Up Front

Up to the challenge

It’s impossible to look at TV news accounts of the human suffering and widespread destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and not feel heartbroken for the people who call New Orleans and other communities wracked by the deadly storm home. The sad truth is, their home, their neighborhood, perhaps even their city as they once knew it is gone for good. Sadder still, those are the lucky ones. An untold number died as water engulfed the city. They are still counting bodies.

The trucking industry took an indirect hit from the hurricane as roads were closed and diesel fuel prices spiked to record levels. Owner-operators who could not pass along surcharges fast enough suffered the most, but the drivers we talked to kept things in perspective. As one put it, “Who complains about paying more for fuel when lives are lost and whole communities are destroyed?”

The nation has a long history of rising to meet the challenge whenever disaster strikes. We saw it after 9/11. We will see it again. We will hear uplifting stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and some of those stories will involve over-the-road professionals riding to the rescue with much-needed truckloads of supplies. It’s who we are. It’s what we do.