Trucks Stop, America Stops

 Trucks Stop, America Stops


A Timeline Showing the Deterioration of Major Industries Following a Truck Stoppage
The first 24 hours
• Delivery of medical supplies to affected areas will cease.
• Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours. Radiopharmaceuticals
will deteriorate and become unusable.
• Service stations will begin to run out of fuel.
• Manufacturers using JIT manufacturing will develop component shortages.
• US mail and other package delivery will cease.
Within one day
• Food shortages will begin to develop.
• Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to sky-rocketing 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.
Within two to three days
• Food shortages will escalate, especially in the face of hoarding and consumer panic.
• Supplies of essentials such as bottled water, powdered milk, and canned meat at major retailers will
disappear.
• ATMs will run out of cash and banks will be unable to process transactions.
• Service stations will completely run out of fuel for autos and trucks.
• Garbage will start piling up in urban and suburban areas.
• Container ships will sit idle in ports and rail transport will be disrupted eventually coming to a standstill.
Within a week
• Automobile travel will cease due to lack of fuel. Without autos and busses, many people will not be able to
get to work, shop for groceries, or access medical care.
• Hospitals will begin to exhaust oxygen supplies.
Within two weeks
• The nation’s clean water will begin to run dry.
Within 4 weeks
• The nation will exhaust its clean water supply and water will be safe only after boiling. As a result
gastrointestinal illness will increase, further taxing an already weakened health care system.
Holcomb, R When Trucks Stop, America Stops American Trucking Association

 Box 1: A timeline of implications for society resulting from a shut-down in trucking.
There are a myriad important things not included. For example, the inability to access key
parts or staff, or to ship coal to power plants, could shut down the grid affecting
water/sewage, telecommunications, emergency services, and command and control
capabilities. Furthermore the population and government would most likely be completely
at a loss as to how to begin managing personal and community welfare.
A recent report by Chatham House, London, looked at a range of events and noted both the
vulnerability of JIT, and importantly, following the end to a disruption, the inability of
companies to just pick up where they left off 15:
Box 1
When Trucks Stop, America Stops
A Timeline Showing the Deterioration of Major Industries Following a Truck Stoppage
The first 24 hours
• Delivery of medical supplies to affected areas will cease.
• Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours. Radiopharmaceuticals
will deteriorate and become unusable.
• Service stations will begin to run out of fuel.
• Manufacturers using JIT manufacturing will develop component shortages.
• US mail and other package delivery will cease.
Within one day
• Food shortages will begin to develop.
• Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to sky-rocketing 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.
Within two to three days
• Food shortages will escalate, especially in the face of hoarding and consumer panic.
• Supplies of essentials such as bottled water, powdered milk, and canned meat at major retailers will
disappear.
• ATMs will run out of cash and banks will be unable to process transactions.
• Service stations will completely run out of fuel for autos and trucks.
• Garbage will start piling up in urban and suburban areas.
• Container ships will sit idle in ports and rail transport will be disrupted eventually coming to a standstill.
Within a week
• Automobile travel will cease due to lack of fuel. Without autos and busses, many people will not be able to
get to work, shop for groceries, or access medical care.
• Hospitals will begin to exhaust oxygen supplies.
Within two weeks
• The nation’s clean water will begin to run dry.
Within 4 weeks
• The nation will exhaust its clean water supply and water will be safe only after boiling. As a result
gastrointestinal illness will increase, further taxing an already weakened health care system.
Holcomb, R When Trucks Stop, America Stops American Trucking Association




Trade-Off1.pdf (application/pdf Object)