What happens when the trucks don't run?

Trucks deliver almost all medical supplies including syringes, medicines, equipment, tubing, gloves, masks, food and more. Al Cook, former president of the Materials Management Association, describes over-the-road commercial transportation as “life and death to being able to care for sick people.”Panic runs on stores will create not only food shortages but shortages on clean drinking water which will run dry in two to four weeks. According to the American Water Works Association, Americans drink more than one billion glasses of tap water per day. But that water is treated with chemicals for safe drinking. Even though water plants maintain a large supply of supplies, most plants receive supplies every two weeks. Without these chemicals, delivered by trucks, water can't be purified for safe drinking and the supply will go dry within 14 to 28 days. Lack of clean water will cause gastrointestinal illnesses and tax an already weakened healthcare system.Significant food shortages will occur in as little as three days, especially for items such as fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and other perishable items.items, following a national emergency and a ban on truck traffic.View the list »
Trucks keep the world running

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It's an intricate system that keeps America's infrastructure flowing smoothly. According to an American Trucking Association report, shutting down truck operations would result in elevated threat levels, terrorist attacks, and shortages of day to day supplies. Healthcare could spiral to pandemic proportions and food shortages would be overwhelming.

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And yet, government agencies may erroneously limit truck operations in response to a natural disaster, elevated threat or terrorist attack. Doing so could be worse than the problem itself. Needed medicines, food, medical supplies and more would not reach those who need them.

If trucks stop, so will other forms of travel, and you and your family will be stuck with an inability to reach your bug-out destination, or getting to an area of the country with supplies. Unimaginable consequences could occur if the trucks don't run and the roads are closed.

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Check out this list of consequences and determine what you need to add to your prepper cache.

Something else to consider: are you fit enough to bug out on foot?

View the list
  • Significant food shortages will occur in as little as three days, especially for items such as fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and other perishable items.items, following a national emergency and a ban on truck traffic.
  • Panic runs on stores will create not only food shortages but shortages on clean drinking water which will run dry in two to four weeks. According to the American Water Works Association, Americans drink more than one billion glasses of tap water per day. But that water is treated with chemicals for safe drinking. Even though water plants maintain a large supply of supplies, most plants receive supplies every two weeks. Without these chemicals, delivered by trucks, water can't be purified for safe drinking and the supply will go dry within 14 to 28 days. Lack of clean water will cause gastrointestinal illnesses and tax an already weakened healthcare system.
  • Trucks deliver almost all medical supplies including syringes, medicines, equipment, tubing, gloves, masks, food and more. Al Cook, former president of the Materials Management Association, describes over-the-road commercial transportation as “life and death to being able to care for sick people.”
  • Truck stoppage would immediately jeopardize patient care. Most hospitals don't carry more supplies than immediate need, so basic supplies aren't ordered until they are depleted. Currently, trucks deliver them within hours of placing an order. In a matter of hours, hospitals would be unable to supply critical patient care.
  • When trucks stop, pharmacy stocks of prescription drugs will be depleted quickly even though they typically carry several weeks' inventory. Many seasonal drugs such as antibiotics and flu shots have faster depletion rates.According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, most drug stores receive daily merchandise deliveries by truck.
  • Hospitals and nursing homes will exhaust food supplies in as little as 24 hours because they receive daily deliveries of food. According to the International Food Distributors Association, these facilities lack significant warehousing capabilities, so daily deliveries of food are paramount.
  • Hospital size and storage capacity determine the amount of oxygen a facility can maintain; however, in general, hospitals will exhaust oxygen supplies within seven to ten days. 
  • Radiopharmaceutical supplies for cancer treatment and diagnostic services, which have an effective life of only a few hours, will become unusable. Without daily supplies, emergency care of patients and those with cancer will go undone and people will suffer. 
  • Because transportation is key to delivering urgently needed medical supplies neccessary to save lives, if an incident of national significance produces mass injuries, people will suffer and die. There are not enough medical supplies in a local area to support a large-scale medical emergency. 
  • Service station fuel supplies will start to run out in just one to two days.An average service station requires a delivery every 2-4 days. Based on these statistics, the busiest service stations could run out of fuel within hours of a truck stoppage, with the remaining stations following within one to two days. Researchers predict that automobile travel will cease within one week if fuel deliveries are halted.
  • Airlines and air cargo operations will be grounded due to the lack of supplies for operations and fuel. U.S. Mail and other package delivery operations will cease.
  • According to the American Trucking Association: "Railroads will cease all truck trailer-on-flat-car or piggy-back and container operations. Rail freight will pile up at rail terminals since intermodal trucks provide the first and last mile in intermodal moves. Smaller railroads (Classes 2 and 3) will stop operation due to lack of truck-supplied fuel and will create significant congestion on feeder lines to the large (Class 1) railroads."
  • Without fuel, police, fire, medical rescue and other public service vehicles will be paralyzed, further jeopardizing public safety. Police won't be available to stop looting and other crimes. It will be up to you to protect your family. 
  • Without fuel, emergency response teams, whether ambulance or helicopter rescue, will not be able to get to those in need. To ensure the lives of your family members, first aid skills are a must.
  • Shortages of water and fuel will make it impossible for government agencies to respond to fires. Do you have a plan? Rehearse fire rescue plans with your family. Store important documents in fireproof containers. Keep in mind that help may not be able to get to you.
  • Waste removal will be impossible.Within days of a truck stoppage, Americans will be literally buried in garbage with serious health and environmental consequences. Without fuel deliveries, many waste processing facilities will be unable to operate equipment such as backhoes and incinerators. 
  • Uncollected and deteriorating waste products create rich breeding groundsfor microorganisms, insects, and other vermin. Hazardous materials andmedical waste introduce toxins and infectious diseases into livingenvironments. Urban areas will be significantly impacted within just a couple of days.Rural and agricultural areas as well as food processing plants will be impacted. Without waste removal and treatment, slaughtered animal byproducts and overripe fruits and vegetables will create extremely toxic conditions. 
  • Without truck deliveries, manufacturing delays will develop within hours. Assembly lines will shut down and and thousands of employees will be put out of work. Manufacturers also rely on trucks to transport goods to the market within hours of assembly. 
  • ATM and branch bank cash resources will be exhausted quicky. Armored trucks that typically deliver cash to the machines very two to three days will be stopped. ATM activity increases before and after a crises, and the ATMS will run out of cash much faster than normal. 
  • The only one you can depend on in a disaster is you. It's up to you to prepare yourself and those who depend on you. Depending on the government or anyone else is a mistake. Adopt the motto: "if it's to be, it's up to me."
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, Fort Wayne Prepper Examiner

Karla Akins is the author of "Sacagawea," "O Canada! Her Story," "Jacques Cartier," and several novels. She is the proud Mom of five, three with special needs. Karla holds a doctorate in Christian Education and is pursuing a degree in Special Education. You can contact Karla through her website:...

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