-of-service regulation relaxation was a step to help carriers working in pandemic relief efforts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with FMCSA, state representatives, and industry groups, distributed 1 million protective masks to truckers early on in the pandemic, as well.

American Trucking Associations also worked to create the Moving and Storage Conference, along with the Moving and Storage Council. These efforts, which are an attempt to grow ATA’s involvement in the moving and storage sector and to provide training, leadership, and certification programs, were announced in August.

“By welcoming these leaders into the ATA family, we will be in a stronger position to represent the interests of our industry at both the state and federal level,” said Spear at the time ATA voted to initiate these efforts. “This new, larger, and stronger organization will be better able to serve our members.”

Spear detailed other recent trucking triumphs, such as truckers’ ability to navigate and aid severe weather difficulties that arose this year. He detailed truckers’ efforts to bring relief supplies to areas heavily affected by Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Sally, and Hurricane Delta.

Additionally, as was a hot topic in 2019’s Management Conference and Exhibition, “nuclear” verdict (a verdict in which juries decide in favor of awards of at least $10 million in trucking incident cases) tort reform was focused upon in this year’s discussion. According to Spear, ATA has won tort reform cases in Iowa, Louisiana, and Missouri.

The industry’s fight against Rhode Island’s trucks-only tolls was another main focus of the conference, as ATA has long-argued that these tolls discriminate against truckers working in interstate commerce.

“This is a must-win case,” said Spear at the conference. “This effort cannot be won on the backs of local and regional carriers. It’s everyone’s responsibility to fight and win. If we lose this, it could be in your backyard next.”

Spear also explained the infrastructure bill produced by the House of Representatives recently will make a 2021 long-term funding plan much easier, and said he’ll continue collaborating with lawmakers on an efficient package.

ATA has also reached out to Joe Biden’s campaign to commit to a working relationship as soon as he is inaugurated.

“We try very, very hard to work with people who work with us,” Spear said.

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