Measures of Freight Network Resiliency During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Hernandez, Sarah V; Balthrop, Andrew; Hernandez, Salvador · 2020 · ROSA P / Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC)

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on freight network resiliency, specifically focusing on truck driver health, safety, and operational changes. Motivated by significant industry shifts—such as the suspension of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, fleet reassignments to grocery supply chains, and infrastructure closures due to social distancing—the research aims to capture data on how these pandemic responses affect driver support systems. The authors define the freight network broadly to include drivers and their support infrastructure, such as rest stops and regulatory protections, to understand how combined stressors like increased demand, lifted HOS restrictions, and closed facilities impact system stability. The researchers conducted an online survey using the Qualtrics platform between May 19 and June 1, 2020, a period coinciding with partially lifted HOS regulations. The study collected 523 responses from commercial truck drivers aged 18 and older who had used public or private truck stops within the preceding six months. The survey, approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Review Board, consisted of 61 questions covering socioeconomic characteristics, business operations, driver behaviors, safety perceptions, and truck configurations. Participants were recruited via a non-probability opt-in panel and compensated for their time. The data was designed to compare operational and behavioral patterns before and during the pandemic. Key findings reveal substantial shifts in driver operations and perceptions. Nearly 80% of drivers reported receiving hazard pay, and 47% reported an increase in weekly trips, with a notable shift toward shorter trips (under 200 miles). Shipment types shifted from truckload to less-than-truckload and parcel services. Regarding safety and fatigue, drivers reported moderate willingness to exceed speed limits (average 5.6/10) and HOS limits (average 5.4/10), though illegal parking remained less acceptable (average 4.0/10). Concentration lapses increased during the pandemic. While 35% of drivers perceived roads as safer, 70% experienced service disruptions at truck stops, particularly regarding restrooms and food services. Parking difficulties persisted, with 85% of drivers reporting that lack of safe parking hindered HOS compliance during the pandemic, down slightly from 93% pre-pandemic. The study concludes that pandemic response measures significantly altered driver behaviors and operational conditions, highlighting unintended consequences such as increased fatigue risks and infrastructure strain. The authors emphasize that this dataset provides a foundation for future econometric modeling to quantify these impacts. The findings are intended to inform policy decisions aimed at mitigating the negative effects of emergency responses on driver health and safety, ensuring that critical supply chains remain resilient without compromising the well-being of the workforce. The data is made publicly available to support further research on disaster planning and freight network modeling.

Key finding

Seventy-nine point eight percent of surveyed drivers reported receiving hazard pay, and 47 percent reported an increase in their weekly freight trips during the pandemic.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 523

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• truck driver fatigue