Good day,
There is such a thing as free lunch in Oregon. The Oregon Trucking Associations (OTA) on Thursday served hundreds of box lunches along with bottles of water to truckers during an event intended to show support for drivers as they work overtime during the coronavirus epidemic. “It was a great day — the best I’ve had in weeks,” OTA Executive Director Jana Jarvis told FreightWaves. Communities around the country are hosting similar events, aiming to keep drivers well fed as restaurants nationwide shut down during the COVID-19 outbreak. Separately, several states are now allowing rest stops to host food trucks, also intended to serve hungry drivers.
Did you know …
In an optimistic scenario, global trade in 2020 would decline by 13% year over year — about the same as the drop seen during the Great Recession, according to the World Trade Organization.
Via SupplyChainDive
Quotable:
“Never in the history of the company have they fired that amount of people on the same day — never. The move was strictly about the coronavirus and how he [CEO Ken Oaks] was going to protect his money, 100%.”
A logistics executive on mass firings at Cincinnati-based TQL (Via FreightWaves)
In other news
Virginia town rolls out Starship Technologies robotic delivery program amid coronavirus outbreak
Fairfax City is developing a pilot project involving robots delivering food to residents who are at risk due to their age or compromised immune systems. (PotomacLocal)
Leading bus manufacturer in Nanjing, China, places order for up to $15 million with Loop Energy
The deal with a thus far unnamed manufacturer comes as Cummins made a second investment in Loop, a Canadian provider of fuel cell solutions for medium- and heavy-duty transportation applications. (Sustainablebus)
New Washington laws sets roundabout rule for trucks
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a bill to give large trucks permission to use two lanes to navigate through circular intersections, including roundabouts. (Landline)
Amazon acquires land for distribution center at Little Rock port
The retail giant has purchased an 80-acre site at the Port of Little Rock for $3.2 million. (TalkBusiness.net)
Final thoughts
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles this week gave autonomous tech startup Nuro a permit to test two driverless delivery vehicles in nine cities. Nuro is the second self-driving company to receive the state’s permit. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo got the go-ahead from the DMV last year. The latest decision comes as companies that deliver groceries and takeout are seeing a huge uptick in demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hammer down, everyone!
