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Perspective December
15-31, 2020 • 12
‘
A virus diary: 2020 wasn’t the kind of year anyone expected it to be
Wendy Miller
editor@thetruckermedia.com
Mad Dog’s
Daughter
As this edition of The Trucker hits the
stands, I’ll be crossing the one-year mark as
the editor of this publication. I’ll admit — this
year has turned out much different than I had
expected.
The year started off fast with opportunities
to learn more about the industry. I attended
press events on behalf of this longstanding
publication and met vendors at
the Truckload Carriers Association’s 2020
convention — which is worth noting as the
last large-scale trucking-industry gathering
before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down
the country temporarily.
All of the traveling to shows and conventions
came to a halt almost overnight. The cancellation
of the Mid-America Trucking Show
was the first real indication that this, a pandemic
affecting the entire world, was really happening.
Shortly thereafter, The Trucker staff
was sent home and we embraced the challenge
of producing publications virtually. That might
seem simple, but it was no small feat.
At first, the virus had not personally affected
me. During the initial “peak” of the virus,
I didn’t know anyone who had experienced
COVID-19. As time went on, the pandemic
crept closer and closer. I’ve yet to come
face-to-face with the illness, but many
around me have.
In early May, one of my junior high teachers
died from COVID-19. She was an avid history
lover and had traveled abroad just as the
novel coronavirus became a household term.
She spent roughly a month on a ventilator before
losing her battle to the virus and becoming
a statistic.
Shortly thereafter, my best friend tested
positive for the virus. This was especially
surprising because she is a self-proclaimed
“homebody” and had barely ventured out of
her house since the onset of the pandemic
(other than for food and cigarettes, of course).
Luckily, she remained asymptomatic. This
was great news considering the has chronic
bronchitis (at least partially due to the cigarettes,
I’m sure).
What’s worse is that the friend I’ve mentioned
has three boys, all under the age of 14.
Two of the three tested positive, but the third
has yet to contract the virus, and none showed
any symptoms. On the other hand, her children’s
father tested positive as well — and did
not remain asymptomatic. He never had to be
admitted to the hospital, but it was close.
As the virus crept closer to my personal
life, there was no denying the effects it brought
to the trucking industry, which dominates my
work life. As we navigated a world of being
confined to our homes, the FMCSA suspended
the (mostly) loathed hours-of-service regulations
— for the first time ever — to make
sure the public had enough supplies to make it
through the stint of quarantine.
I don’t think anyone truly appreciated toilet
paper until 2020. They also didn’t appreciate
the truckers who brought toilet paper —
and just about everything else — to the store
shelves. That quickly changed.
Truckers rolling to the rescue wasn’t all
sunshine and rainbows, however. The economic
downturn and a virtually nonexistent
demand for some items caused freight rates to
dip to record lows.
By May, we saw truckers take to the streets
of Washington to protest those low rates and
the possibility of freight brokers looking to
take advantage of the situation, among other
things affecting the lives of drivers. The initiative
spread across the country as truckers in
other areas hosted slow rolls and protests.
Pandemic aside, the group caught the attention
of the FMCSA, and now there are ongoing
efforts to evaluate broker transparency, which
was one of the roots of the protests. At least
something good came out of the pandemic.
Then the country started to open back up. As
the economy started to mend, so did some of the
trucking-industry woes. However, the case numbers
began to rise, and the virus started creeping
into my life again. At this point, I have immediate
family who have contracted COVID-19, as
well as several friends and acquaintances who
have their own COVID-19 experiences. So far,
I’ve remained clear of its path.
But many people have had a much closer
encounter with COVID-19, including those
behind the wheel. A quick scroll of Facebook
trucking groups will show that truck drivers
are, in fact, contracting the virus. The Trucker
shared the story of one such case. Glenn
Helmly and his co-driver contracted the virus
and showed us what it’s like to try to not only
get tested while on the road driving a tractortrailer,
but also what the journey home can be
like in that condition. Both Helmly and his
driving partner have both made a full recovery.
Now, here we are at the end of 2020. This is
the last edition of The Trucker for this tumultuous
year, and there are two stories within its
pages about the vaccine for this virus. The production
of the vaccine has been faster than any
we’ve seen. Will it work? Will there be side
effects? Will the distribution of the vaccine go
as smoothly as the White House expects it to?
Will the ATA be heard, and truck drivers be
placed on the list to receive the vaccine toward
the top of the list? Will 2021 bring a sense of
normalcy again? We shall see.
In the meantime, I hope all of you out there
on the road have a safe and happy Christmas
and New Year. This year has been a challenge,
but America’s truck drivers have answered
the call simply by doing what they do every
day regardless of the pandemic. We appreciate
your sacrifices.
Until next year, be cool, be safe and be
careful.
Wendy Miller is the managing editor of
The Trucker newspaper. Although she has
an extensive background in journalism,
she also comes from a trucking family. The
title of this column, “Mad Dog’s Daughter”
is an ode to her dad, who goes by his
CB handle, Mad Dog, more often than his
real name. 8
WORTH REPEATING
In this section, The Trucker news staff selects quotes from stories throughout
this issue that are just too good to only publish once. In case you missed it, you
should check out the stories that include these perspectives.
If you have an opinion you would like to share, email editor@thetruckermedia.com.
“As we saw at the outset of the
pandemic, when supply lines are disrupted,
consequences are fast to follow.”
— Bill Sullivan, executive vice president for
advocacy for ATA, emphasizing the importance
of trucking and asking that drivers receive
priority access to a COVID-19 vaccine
Full story on Pages 1 and 11.
“
It might be work, but
it’s not ‘work’ to me. There’s
nothing better.”
— Jason Mayrand, owner
of Michigan-based Flat Top
Transport, on being a
business owner
Full story on Page 14.
“Our customers just love this truck,
whether they’re military or government or
just commercial. They really love this truck
and what it represents.”
— Ken Armstrong, co-driver of Tri-State
Motor Transit’s Folds of Honor truck, about
the impact the nonprofit has on veterans,
their families and the general public
Full story on Pages 23 and 25.