USA: Country in total chaos if long-haul truckers stopped working
New research stresses the dangers that a stoppage to the trucking sector would have for the whole country with hospitals, supermarkets and gas stations all falling short of supply rapidly .
A stoppage by the trucking industry would leave the United States starving, disconnected and in total chaos within days, according to a new study by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
In terms of transport, in addition to supplying gas stations and truck stops, the ATA estimates that trucks account for approximately 80% to the fuel deliveries to the country’s airports.
Service station fuel supplies will start to run out in just one to two days. According to the Service Station Dealers of America, the nation’s busiest fuel stations sell between 200,000 and 300,000 gallons per month. These stations require multiple deliveries every day to meet this demand with the average service station requiring a delivery every 2.4 days.
Based on these statistics, the busiest service stations could run out of fuel within hours of a truck stoppage, with the remaining stations following within one to two days. Researchers predict that automobile travel will cease within one week if fuel deliveries are halted.
The American Trucking Associations researched seven key consumer industries to quantify the potential consequences of restricting or halting truck traffic in response to a national or regional emergency.
Within one day
- Food shortages will begin to develop
- Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to skyrocketing prices and long lines at the gas pumps.
- Without manufacturing components and trucks for product delivery, assembly lines will shut down, putting thousands out of work.
- Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours.
ATA believes that instead of freezing truck travel in the case of an emergency, government should work together with them to develop contingency and action plans that avoid stopping transport.
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