Many people don’t consider the role that truck drivers play in their daily lives. In fact, how many times have you passed a truck on the highway without making a connection to the impact it has on your life? 

In retail, there is a lot of intensive labor involved in unloading a delivery truck several times a week. This is also true for grocery stores. Whenever you are out shopping or picking up some produce from the store, do you ever stop to consider how the products got there? We know they come from somewhere, but rarely do we give any thought to how they end up there. Truck drivers are the answer. They spend countless hours on the road to make these important deliveries.

So what would happen if they were to disappear? 

Let’s just say the results wouldn’t be pretty. In the United States, $700.4 billion worth of goods are moved by trucks daily. If truck drivers were to cease to exist, the consequences would be unthinkable. 

The majority of stores wait until stock levels are nearly depleted before they re-order. Without truck drivers these stores would eventually run low on supplies without being able to order more. Food shortages would be our new reality, not to mention that even drinkable water would be in short supply due to water treatment plants not getting the chemicals they need to purify the water. 

Without medical supplies making it to hospitals, health conditions would worsen. Many hospitals follow the same ordering system as retail stores, where they will wait until stock is nearly depleted before ordering more. 55,000 pharmacies in the United States receive goods via truck delivery on a daily basis. If truckers were to disappear, consider how many medical clinics would run out of supplies.

Another thing to consider is the environmental impact this may have. Did you know that the Americans produce around 236 millions tons of waste annually? Without trucks to help properly dispose of all this waste, infection diseases could run rampid due to the toxic breeding grounds created. 

You can see just how large of a role truck drivers play in the average American’s life. We can break this down even further by seeing just how quickly society would fall apart without truck drivers. 

Gas stations would quickly run low on gas in just 24 hours, not to mention that the prices would suddenly skyrocket as there’s now only a limited quantity. Mail delivery would also completely stop. 

Another area of price increases would be seen at grocery stores in a matter of just 48 hours, as their supplies start to dwindle. 

With food supplies running out, there would be mass hysteria with people trying to hoard and stock up on whatever essentials they can. Within 72 hours there would be nothing left. Gas stations would now also be out of fuel. 

In just one week’s time all travel would come to a stop. People would not be able to use their own vehicles or public transport. No one would be able to get to their jobs or families, nor would they be able to seek medical care if needed. 

When we come up on the two week mark, we will have run dry on any clean water supplies. 

At just four weeks out, only contaminated water would remain, which must be boiled to be consumable. There would be a large increase in illness and without any medical supplies or help, could very likely lead to death. 

With the world in complete chaos, you can see just how important a job truck drivers have. If they were to suddenly disappear today, the world would turn quickly into a scene straight from a post apocalyptic horror movie. 

There is a shortage of truck drivers. If you’ve considered becoming a truck driver, you should know that it’s a very important job that keeps the world moving forward. If you are not considering this line of work, you can still do your part to help ensure you keep the roads safe.