COVID-19 is now in the lexicon of our vocabulary, we have been using it daily and its impact is felt globally. From school closings, social distancing, and out of stock supermarkets, people and industries from all walks of life are being impacted. The trucking industry is not immune to COVID-19 and has experienced cancellations and postponements of annual shows and events. As reported by Josh Fisher of FleetOwner Magazine, below is a list of trade shows and conventions that have been affected thus far:
- ConExpo/ConAgg in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 10th – March 14th was canceled on the 13th, one day early.
- FMCSA Truck Safety Summit in Washington D.C. on March 19th has been postponed to a further date.
- HD Repair Forum in Fort Worth, Texas from March 24th – March 25th was postponed to a further date.
- Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky from March 26th – March 28th has been canceled.
- NAFA Fleet Management Association in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 6th– April 8th was postponed to a further date.
- National Private Truck Council in Cincinnati, Ohio from April 26th – April 28th was canceled.
- WasteExpo in New Orleans, Louisiana from May 4th – May 7th has been rescheduled for August 10th – August 13th.
Aside from effected conferences, fleet owners are bracing for the impact on their own businesses. Chase Adkins of Sharp Transport specifically expects shippers and consignees to feel the impact first. He states, “Drivers are not dealing with a big group of people like factories and warehouses do where 200 or 300 people are working. So we may see some issues about loads not being ready because they don’t have the people to load them onto the truck because their workforce is down.”
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/trucking-not-immune-worries-over-covid-19