Five Minutes of Freight: Wednesday, April 8th, 2020
In this episode of Five minutes of Freight we cover:
CORONAVIRUS: 400,549 confirmed cases in the United States with over 140k cases in NY Alone. There have been over 12k deaths related to the virus and over 700 in NY on Tuesday.
AMAZON’s decision to pull the plug on its delivery service. According to Business Insider Amazon broke the news to clients via email: “At Amazon, we regularly evaluate the requirements of our businesses to ensure we are structured in the best way possible to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” the note to sellers said. “After careful consideration, we have decided to pause our Amazon Shipping service in the US. Our last day for pick-ups will be June 5th.”
POLITICS: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for up to $25,000 “heroes” pay for frontline health care, service industry workers, and truckers as Congress pushes ahead with a new coronavirus crisis rescue package. If successful, the fund would allow for the payment of $25,000 to essential workers who earn less than $200,000 per year and a $5,000 payment for those who earn more than $200,000 per year.
Truck Stop Slaying: Police responded to a 911 call early Tuesday morning after reports of a stabbing at a Pilot truck stop in Nashville TN. Upon arrival they found stabbing victims both in and outside the truck stop location and witnesses told deputies where the suspect was. Police confronted the armed suspect, ordered him to drop his weapon. He did not comply. In all three pilot employees, all women, were killed and a customer was injured. Her condition is unknown. The suspect was a company truck driver from Durham, NC. Pilot released a statement:
“Today is a difficult day for the Pilot Company family. We are devastated to confirm the loss of three team members and the injury of a guest after an act of violence at our Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, location this morning. It is with heavy hearts that we extend our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of the victims. We are providing support and counseling to the families and our team. We are working closely with local authorities.”
COVID STRIKES: McDonald’s workers in Los Angeles, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa, Raleigh-Durham and elsewhere have staged job actions this week, in a coordinated push for safer working conditions, paid sick leave and hazard pay. Grocery workers, warehouse workers, factory workers, construction workers, and others who are directly exposed to the danger of infection on the job have all walked out in protest in the past week, arguing that their low wages do not make up for the risks they’re taking.
