As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop and evolve, Nauto’s heart goes out to all those who have been impacted by the virus. This blog post is intended to inform business and industry leaders with key insights regarding fleet activity during this time. To learn more about how Nauto is supporting our customers, please read our update to customers regarding COVID-19 from our founder and CEO, Stefan Heck.
At the time of this post, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven many governments around the world, including areas in the US, Europe, and India, to enforce “shelter-in-place” orders. As the macroeconomy witnesses rapid decline in demand as a result, many businesses have quickly mobilized to continue support for essential functions and supplies, including many of our customers. Nauto is thankful for our customers’ and their drivers’ dedicated and tireless response to keep our communities and homes running, and we would like to recognize the essential work of our distribution & last mile fleets by taking a look into their recent activity on the roads.
As individuals are reacting to recent lifestyle changes due to the pandemic, global supply chains must adapt to the evolving, fluctuating demand of consumer goods. Many individuals are flocking to supermarkets to stock up on goods in the midst of quarantine, while others turn to online-enabled home delivery of essential goods, like food and sanitary products. In either case, distribution and last mile logistics fleets are critical to supplying citizens with the goods they need. In our analysis of driving activity, Nauto-equipped distribution and last mile fleets and drivers drove nearly 1.5 times more last month compared to March 2019.
We anticipate this activity to increase exponentially in the coming weeks, as our customers increase their support to provide essential deliveries in their communities. Recently, the FMCSA issued an emergency declaration to suspend Hours of Service (HOS) rules for carriers providing direct assistance to the COVID-19 outbreak, such as transport of goods including paper products, groceries, and medical equipment. To learn more, read FMCSA’s expanded emergency declaration as of Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
While driving activity has generally declined across other industries and our roads have become more empty, we found that distracted driving activity in our distribution and last mile fleets has nearly doubled compared to last year. While this could be attributed to a number of factors, such as drivers managing increased pressure or lower perceived need to focus with fewer vehicles on the road, there is no doubt that road safety, in addition to health, continues to be a priority for all.
Thank you for your work
As we continue to track developments regarding COVID-19, Nauto is committed to protecting the safety of our employees, customers, and community. To our dedicated fleet customers and drivers, we are thankful for your continued support of providing essential goods and transportation services to our communities during this time. Stay safe and healthy.
