Trucking & Hurricanes:
A Love/Hate Relationship
Natural disasters always have a negative impact on the supply chain, but how exactly does a hurricane impact the trucking industry?
The first effect we see is a shift in demand for trucks. Demand shifts in two phases: before the storm, and after.
Before the storm, we see an uptick in outbound trucking. Essential equipment, products and materials are sent out of the storm’s path. Trucks that are currently in transit in or near the storm’s path are re-routed out of harm’s way. And, everything else is locked down in place to ride it out.
After the storm, we experience a trucking shortage as we see a rise in inbound trucking and damages are assessed. Essential relief goods and personnel are brought in to aid in recovery. And, once it is deemed safe to do so, the equipment, products and materials that were sent out can be brought back in. Unfortunately, hurricanes can cause significant damage to property and infrastructure, and the trucking industry is not immune to that.
Secondly, we can expect service interruptions.
Once the hurricane is over and communities are left to deal with its aftermath, we can expect a severe disruption of service. As homes and businesses are ravaged by wind and rain, their focus is going to be the clean-up effort. Typically, these communities become difficult to access and work can be hard to come by as business comes to a halt.
Finally, we can expect an uptick in transportation costs.
Through a combination of trucking shortages and service disruptions, we’ll see an uptick in cost. Trucks are harder to come by and communities are inaccessible, but business operations are back up and running. This will lead to an increase in demand and push prices upward.
US Express virtually attended Together Again Expo!
The Together Again Expo was a hybrid event that took place on Friday, July 24th in Orlando, FL. The event featured a combination of in-person booths, panel discussions and presentations and a live video feed from the show floor. It was hosted by Alliance Nationwide Exposition in conjunction with the Orange County Convention Center.
The Together Again Expo was actually the second event held at the OCCC since the phased re-opening process began. The first was a volleyball tournament that hosted nearly 12,000 players, coaches and chaperones. According to the Mayor of Orlando, no cases of the coronavirus were reported as a result of the tournament.
The OCCC is one of the largest venues in the country to receive the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star accreditation on outbreak prevention, response and recovery. GBAC STAR™ is an industry accreditation that provides third-party validation to ensure the implementation of rigorous protocols in response to biorisk situations. Focused on ensuring a clean, safe and healthy environment, the program establishes requirements to assist venues by providing best practices, protocols and procedures to control risks associated with the COVID-19 virus (Source).
The event featured interviews, panel discussions and presentations from some of the leaders of the event industry including The Expo Group, Sunbelt Rentals and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). The show floor featured one-way aisles and booths that were spaced farther apart. Attendees and exhibitors were encouraged to wear masks and socially distance as much as possible.
As a virtual attendee, it was interesting to see an in-person event take place. Seeing the industry pivot and adapt to this “new normal” was intriguing and watching exhibitors and attendees latch onto new policies and procedures was a bright spot. As mentioned previously in our June e-newsletter, the return of in-person events is exciting and daunting but the Together Again Expo proved that in-person events can return and can be done safely!
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Our latest post, Actual Weight vs. Dimensional Weight: Why Does it Matter?, is live on our website! It explains the different between actual weight and dimensional weight and why you should know about it.
