Across the globe, 2020 has presented world--changing events that have dramatically affected every industry, including international container freight. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way businesses operate, and the virus will impact the global economy well into 2021.
Like so many other organizations, TRAC Intermodal faced unprecedented challenges throughout 2020. The majority of our employees quickly shifted their workplace from our offices to their homes. We endured unprecedented low demand for our chassis in the early stages of the pandemic and were faced with storing a significant portion of our fleet. Then came a huge influx of activity, with many ports and gateways experiencing the highest volumes ever recorded. Virtually overnight, we had to ramp up to maximum capacity to serve our customers’ rapidly escalating needs.
We had to be nimble, stay agile, and quickly produce innovative solutions when challenges emerged. I’m extremely proud of all our team — we met the challenge, and TRAC has proven we can rise above such difficulties by working in partnership, holding ourselves accountable to deliver, and committing to keeping our link in the supply chain moving seamlessly.
In 2021, we will build on what we’ve learned. We will focus on teamwork, innovation, and operational efficiency, while continuing our investment in high-quality upgraded equipment. Collaboration across all intermodal stakeholders will be crucial to ensure industry readiness for cargo volume fluctuations. We believe additional data sharing by all intermodal stakeholders is critical to maximizing the output of the entire supply chain.
During this unprecedented health crisis, it is important to remember that global trade has endured challenges in the past but remained strong and focused on its key objective — keeping the flow of goods moving. From major geopolitical events to weather disruptions to seasonal trade cycles, global trade has always prevailed. I have no doubt that our collective future is bright.