This week, a nationwide winter storm touched down, stretching from southern California to New England. After a long and difficult winter for the transportation industry, many were looking forward to higher temperatures in the spring. However, before we get there, we’ll need to endure one last cold snap.
The storm has had major effects on the west coast, where most cities aren’t used to dealing with snow. Portland, OR, shut down on Thursday to try and deal with over a foot of snow. In Seattle, residents are enduring below-freezing temperatures and snow warnings. The snow warnings extend as far south as Los Angeles, where even the Hollywood Sign can’t escape the cold.
The effects of the storm reach all the way across the country. In the Midwest and the Great Plains, the storm brought significant snowfall. Most of the major cities in these regions were basically impossible to navigate. And even northeastern states like Massachusetts will join in on the fun by the end of the week. The winter storm, which weather forecasters are calling Olive, will bring a blanket of ice to New England.
The storm is going to cause a lot of problems across the country. It has already caused blackouts for more than a million Americans, and that number could rise. However, one of the biggest impacts that the storm will have is on the transport industry.
Nationwide Storm to Cause Problems for Truckers
Multiple major arteries for the transport industry are going to face significant delays, if not outright closures. In California alone, the Grapevine and I-80 near Tahoe are closed due to snow. Minneapolis is effectively impassable at the moment as residents wait for snowplows to clear the roads. These closures and others are going to make life very hard for truckers.
It’s unfortunate timing, too, as the transport industry tries to recover from a tough year. Often scapegoated for record inflation over the course of 2022, the transport industry is on the defensive. Hopefully, if prices rise and delays happen due to the storm, people nationwide won’t blame truckers for their problems.
