Truckers and the pandemic
In the media and in the mouth of politicians and spokespersons - I can only speak for German and American ones, but I have a feeling it is not much better elsewhere - the hero talk is always about nurses, sometimes law enforcement and delivery drivers. While I strongly believe they need that attention and appreciation more than ever, Truckers disappear from the picture.
In this pandemic, we praise the immune system, the heart and the liver to do their job, but we tend to forget that those organs cannot do a thing without the blood, the red blood cells, the lifeblood of our society.
At the beginning of the pandemic they were mentioned in Germany on a sidenote as the Sunday drive ban was lifted to ensure the supply of essentials. Oh fine, more work, less family reunion planning, just keep the trucks rolling. And hell, they keep their heads down and do their job.
If they decide not to, we don't get masks, we don't get vaccines, we don't get hospital supplies, so even the nurses can't do much. Let alone, the shelves in stores are empty, no toilet paper, no noodles, no coffee, tobacco or deliveries from internet stores.
Many truckers still have to do loading and unloading by themselves, many have the clock on "Rest time" while they actually move pallets, which is illegal, but at times the only way to get the job done. They cannot avoid contact with people once they transact business, so they are exposed more than others. Home office trucking only works in a simulator.
In the general public, truckers here in Germany have the same reputation as politicians, pretty bad. They are "ticking time bombs", "obstacles on the road", driven by people who failed to learn a "decent" profession. The common public has no idea that our truckers actually are highly trained specialists who spent a lot of studying time and money just to qualify for the job. They sacrifice family life, they have a huge responsibility and they are still the weak link in the chain that everybody picks on when things go wrong. Stress, harsh dead lines, fatigue,and fierce competition is the explosive cocktail they have to deal with in our days, day in, day out. Trucking romantic is a thing of the far past.
In all this. I SALUTE SCS for taking a stand for these so little appreciated members of our community. Without them, the world comes to a screetching halt. Let us all honor their work and commitment by participating in this great event.
Truckers, we know you are the true heroes of these days, and we love you!
