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state was confirmed in early March, less
than two weeks before the first case in
Arkansas. In less than a month after its
WE ARE OPERATING IN WHAT IS CALLED THE first case, New York City residents were

VUCA ENVIRONMENT: VOLATILE, UNCERTAIN, ordered to “shelter in place” in order to
COMPLEX, AND AMBIGUOUS. contain the outbreak. New York City
is much more densely populated than
Arkansas, but there are still valuable
— KIM FLETCHER, PRESIDENT, LOCH HAVEN PARTNERS lessons to be learned from a part of the

country that has been dealing with it
longer.
hand and then shakes someone else’s. in what is called the VUCA environ- Kendra Hems, president of the
That’s why eliminating handshakes and ment: volatile, uncertain, complex, and Trucking Association of New York, said
signs emphasizing hygiene were among ambiguous.” She recommends clear truckers in that region have had to get
the first visible indications of the communication during every stage. creative in order to protect their health.
impact of the virus. Droplets carrying “Talk about the uncertainty, about the “The biggest issue our carriers
the virus can also survive on surfaces, numbers [of infected people] going up are running into as it relates to driver
though the WHO is careful to point out and going down and how we’re going to health is the inability to get gloves,
that it’s difficult to accurately estimate have to social distance for some period masks and hand sanitizer for their
how long they’ll survive on different of time. This is a really complex, rapidly drivers and technicians,” Hems said.
surfaces like cardboard, or plastic or moving situation.” “While there are places that have them,
metal. It could be anywhere from sev- Fletcher recommends breaking it they are selling/donating to health care
eral hours to several days. down into small, manageable pieces workers and not necessarily consider-
Contamination is a concern with clear, concrete tasks. In Arkansas ing that during this time professional
because there are currently no cures or that might look like fleet managers and drivers are also on the front lines and
vaccines for the new respiratory virus. It drivers communicating clearly and hon- potentially exposing themselves to the
appears to be highly contagious, but not estly about personal risk factors when virus as well. There are a number of
as deadly as its genetic cousin Severe deciding who drives where. local distilleries that are changing their
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), “Remember that this is a people production lines to make hand sanitiz-
which caused global concern in 2003. crisis first,” Fletcher said, “so make sure er, and some of our members that have
According to the CDC, symptoms to take care of yourself, your family, connections with the owners of the
of COVID-19 include fever, cough and and your people. We know that there distilleries are working with them to get
shortness of breath. The new virus is not haven’t been enough resources, that stock for the trucking industry.
a strain of the flu, but many of the most there aren’t enough resources, so you Distilleries in Arkansas have
common symptoms are similar. Because have to go back to being creative with switched some of their production to
it’s a new virus, humans haven’t devel- what you can do.” hand sanitizer too. Disinfectants, when
oped immunities to it yet. Fortunately, There are perceived shortages and they’re available, are being used more
most people who contract the virus will there are actual shortages related to this frequently, anywhere truckers may
experience only a mild case, but some pandemic. The cancellation of major travel. While many businesses are being
segments of the population are more events, like the NCAA’s March Madness temporarily closed or requiring employ-
likely to develop serious illness. For Tournament, and then the closing of ees to work from home, the American
that reason, the CDC recommends that schools caught the public’s attention Trucking Association lobbied to make
people aged 65 years and older, people and caused a rush on groceries and sure rest stops stay open for truckers to
who live in a nursing home or long-term toilet paper, despite reassurances that get the rest and refueling they need.
care facilities, or people of any age with these things were not in short supply. Caitlin Campbell, spokeswoman for
chronic lung issues, heart conditions, Meanwhile, surgical masks and the per- Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores,
compromised immune systems, severe sonal protective equipment (PPEs) used says they’ve made changes that will
obesity or diabetes take extra precautions by those dealing directly with infected reduce risk for truckers.
to limit potential exposure. patients, and the kits used to test for “We’ve increased cleaning and
In a recent webinar hosted by the the virus ran out quickly. disinfecting efforts at our locations
Transportation Research Board, Kim and increased focus on hand washing
Fletcher, President of Loch Haven WHEN IT HIT NEW YORK for customers and employees by plac-
Partners and expert in emergency New York is feeling those short- ing additional hand sanitizing stations
management said, “We are operating ages. The first coronavirus case in that 

22 Issue 2 2020 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT