Written by Bernie Carr
There’s a rumor going around that truckers are planning to stop delivering goods this coming Thanksgiving weekend. We’ve already experienced supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 when plants shut down as workers caught the virus, and when imports from China dwindled down among various reasons. A trucker’s strike would could worsen supply shortages.
What happens if truckers decide to strike?
I’ve been writing about what would happen if trucks stop delivering as I personally witnessed empty shelves at the grocery stores days after hurricanes hit. When the streets are flooded and trucks are unable to get through, grocery store shelves stay bare for several days or weeks.
Most stores keep only as much inventory as their shelves contain – there is no extra stock in the back as we often imagine. They keep as much inventory as they can sell until the next delivery truck comes around. This is known as the “just in time” inventory system.
In short, if trucks were to stop coming, store shelves would be emptied with no resupply in sight. And with the panic buying going on as states are once again considering another shutdown, stores shelves will be bare in no time.
Months ago, when violence erupted in many cities and there were petitions about defunding police, many truckers were already fearing for their lives when delivering in such cities.
Now, there is a lot of talk of truckers feeling disgruntled according to this article from CDLLife:
Organizers had planned to strike on November 11, and November 26th through the 29th. According to the Tennessee Star:
Organizers said, “Please let it be known that the dates are 11/26, 11/27, 11/28 & 11/29. NOT 11/29 alone. Please share and get this information out because there are some who are quoting just the 29th. This is not when it starts.
Please let it be known that the dates are 11/26, 11/27, 11/28 & 11/29. NOT 11/29 alone. Please share and get this information out because there are some who are quoting just the 29th. This is not when it starts. #stopthetires #stopthetires2020
— StopTheTires2020 (@StopTheTires) November 10, 2020
Their Facebook group, StopTheTires2020, had more than 45,000 members as of Wednesday.
Source: The Tennessee Star
Will they strike or won’t they?
It’s hard to say as there is conflicting information out there.
According to Snopes.com, there is a “mixture”of true and false stories. They found it to be true that truckers nationwide are calling for a strike. However, they found it would be difficult for U.S. truckers to organize a nationwide strike. Therefore it is undetermined what effect the planned strikes may have.
I had read some reports that some truckers did stop work on November 11th, but it is unclear what impact may have occurred.
The most recent article in thetrucker.com indicated that the Stop the Tires group has called off the Thanksgiving work stoppage.
In any event, the scheduled Nov. 26-29 shutdown scheduled by the Stop the Tires group has been called off. While some continue to claim in other groups that they will shut their trucks down anyway, no group has come forward to claim leadership over any such movement. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be much agreement on a cause or what actions will be taken in its support.
Source: thetrucker.com
Signs indicate the Facebook group that was in the center of the rumored plans, Stop the Tires has called off their plans to strike. However, it is unknown whether other groups have taken up these plans. Since we can’t predict the future, it’s always a good idea to be prepared. As with any potential disaster, having adequate supplies at home is always prudent.
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About the author:
Bernie Carr is the founder of Apartment Prepper. She has written several books including the best-selling Prepper’s Pocket Guide, Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure, The Penny-Pinching Prepper and How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget. Her work appears in sites such as the Allstate Blog and Clark.com, as well as print magazines such as Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. She has been featured in national publications such as Fox Business and Popular Mechanics. Learn more about Bernie here.
No. Since deregulation of the industry only 16 percent of drivers belong to a union, mostly the Teamsters.
Hi Charles, This is true – one of the reasons a strike won’t happen. Thanks for the comment!
By now you would think most people who can afford things like ramen noodles, soap and toilet paper would know to keep a little extra when they find it because there will be shortages. Rather than worrying about one truckers’ strike (they work hard under terrible conditions so I can see why), we should all be doing our best to put a little away. A bar of soap or a package of Ramen is worth paying a little extra for so people don’t have to work sick, in bad weather, or on holidays to supply our just-in-time society.