Truck lines on congested streets, wildly parked semis due to lack of parking space, chaotic conditions with delivery vehicles in front of shops in city centers. Many people who mostly perceive logistics in everyday life as annoying or not even at all realize these days that this is only one side of the coin and that logistics personnel, such as truck drivers, make an indispensable contribution to the supply of basic goods, medical supplies and consumer products.

Numerous citizens in Germany and other countries are currently mandated to stay at home. Meanwhile, some professions are right at the frontline right now. Quite a few of them are on their feet as much and for as long as otherwise only in the case of a natural disaster.
This applies above all to doctors, pharmacists, medical and nursing staff, security guards, staff in the food trade, police and fire services, to whom we would like to express all our respect and gratitude.

But this group also includes thousands of professionals in logistics, above all the truck drivers.
The initiative “Die Wirtschaftsmacher” launched its “Logistikhelden” (Logistics Heroes) campaign in summer 2019 to improve the industry’s chipped image and to emphasize the importance of each individual logistics employee to our modern life publicly.
Back then, certainly no one had expected that a pandemic would soon become impressive proof of the truth behind the campaign’s statement.
With the crisis demonstrating clearly now dependent people are on these professions, the public awareness of logistics heroes is growing almost by itself.

Strong helpers in the crisis

One of the most important tasks at the moment is to maintain supply chains so that the replenishment of food, hygiene articles and medical supplies is guaranteed.
Despite the associated risks, many drivers continue to work tirelessly during the Coronavirus crisis and continue to make their contribution to the entire population even in this difficult phase.
In Germany, the mandatory driving and rest times for professional drivers have also been loosened through special regulations.
A few days ago, the BWVL had already suggested that opening some routes that are otherwise closed to trucks, the provision of sanitary facilities at delivery and collection, and the temporary removal of cabotage (in this case, the transportation of goods within Germany by foreign providers) should be approved.

As a telematics provider, we are well aware of the extraordinary performance of the drivers and our logistics customers appreciate the commitment of their employees as well.
On behalf of everyone who also feels like doing so at the moment, we want to take this opportunity to thank all truck drivers!
At the moment we are supporting our customers with an option to convey their appreciation directly to the drivers of their fleet – by using our driver app.

Finding ways to avoid infection

Another solution that can potentially reduce the risk of infection right now is contactless signature. The feature is already in use in a pilot project by one of our Swedish customers. Here, the driver can alternatively take a photo of the signature on the delivery note with his mobile device for hygienic or other reasons, which is then automatically assigned to the order, instead taking of the recipient’s signature on the display.
Our developers are currently working hard to integrate the function into the TISLOG logistics software so that it will be available to all TISLOG customers soon.
Alternatively, many drivers already like using the option of taking a photo of the delivered goods in TISLOG instead of a signature with their mobile device as proof of delivery.
Our goal is to motivate drivers through the short-term additions and optimizations in our software and to provide options that can reduce the risk of becoming infected on the go.

Thanks to courageous and committed people, we can continue our civilian life despite restrictions even in this difficult time and we wish everyone who is currently working so hard that they stay strong and healthy!

By the way, we are already participating in the “Logistikhelden” campaign – you too? Participation is also possible online at any time. All information can be found here: www.die-wirtschaftsmacher.de