‘Unsung heroes’ on the road

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have openly praised essential workers on its front lines – manufacturing, healthcare and retail workers – but there are other “unsung heroes” of the pandemic, too.

“While those in positions of leadership continue to struggle to manage the reality in which we are living, truck drivers are safely and efficiently doing the job that allows all of us to enjoy some semblance of ‘normal’ as we see stocked shelves everywhere. A poignant reminder of the value of the trucking industry,” said Brenda Neville, CAE President and CEO Iowa Motor Truck Association.

This week is Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which Neville said has been celebrated for more than two decades to honor those Neville said touch the lives of every single person.

“I really believe they are so essential,” she said. “They are so important and because of them we enjoy an unprecedented quality of life. I mean, you never go a grocery store and there is an empty shelf. You never go a gas station and you can’t fill up your car with gas. And because they are so good, meaning truck drivers, usually we take it all for granted and it’s really all due to truck drivers.”

Chris Kralik of Creston, who owns C&A Trucking with his wife Amy Kralik, has also been driving for Perishable Distributors of Iowa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hy-Vee for 25 years. His career as a truck driver began working for Stan Curtis of Lenox. He said he enjoyed hauling, so he continued working for American Freightways and FedEx before going into business for himself and joining the ranks at PDI.

While the types of trucking jobs differ based on its logistics and cargo type, Kralik said the stability of being a truck driver appealed to him.

“I didn’t want to go to college and I knew I could make money doing it, so I gave it a shot,” he said.

Kralik is right. The job as a truck driver can be lucrative, but the industry isn’t without its struggles. Neville said the trucking industry is expected to experience a “massive shortage” over the next 10 years.

“The average truck driver is 58,” said Neville. “What that tells us is there are a lot of truck drivers nearing retirement. There are more truck drivers retiring every day than entering the business, which is not unlike what is observed to be happening in other trades.”

As many industries came to a halt during the early stages of the pandemic, truckers were expected to continue working in an effort to keep store shelves stocked with essential items.

Challenges on the road

Neville said “the average person does not give it a second thought when they reach for a loaf a bread or a gallon of milk that a truck driver played a role in that transaction.”

“They know that they will miss out on family events and holiday activities because trucks are rolling seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Neville said. “They know it is not an easy job, yet for many of these professionals, the satisfaction in knowing the important role they play far outweighs the many sacrifices they make to ensure you and I have an unprecedented quality of life.”

Neville said a truck driver faces a myriad of challenges – weather, traffic and unrealistic deadlines – yet chooses to “crawl up into their office” every day. In addition to the challenge Neville listed, long hauling requires individuals to be completely alert despite the long hours and days on the road and can be taxing on the body.

Even though he gets sleepy traveling long distances in his personal vehicle, Kralik said, for him, truck driving is different.

“You have to pay attention. There’s more to do, more to look after,” he said.

Despite the job’s demand, there are also benefits, too

Life on the road

Blade Martwick, a Creston Public Works employee, has been hauling for Burgmaier Farms during harvest in Union County for the past seven years. For Martwick, working for Burgmaier made him realize how much he enjoys being on the farm. The best part for him is “getting out in the country and seeing beautiful sights and trucking up and down the road.”

Travis Anderson, a driver for Southwest Distributing Company for 13 years, said one of the greatest benefits to his job are the people – both in the office and on his routes to and from Hamburg, Tabor, Glenwood, Atlantic, Greenfield Adair and Messina.

“You have some nice conversations with them and get to know them pretty well, especially after 13 years,” he said.

This year had its own set of unique challenges for truck drivers as the pandemic drastically changed how they operate and interact with others.

“Definitely wearing a mask in the summer time and hauling beer in when it’s 100 degrees,” said Anderson.

Kralik said new procedures at loading docks to minimize person-to-person contact have increased his time at some loading docks from one hour to two to four hours. As he travels around Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota, Kralik said being away from his family for days at a time can be tough even though his schedule has him back on Thursdays each week.

“I’m really lucky with what I do with this job, because I get to see a lot of my kids’ sports,” Kralik said. “A lot of the stuff now they’re live streaming where I can watch it on my iPad,” said Kralik. “Some of these guys that are out here for two weeks, I don’t know how you could have a family life.”

Neville said there are many people involved in the supply chain process, but because of the truck drivers’ critical role, she finds it “an honor” to advocate for them.

‘They truly are the unsung heroes,” said Neville. “They don’t seek out attention. They just do their jobs. They are hard working men and women that crawl up into their office every day and have to deal with so many different things behind the wheel of that truck. And they do it because they love it, they do it because they know how important it is and they don’t seek out any attention. They are just very humble, simple people that want to deliver products from point A to point B and make our lives easy.”