Tens of Thousands Are Getting Laid Off in U.S. Shale Patch

tankers will probably survive, also.

 

The warning signs were already there MONTHS in advance when drivers that were playing in the sandbox were getting laid off left and right. The economy tanking due to the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the situation even more. With state governments placing restrictions on the public now not as many people will be driving which means less oil/fuel will be used. The same goes for airlines,a lot of them are now parking part of their fleets or shutting down operations altogether,which means even less fuel/oil consumed or in demand (with exception to carriers hauling just cargo-FedEx,UPS,DHL,etc.). It’s all having a knock on effect on operations worldwide. American Airlines just started flying cargo only flights a couple days ago-something they haven’t done in over 30 years!

 

Medicines and a hell of alot of it.

 

Pharmaceuticals and cleaning supplies (and the associated chemicals used in creating them)are especially going to be in high demand for obvious reasons.

 

I prefer high dollar cancer kits, chemo IV bags and certain narcotics.

If you really want to get me excited, try snake extract that is rebuilt into a drug that is designed to reverse or limit progression of damage inside the snake bite victim.

I am told some of those teeny vials are approximately 40,000 and represent a great deal of human work, others range on down through the 20K to the 5's depending on what they are.

 

Well in all fairness, it's the government paper pushers that we're the first to shut their doors and head for the hills. Guaranteed pay & pension, but in the event of an emergency, we're closed.

(This is for the bureaucratic alphabet agency paper pushers, not first responders, military, etc. when the government is rolling out FEMA, nobody at the housing department is gonna review your Fannie Mae loan ap.)

The pessimist in me thinks demand for truckers isn't going to go down but our fatality rate is gonna skyrocket. Being out on the front line, not slowing down as entire states shelter in place. The government is freaking out, they must know something they're not saying. Drivers are vital (and expendable) I'm sure they've made that calculation already.

(Nobody wants to loose soldiers in a war but that beach in Normandy wasn't gonna just let people in, somebody had to look at a chart with death tolls in the 10s of thousands and say, "yep, that's the best option.")

 

Unemployment. Just like everybody else.
This might be the only time as a truck driver
That you'll be able to sit home and get a check.

 

Massive layoffs, no.
3000 miles a week becomes 1500 miles a week.
50 hours a week becomes 25 hours a week.
4 loads a week becomes 2 loads a week.

Lease purchase,owner operators and anybody
Else with big truck payments, god help you.
Your gonna need it.

 

Yes I think that would be the way for companies to handle this. Just tell the drivers there’s going to be less miles for a while. What’s the alternative for most of us? Even McDonald’s jobs are going to be scarce when the dust settles from this. The reason trucking companies would be wise to hold onto their drivers is once the economy starts cooking again, they think there’s a shortage of drivers now? It’ll be super bad then. If you’re a midsize company definitely want to hang onto your drivers you have now.