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COVID-19 RESPONSE & UPDATES
Ontario Makes it Easier for Truck Drivers to get Tested for COVID-19
July 8th, 2020
Ontario Makes it Easier for Truck Drivers to get Tested for COVID-19
Sharp Trailer & Transport Services Donated to Deliver Essentials to Hospital
April 30, 2020
April 30, 2020
Sharp Trucks Donated to Support Ontario Message
April 21, 2020
April 21, 2020
Trucker hauls message as essential as her freight
April 12, 2020
April 12, 2020
Sharp is proud proud to have donated 3 trailers to the Women's Trucking Federation of Canada mission. Great article covering the cause via FreightWaves:
Shelley Uvanile-Hesch hopes people will think twice about leaving home during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing her trailer as she moves vital goods between Canada and the United States.
Shelley Uvanile-Hesch, a long-haul trucker and CEO of the Women's Trucking Federation of Canada, will haul a trailer with a message encouraging social distancing. (Image: Kimberly Biback/Sharp Transportation)
Read More....
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucker-hauls-message-as-essential-as-her-freight
‘People die’ if US-Canada medical trade stops, pharma hauler says
April 6, 2020
April 6, 2020
A great interview with our CEO. Thanks to our Professional Drivers Brian Steckley (article cover) and Jeff Betts (NY) for the excellent photos that were used in the article. Thanks Nate Tabak of FreightWaves for taking the time to cover such a critical area of our industry.
Sharp Transportation Systems keeps Americans and Canadians supplied with essential medicines and vaccines as tensions mount over cross-border medical supply chains.
Sharp Transportation Systems specializes in transporting pharmaceutical products between the Canada and the United States. (Image: Brian Steckley/Sharp Transportation Systems)
Shawn Baird’s trucks move essential medications, vaccines and the raw ingredients to make them between Canada and the U.S. every day. He painted a stark picture of the consequences if the cross-border medical trade breaks down.
“People die. That’s what would happen. It can’t happen,” said Baird, the president of Ontario-based Sharp Transportation Systems, which specializes in hauling pharmaceutical products.
Whether medical products will continue to flow freely during the COVID-19 pandemic came into question last week after the Trump administration pressed 3M to stop exporting its N95 respirator masks to Canada and other countries as U.S. medical personnel and hospitals face shortages.
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would not take any retaliatory measures if the U.S. cuts exports of N95 masks, he noted that “the U.S. will be hurting itself as much as Canada will be hurting if we see an interruption of essential goods and services flow back and forth across the border.”
Carrier moves four truckloads of insulin to US each day
A Sharp truck in New York. (Image: Jeff Betts/Sharp Transportation Systems)
Sharp Transportation sends 10 trucks to the U.S. on a typical day. Four of those trucks deliver insulin to a distributor in Indiana, while the others haul essential medications ranging from penicillin to human growth hormone in addition to a number of vaccines.
“These are lifesaving medications,” Baird said
Sharp’s trucks haul a different mix back to Canada. The raw materials used to make medications — drug precursors and pharmaceutical-grade water — represent a large portion of the backhaul in addition to medications needed in Canada, such as chemotherapy drugs and birth control.
Baird is not that worried that the tensions over N95 masks mark the beginning of the breakdown of the cross-border medical trade.
“It’s just completely illogical for both sides,” Baird said.
Cross-border pharma trade a $10 billion industry
Pharmaceutical trade between the U.S. and Canada totaled more than US$10 billion in 2019, according to Statistics Canada. Canada also exported $1.9 billion more in pharmaceuticals to the U.S. than it imported.
Baird expects that demand for pharmaceuticals will ramp up as treatments become available for COVID-19. He also has the option to buy 10 new trailers to handle the additional freight.
Meanwhile, Baird has started taking on bonuses for his drivers who go to the U.S., depending on the length of the trip.
“These drivers have really stepped up,” Baird said.
COVID-19: les héros de la route – COVID-19: The Heroes of the Road – Serge Lapierre
March 25, 2020
March 25, 2020
Translated:
Serge Lapierre hauls pharmaceutical products to the United States for Ontario based company Sharp Transportation. We spoke to him earlier this week as he drove towards Cambridge before leaving for Tennessee and Oklahoma. He will then travel to Texas to take his mandatory 36-hour reset and pick up a return shipment. He will be gone for almost two weeks.
"I have everything I need in my truck, except a shower and a toilet," he says, adding that he has enough food to eat properly during his entire trip. "Even if everything closes, I won't be in trouble!"
His son, a paramedic, even gave him some advice to protect himself from the virus while on the road. For example, “Wear gloves when handling your passport and waybills.” Of course the Customs Officer is wearing gloves, but we don't know what he touched before taking your passport, so we should always wear gloves when we take it back," warns Mr. Lapierre, adding that his son showed him the right way to take the gloves off. “Then the documents go into quarantine for 72 hours in the glove compartment."
He also stresses the importance of staying focused on not touching your face as much as possible - people touch their face on average once a minute. Finally, he suggests limiting cash transactions and using your own pencil when it comes to signing documents.
