This has been one strange year. I do not think there is one aspect of our lives that was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Public opinion of trucking rose as truck drivers worked valiantly to keep shelves stocked and to make sure there was plenty of PPE for all those who needed it.
Many businesses sent people home to work, and unfortunately far too many people lost their jobs as businesses closed to abide by COVID-19 pandemic protection regulations. Meetings, trade shows and conventions were canceled in order to stop the spread of the virus.
Still, I think there are many things for us to be thankful for, not the least of which is that more people now have a much better understanding of the vital role trucking plays in the nation’s economy and in keeping store shelves stocked.
I am also grateful to see all the announcements of the many collaborations that are occurring in the trucking industry especially around electric trucks and autonomous trucking. Both of these areas present tremendous opportunities for trucking to be more efficient, but they also have some challenges that will best be resolved by interested stakeholders working together.
The perseverance of the industry in trying to make sure folks working in trucking continue to have access to education and engage in meaningful dialogue is also something for which I am thankful. Many of the truck makers, component suppliers and other third parties made significant investments in online training to make sure technicians were able to continue to be trained on the latest diagnostic and repair procedures. Other industry groups held virtual meetings and webinars to share information and talk about research findings, or simply to educate the industry.
One of the main ways NACFE spreads the freight efficiency message is at public meetings. We were a bit concerned at the onset of the pandemic about how we would be able to do that given travel restrictions. It turns out there was no need for us to worry. This year NACFE staff has been very busy speaking on webinars, and other virtual workshops. Frankly, I think we have connected with people and groups that we likely would not have been able to meet if we were still traveling. Technology allowed us to speak at a meeting in the morning for an organization headquartered on the eastern time zone and another in the afternoon for a company located in mountain time zone. We never would have been able to do that in the past.
Finally, I am grateful for all of you in the industry we were still willing to speak with us as we continue our work on updating our Confidence Reports and developing new Guidance Reports. NACFE’s work depends on having real-world input that allows us to separate facts from fiction when it comes to what does and does not work in the day-to-day business of trucking — getting goods to the people who need and want them.
Oh, and one last thing. I am grateful for the grace and kindness we have shown to each other during these virtual meetings when our dogs bark, our kids photo bomb us, or when we start talking before unmuting ourselves.
Grace and kindness go a long way in trucking and in life.
