Truckers -> sound off

[OldSalty]

From previous threads it appears we have a number of truckers among our members.

To be upfront - the following comes from a discussion I had with a friend the other day - so admittedly its just that. I have no basis for what is true, since I do not know - hence my comments/questions.

Friend told me that part of the issue with restocking the stores is not really lack of supply, its the long truck wait times to unload. Meaning the stores etc have processes in place to limit contact and of course have limited resource to unload product. This is causing massive backups in delivery and hence restocking.

So question to our truckers. Do you see a shortage of food and household supplies? Or, is it a combination of things?

IMO, yall along with the warehouse people, people at our stores, stockers etc deserve a round of applause thus far.

Interested to hear your perspective.

 

[Gar.]

Are the truck stops still open? Are the long haulers able to clean up when they want?

 

[diverdon]

Truck stops should be open even if they only service CDL drivers with ID.

 

[vergil]

Truck stops are open and some rest areas are dedicated to truckers only at least here in Florida, I do local deliveries to the gas stations here in Orlando. Warehouses lost %20 of the workforce due to virus that is causing delays and other problems. Biggest issue is the supplies, right now stores getting %70 of what they ordered when I compare my delivery sheet to orders.

 

[goosed]

The only shortage right now is labor and available hours (been that way for a decade or more)... in fact produce isn't selling right now and going past due date which means into the 'farmers slop' bin by the ton at the moment.

What you're seeing today is as simple as the whip principle in production.

Product doesn't move from point A to point B as instantly as a mouse click. Warehouses don't have unlimited space. There aren't an unlimited number of trucks or people to load those trucks.

Even if you could fix all that, DOT still limits truck weight and number of hours that truck can operate a day.

 

[forrestgump01]

Im a truck drivrer , i haul hazardous liquids in a tanker.
yes the truck stops are open but sitting areas closed , dining area closed . you can go in ,get your shower , and grab some food to go.
Most of the truck stop restaurants suck and my normal resataurants are now - drive thru only , can't go in and I can't use the drive thru in a big truck so it sucks . I'm basically packing all my meals in the cooler for the week.
The Fed dot relaxed the Hours of service for CERTAIN loads, but right now I am still subject to the HOS . Which is fing stupid because I service the food and laundry industries. Without the product we deliver to food processing plants they cannot process food.
Same thing with the laundry businesses that clean all the linens for hospitals , without our products they shutdown.
And yes , the trucking industry has been short on drivers for several years.

Oh and don't forget I get pulled over 100 times faster at the scale than the non haz driver and fucked with by the dot so they can keep there revenue stream flowing.

 

[Seed tick]

You guys have my respect for what it’s worth. You come through middle Tennessee pm me. Meals on me!

 

[goosed]

Im a truck drivrer , i haul hazardous liquids in a tanker.
yes the truck stops are open but sitting areas closed , dining area closed . you can go in ,get your shower , and grab some food to go.
Most of the truck stop restaurants suck and my normal resataurants are drive thru only , can't go in and I can't use the drive thru in a big truck so it sucks . I'm basically packing all my meals in the cooler for the week.
The Fed dot relaxed the Hours of service for CERTAIN loads, but right now I am still subject to the HOS . Which is fing stupid because I service the food and laundry industries. Without the product we deliver to food processing plants they cannot process food.
Same thing with the laundry businesses that clean all the linens for hospitals , without our products they shutdown.
And yes , the trucking industry has been short on drivers for several years.

Oh and don't forget I get pulled over 100 times faster at the scale than the non haz driver and fucked with by the dot so they can keep there revenue stream flowing.

I don't deal with that side of things, but I thought all haz-mat drivers and loads were exempt from the emergency support declaration?

The declaration did lift some fed regulations, but each state can still enforce or not enforce whatever the hell they want right now. It's the wild west for rules and regulations at the moment.

Here is the page of links and rules their wisdom created for us to follow along with https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency-declarations

 

[Duc]

Drove a truck from NYC to Chicago last week...never ever seen so many big rigs doing 75 to 80 mph...EVER! Scales closed, non fuel rest stops closed, drive thru food joints only open(not gonna happen). Tolls still open, but unmanned. Send $$ by mail or web.
Hilton prop. where we were staying stopped meals, grab bag only. Would not enter room to make bed, change towels, etc. until we checked out. Even stopped coffee pots for a day!

 

[forrestgump01]

I am being told they don't consider us "essential" because we dont supply from manufacturer to store.

US Department of Transportation Issues National Emergency Declaration for Commercial Vehicles Delivering Relief in Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak | FMCSA

WASHINGTON – The U.S.

www.fmcsa.dot.gov

These exemptions, when in effect, only apply to 49 CFR Parts 390-399. They do NOT exempt drivers/carriers from the requirements relating to CDL, drug/alcohol, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, size & weight, or State/Federal registration and tax requirements. (However, a Governor's Declaration may add some of those exemptions -
read the declaration for details.)

The first exemption they gave was for " essential " loads . So like Goosed said , wild west.

I cannot get a straight answer from our safety department
I was told by employer we have to stick to regs for now . I am NOT sure if they just want to play it safe or the just aren't clear on regs.
We just got our emergency letters today for driving to/from work, so good thing that " IT DIDN'T GO DOWN SUN NIGHT " or i would be s.o.l. LOL

 

[Redmanss]

Here's a good read on why things are slow to come back on the shelves: https://www.wsj.com/articles/grocers-stopped-stockpiling-food-then-came-coronavirus-11584982605

TLDR Version: Tech made things efficient, chaos fucks all that efficiency up. Warehouses are expensive, so we have less stockpiles for the incredible surge in demand like we've seen the last two months. Truckers and rail are all working in overdrive to get the goods where they need to be.

Take home point: Plan and stockpile better for the future, because just as logistics wins or loses wars, it also makes or breaks families. Three months supply on all goods you family needs is always the minimum, even in good times.

My own thoughts to the truckers as a fellow Class A holder: Take care ladies and gentlemen, the communities need you. Be safe and watch out for the idiots on the road, because fucking hell are they still out there...