Transportation

We recently reported on some of the areas within the world of trucking that saw major, lasting changes due to the effects of the pandemic, such as the operations within state departments of transportation, road safety reports, and trucker advocacy and appreciation.

Another aspect of the industry that was highly affected–logistics. When companies focusing on logistics were able to implement data-driven technology and boost diversification, they were able to stay afloat much more easily during the COVID-19 era.

“Even if they themselves don’t necessarily have a diverse mix but they can figure out a way to flip [to a different type of load, and they] have the resourcefulness, they’ve been able to fare well,” explained Anne Reinke, President of the Transportation Intermediaries Association. “And some of our customers who can’t necessarily flip the switch have had a really tough time.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, logistics companies suffered large declines in volume, with some segments steadying much more quickly than others. Because much of the nation was adhering to shelter-in-place orders, the segments that thrived were those in alignment with what people needed at home, like grocery stores, Reinke explained.

“You’ve got to be nimble, fleet-footed, and try to broadcast your horizon–to the extent you can,” Reinke said. She also noted that some members of TIA kept in mind the mantra of: “We’ve got to focus on culture, we’ve got to focus on what we can control.”

Communicating with partners and customers was also much more beneficial when logistics companies worked to utilize the capabilities of data-focused tech.

“These companies that have invested in technological solutions to make themselves a difference-maker, to make [themselves] more predictive in terms of their carrier arrival times and their carrier relationships…Those are the ones that recognize how important it is to make those investments,” said Reinke.

Manufacturers comprised another group to make some key adjustments, especially while they were fighting for “essential” status at the start of the virus’ spread. Still, vehicle suppliers soldiered on regardless of any production delays or disruptions.

“HDMA member companies have adjusted to the pandemic with a keen focus on their workforces,” said Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association CEO, David Giroux. “It was critically important that our manufacturing sector was deemed ‘essential’ at both the state and federal levels. The designation allowed production to continue primarily without pause.”

One difficulty for manufacturers was the steeply-declining number of Class 8 vehicle sales, down to 191,900 in 2020 from 276,348 in 2019.

“We are now seeing the fragility of the supply chain as the shortages in the supply of goods from foreign ports and critically-important components like semiconductors and resins continue to cause headwinds,” said Giroux.

Additionally, administration operations and marketing techniques have undergone massive shifts, he added.

“Many trade shows, company events, and customer activities were dispatched to the virtual realm,” Giroux explained. “The return scenario is not yet in clear view.”

Finally, a sector of the transportation world that had to quickly change its operational systems–seaports.

Within a few weeks of the early days of the pandemic, the number of imported containers arriving in the United States from China dropped dramatically as sea shipments were canceled and the U.S.’s industrial capabilities began shutting down more and more.

Still, ports worked through these obstacles, proving their essential nature to the rest of the country, said Chris Connor, CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities.

“Throughout the global pandemic, America’s ports–in fact, ports throughout the Western Hemisphere–never stopped operating,” he said. “Port workers are clearly essential workers, ensuring the delivery of vital goods to grocery stores, businesses, and medical care facilities at major personal risk.”

Although some ports saw nearly a 25% drop in shipment volume during the pandemic’s first few months, most made extraordinarily strong comebacks by the summer following the boom of e-commerce, caused by a majority of Americans shopping online in lieu of heading to stores in-person.

“Countless millions of Americans were able to work from home with all the comforts of home at their disposal because the transportation system–with ports at the nexus–never paused,” Connor explained.

Since the start of the pandemic over a year ago, the trucking industry and the sectors working alongside it have undergone many changes–and have had to overcome countless challenges. Here’s a look at some of the most highly-affected areas across the nation’s supply chain

For State Transportation Departments, the response to the pandemic varied widely across the country. Technology, in particular, was a huge factor in each DOT’s actions, according to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials president, Victoria Sheehan.

Sheehan also currently serves as commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, which has continued having employees work remotely. However, when employees must work in-person, such as at construction sites, they have begun utilizing contactless ticketing and delivery, and have also made an effort to travel in separate vehicles to work sites.

Additionally, Sheehan said the DOT began distributing personal protective equipment on public transportation and modifying buses and trains for social distancing between passengers.

“Not only are our workers essential, but we’re transporting other essential workers to and from their employment,” she said.

Now, state transportation department employees have been working to set up call centers for vaccination appointments and vaccination sites. Although these kinds of tasks are new, most state officials were well-prepared for an emergency, including that of the 2020 pandemic.

“Our association and our state DOTs and all the partners we work with had to be very nimble in reacting to all of these emerging issues,” said Sheehan.

Another area that saw major changes–road safety.

“It was definitely a strange year for inspectors,” said roadside inspection program director at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Kerri Wirachowsky. “In the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of agencies just stopped doing inspections completely, only stopping vehicles if they saw an imminent issue.”

Only 2.7 million inspections were conducted in 2020, as compared to 3.5 million in 2019. Even the number of roadside inspections throughout CVSA’s International Roadcheck dropped by 25% last year. Many jurisdictions removed inspectors from the road to assign them other responsibilities instead.

“Some jurisdictions redeployed people to work on things related to COVID,” Wirachowsky noted. “So, the actual number of people doing inspections went down temporarily through 2020. It varied from state to state.”

Additionally, some state troopers who also worked as inspectors were sent to help the violence taking place during the social unrest in Wisconsin and Oregon, she added.

The accuracy of CVSA’s numbers during this time may be slightly less accurate than previous years, as well.

“As far as my data presentations go, I’m not using 2020 data,” said Wirachowsky. “For me, violations data each year needs to be consistent. But when you have an emergency declaration from the federal government for the entire year almost, when some violations aren’t cited and trucks can run over their hours, that skews all the violation data.”

On a high note, though, another affected area of the industry was that of truck driver advocacy.

Truckers–as they worked around the clock every day of the pandemic to make sure hospitals and clinics had the medical resources they needed and that grocery stores were fully stocked with food and household goods–quickly became the heroes of 2020. Many members of the public showed their thanks with outward displays of gratitude and gifts for the nation’s truckers as the pandemic wore on.

“Last March, we didn’t know what we didn’t know, but it became clear just what an important role we were going to play in getting the country back on its feet,” said Chris Spear, President of American Trucking Associations. “Truck drivers became soldiers on the front lines of our response to the pandemic: delivering food, medicine, [personal protective equipment], and other essentials that made our long quarantines possible. And now, as the tide is turning, delivering the literal shots in the arm we need to finish the fight.”

This advocacy made it possible for the industry to get more done in its favor than ever before, Spear added.

“We were able to secure real wins for our industry: access to rest stops, distributing PPE and sanitizer all in the name of keeping our drivers safe and healthy,” Spear said. “We worked with lawmakers to ensure that economic stimulus reached carriers and drivers so they could keep the economy moving. We pivoted and adapted our series of meetings and events to keep our members safe, but connected.”