Supply Chain – Huh?

How often in your daily life do you think about the term Supply Chain? “Like never dude”, you might say. That would probably be the answer from 99% of the people you might ask. Then along comes a coronavirus, and the question takes on a new perspective.
If you have never thought about “the supply chain” for your groceries, drugs and sundries, it is a pretty sure bet you will think about it, and remember it before COVID-19 is conquered.
“I don’t think many Americans think about the supply chain much during ordinary times, but now that phrase — the supply chain — is being talked about everywhere. So many more people now understand that it’s due to truckers and trucking companies that food shelves in a supermarket get stocked, or that gasoline stations are able to sell gasoline.” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, said recently.
From the raw material source, to the manufacturer, to the distributor, and finally, to the retailer, each step of the way, a truck and a CDL Driver are involved.

A 62-year-old truck driver with three underlying health conditions, said he’s frightened of catching COVID-19 and only has a half can of disinfectant spray left. He doesn’t know where to go for testing if he were to develop symptoms, and he’s afraid of being caught far from his Illinois home if he gets sick. Despite that, he rebuffed the idea of using vacation time to ride out the virus storm. “If I take a couple of weeks’ vacation, you all starve,” he said. The 20-year trucking veteran had just taken sugar to Memphis, cereal to Chicago and was waiting to be loaded in Batavia, Ill., for cargo going to Hopkinsville, Ky. “I’m out here trying to keep you all fed.”

As long as our CDL Drivers have that attitude, it is a pretty sure bet that we will get through this viral threat successfully.