Trucking moves 71% of the freight in the United States. And if it were to suddenly cease, the effects would be more drastic than you might expect.

In May 2018, truck drivers in Brazil went on strike for a week, and it “paralyzed” the country in unexpected ways. As gas stations ran out of fuel, for instance, public transit halted.

“Without trucking, we would be naked, starving, and homeless,” Mike Robbins, a longtime trucker and leader of trucker strike group Black Smoke Matters, told Business Insider.

A study by the American Trucking Associations outlined what would happen if truckers were to stop working. The effects would hit hospitals, gas stations, ATMs, grocery stores, and even your garbage can.

And, of course, your Amazon Prime packages would be delayed.

Within the first day

Basic medical supplies, like syringes and catheters, would be at risk of running out. Medication for cancer patients that use radiopharmacuticals, which only have a life span of a few hours, would expire.

During the 2018 truck strike in Brazil, a lack of medical supplies was a key choke point for the country. Government security forces escorted trucks with supplies to hospitals and doubled fines against striking truckers who were carrying medical cargo.

Mail and package delivery could stop if drivers in last-mile, as well as long-haul truck drivers, were to stop working.

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