Trucking unites in times of need

On September 14, Hurricane Florence made landfall in the Carolinas and devastated communities within its path, leaving significant damage and flooding and communities without power or access to daily necessities.

Communities across America rely on trucking for their everyday essential goods, such as water, food and medication. During times like these when a natural disaster strikes, the importance of these deliveries reaches a new height and the trucking industry is one of the first to deploy to the area with these goods in tow.

Technology enables freight carriers to make these deliveries, as well as important safety decisions about routes for drivers who are heading to damaged areas. Through positioning equipment, drivers are kept safe on their routes. You can read more about this technology on Freight Waves, here.

Companies and individuals alike are helping those in need. For example, Etchberger Trucking in Freeport, Illinois collected donations in person or through Walmart.com in the days after the storm to bring much needed supplies down to the Carolinas. The company requested donations for water, garbage bags, snacks, personal hygiene items and more. Additional information on their efforts can be found here and here.

A truck driver from Tennessee drove to the Carolinas to rescue as many animals as he could ahead of the storm. The driver, who helps animals in areas facing hurricanes, used a bus that he purchased to rescue over 60 animals from South Carolina shelters — a mobile Noah’s Ark! Following the storm, the driver planned to head back to the Carolinas to help other animals in need. You can read more about this heartwarming story in The Washington Post, here.

And these are just a sampling of the industry’s efforts in response to Hurricane Florence. The trucking industry is a community that heeds the call in times of need. It’s an industry that unites to lend support to fellow Americans in need.