DC Velocity - May 2020

INBOUND

While much of the nation shelters in place, truck drivers havebeen running in high gear, logging long hours on the roadto keep grocers, healthcare centers, and other vital businessesstocked with essential supplies—sometimes at great personal risk.

To help drivers stay safe andinformed during these unprecedented times, one industrytraining specialist is offeringa free course for drivers onCovid- 19 safety. Vancouver,Washington-based InstructionalTechnologies Inc. (ITI) says theclass, “Covid-19: What DriversNeed to Know,” provides driv-er-specific information on thepandemic and how it affectstheir work and safety.

The course, which is available as a video, provides up-to-date information from theCenters for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) on Covid- 19symptoms, ways to prevent itsspread, and what to do if they getsick. Topics include cleaning oravoiding high-touch areas insidethe vehicle, important regulatory changes, tips on managingstress, and techniques for reducing contact in driver lounges,in breakrooms, and at vendingmachines.

“Hauling critical suppliesacross North America every day,professional truck drivers areon the front lines of the global Covid- 19 pandemic,” JamesVoorhees, president and CEO ofITI, said in a release. “This information will help stem the spreadof the virus and keep drivers safeduring this critical time.” ;

Free Covid- 19
course launched for
truckers

With global aircargo capacity in high demand(think emergency medical shipments) but shortsupply, airlines are getting creative. For instance,several airlines are converting passenger aircraftgrounded by pandemic-related travel restrictions into cargo flights. But that raises some issues—like how best to load cargointo a plane that’s designed for relatively flexible humans, not cardboard boxes.

Now, a Dutch company says it has a solution for that. Safety products makerTrip & Co. recently introduced the Air Cargo Seat Bag and Cargo Seat Net, whichwork together to secure cargo to passenger seats during flights, stabilizing andsecuring the load in order to protect both cargo and crew. Made of a waterproof,fire-retardant material, the system has a capacity of 175 pounds per seat (or up to700 pounds per seat row), the company says.

One of the system’s key advantages is its ease and speed of installation, according to the manufacturer. “There is no need to remove passenger seats, allowingfor less conversion time before an aircraft can operate in its new role,” Trip CEOTijmen Koster said in a release. “Also, there is hardly any conversion once restoring operation as a passenger aircraft.” ;

Leaving on a jet plane

During her 46-year transportation career, Sue Spero hasheld a variety of transportation executive roles, served as anaward-winning educator, and been active in a number ofindustry organizations. Later this summer, she’ll be recognizedfor her many achievements when she receives the sixth annual “DistinguishedWoman in Logistics” award from the Women In Trucking Association (WIT),Truckstop.com, and the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA).

Spero now serves as president of Carrier Services of Tennessee Inc., a non-asset-based third-party logistics company and transportation brokerage sheco-founded in 1993. But her career in the business dates back to the pre-motorcarrier deregulation days, when she owned a trip lease firm before going on to serveas director of operations for a truckload carrier. Her teaching career has includedstints as an adjunct professor of international business at Belmont University inNashville, and as a professor of business and logistics at Cumberland University inLebanon, Tennessee, where she received the Robert H. Beard Professional Awardin 2001 for promoting higher educational standards in the transportation field.She has also taken on volunteer leadership roles in several industry organizations,including the TIA, where she serves on the board of directors.

Spero will be recognized on stage during the 2020 TIA “Capital Ideas”Conference & Exhibition, along with the other two finalists for the award—Monique DeVoe, director of education and development at RFX Inc., and TamaraStryker, director of sales and marketing at CFI Logistics. The event is scheduledfor Aug. 21 in Austin, Texas.