"If we protect ourselves properly, we are the least dangerous person on the planet," he said about the truck drivers. "You never see anyone. All social is done with the phone today. Before it was CB, but no one uses it anymore. "
One of the main changes that Mr. Lapierre has seen over the past few days is the attitude of motorists on the highway. For the first time in his long career, he was honked for something other than insults. "When I turned my head, I could read "thank you" on the lady's lips and it made me really happy," he said. "Another thing that has changed is that I feel like I'm going to war when I pack my suitcase!"
https://www.transportroutier.ca/nouvelles/covid-19-les-heros-de-la-route-serge-lapierre/
COVID-19: Brain evolution helps explain fear contagion
March 25, 2020
March 25, 2020
Spread education, not fear
Yesterday we asked Professional Drivers for their feedback on fears and concerns relating to their roles and Covid. We received an overwhelming number of responses. The most common observation was not only that the vast majority are afraid, but they are even more afraid to share their fears publicly or with their Carrier.
How do we help ease fears?
- Acknowledge that people are afraid or have concerns. Fear is normal and fear is OK. It alerts us to be conscious and proceed with caution
- Do not minimize people’s fears or dismiss them with “stay positive” clichés and lectures. People are losing their jobs, businesses and health. Dismissing this reality only causes people to feel more isolated and gives them no safe place to express their fears. Instead, help brainstorm solutions and upload continual resources on social media or websites that address the issues and crisis people are currently facing. Remind them we are all in this together. This means we all lose together, and we all win together. Equipping people with tools is far more effective than barraging them with dismissive quotes and clichés.
- Spreading the positivity is important, but only once the 2 steps listed above have been followed first. Now that you have equipped your people with tools, productive information and resources, you can take steps to redirect the focus from fear and provide reasons for people to have hope. One example would be putting into perspective that not so long ago, the devastation in China had over 80,000 affected and the country in lockdown for 2 months. Hope for a future was bleak at best. Today, China has not only defeated the virus, but has done a 360 and have begun to resume a normal life. We can do the same, providing we all follow PPE and protective measures and stay at home unless necessary to leave
- Anyone can be a leader, so take the opportunity to lead. Spread the calm. Not in words, but in actions. Smile for people to see. Help wherever and however you can. Encourage those around you. Set the example.
If you want to understand fear and how we impact each other, read this:
Truckers brave coronavirus outbreak to deliver goods: 'If we stop, the world stops'
March 23, 2020
March 23, 2020
Read this and think about it. Hopefully the respect for Professional Drivers and understanding of how critical they are to society is remembered long after this all passes.
Shipping is essential - We continue to remain fully operational
March 20, 2020
March 20, 2020
Due to the essential nature of work that Professional Truck Drivers are performing, our provider has confirmed that they will continue to provide emergency medical coverage if our Professional Drivers become ill with COVID-19 or for any other medical emergency while working out of country.
We wanted to share this information to help put everyone at ease a bit during these unusual times. This coverage is crucial for our Professional Drivers, but also for our clients to have the assurance we can continue to provide service without risk of no coverage.
At HQ we are running a skeleton staff and most are able to work remotely. We continue to take every precaution for internal and external safety concerning this crisis.
In the meantime, please be safe and reach out if there is anything we can do to support your needs.
Shipping is essential - We continue to remain fully operational
March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020
Good morning everyone. We are sending a little humour and words of encouragement in seemingly uncertain times. Let's keep working together to help one another and get this right.
At Sharp we are blessed to have Professional Drivers who are willing and ready to serve the community. We have retired Professional Drivers who have reached out to return to duty if it helps serve the community. We are still in operation and ready to help keep shelves stocked, thanks to our incredible team who recognize that their roles are not only essential but absolutely critical. With that, they are willing and prepared to serve.
We are now, and have always used best practices in sanitation and cleanliness, conduct, precautions with interactions, especially given the nature of the commodity our fleet is most dedicated to. We will continue to uphold our measures of safety, due diligence and sanitation for your safety as well as ours.
Hats off once again to our incredible team and Professional Drivers for their sacrifices and being willing and prepared to serve from the front lines 🙏
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts....
3 ways to manage coronavirus risk in the supply chain
Trucking hit by Coronavirus concerns, CTA stresses "Drivers are essential service"
Truck World - New Dates - June 4-6, 2020
Just a little laugh for our Professional Driver's with their furry sidekicks on the front lines
Protecting yourself during COVID-19 Outbreak - With some humour for brain health:
March 6, 2020
Covid-19 is no joke, but we thought we would share some comic relief in the current panic.
Here are some pointers on how to keep you and your loved ones protected.
1. Diligent hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of Covid19
(This should be done as frequently as possible, but especially before food prep and/or consumption)
2. Keep hands away from face (eyes, nose, mouth)
3. Stay home if you are sick
4. Do not come into close contact with people who are sick.
4. Cover your nose when you sneeze or cough with a tissue and throw the tissue away
5. Clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces often
6. IF soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer that has minimum 60% alcohol content. If soap, water and/or hand sanitizer are not available, then it might be time to concede and accept you are joining forces with the Zombie Apocalypse
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