Truck Drivers Wait For Loads As Demand Slows Down In Colorado
(CBS4) - A fifth person has died from coronavirus in connection with the outbreak at the JBS meat packing plant in Greeley. The plant reopened on Friday after being shutdown for cleaning to prevent any further spread of the virus among workers. In Fort Morgan, Leprino Foods was shut down because of coronavirus. A high number of workers at the dairy product plant tested positive for COVID-19, including some without symptoms. It will stay closed for at least five days to be cleaned and for every employee to be tested. These closures have raised concerns for some about the food supply chain in Colorado, particularly after the chairman of Tyson Foods said he believed it was breaking on a national level.
Truck drivers like Joel Sanchez are seeing changes already, whether it be with food product delivery or otherwise.
"I've been here since Friday," he told CBS4 from his truck, which was parked in Wheat Ridge next to the TA Travel Center. "There's no work right now."
Sanchez said he's been waiting to be assigned a load. He says with more people staying home, the products he normally transports -- such as construction material and electronics -- are no longer in demand, and the loads they do deliver are paying far less than just a month ago.
David Orleck says he's fortunate he drives a refrigerated truck.
"The freight prices are crashing and there are no available loads on a daily basis," Orleck said.
Orleck hauls food and other essential goods, but he says even he has seen a slowdown.
"It should be running like crazy right now, but yet it's not and there's no real answer to why that is," he said.
CBS4 spoke with some of the major trucking companies in the Denver metro area. They believe a rush on goods early caused a lull on shipments in April. They expect it will end soon, but they know closures of meat and dairy plants in Colorado are playing a role.
The result for truck drivers is more waiting.
"What are these drivers going to do if that's all they've ever done in their life?" Orleck said.
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