STATE PATROL & NTA PROVIDE GUIDANCE
FOR TRUCKERS DURING PROTESTS
To our transportation partners, in the days ahead it will be important to heighten your situational awareness and be aware of your surroundings as they travel. We want you to be safe. Some of the suggestions would include:

• Plan for road closures.
• Contact the delivery location to get most current and timely situations and conditions.
• Plan ahead to park in a safe location outside the area and secure the truck.
• Keep your company posted and updated as you travel. Carrier’s should know where your driver are at all times.  
• What the driver is observing may be different to than what a dispatcher is seeing on a computer screen. Communication is key.
• Drivers and carriers should utilize all technology available to them.

Stay safe and dial 911 in the event of an emergency.

MESSAGE FROM NTA PRESIDENT KENT GRISHAM
The NTA has a long history of supporting law enforcement officers at every level.  Our working relationship with the Nebraska State Patrol, and the close involvement our Troopers play in all our activities, is part of what makes our association great.  Barb Aude, our Director of Training and Safety Services is a former NSP leader and helped guide Nebraska through many regulatory developments over her 30+ years career.  For the past 23 years, I have proudly served as a Police Officer on a part-time basis.  It has been, and remains, one of the greatest callings on my life.

What’s my point?  Simply this – no one has stronger negative feelings towards a bad cop than good cops.  And I believe we all know that the vast majority of the men and women who stand on “The Thin Blue Line” are great cops.

I, along with every law enforcement officer and leader I know, sincerely condemn the actions of the officers involved in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  It’s disturbing, saddening, and inexcusable.  Justice must be served.  I believe, with all my heart, it will be served.

As the leader of the Nebraska Trucking Association, I’m also concerned for our truckers who are trying to do their jobs, keeping our stores full, gas stations operating and the economy moving. When streets are packed with people on a normal day, it’s tough enough. When a very small percentage of those people light fires, break windows and cause damage, it becomes extremely dangerous.

We encourage all of our members to stay vigilant and up-to-date on the latest news regarding curfews, travel restrictions, and “hotspots.”  Drivers need the autonomy to park in safe areas and wait out the danger.  What they see and hear on the ground may not show on a computer screen on a dispatcher’s desk.  Many shippers and receivers are shutting down, rather than have their employees out and about during curfew restrictions.  Communication is the key, perhaps now more than ever.

The NTA will monitor all official channels for announcements or news that could affect the operation of your fleets.  Watch your email for alerts that might come from us.  And if there is a way we can advocate for you, remember we’re all just a phone call away.

God bless our drivers who are once again proving just how heroic they are.  God bless the Floyd family as they cope with their loss and the aftermath.  God bless the men and women of law enforcement.