How is the shipping and delivery industry affected?

In late February, Shippers Transport Express alerted 145 drivers who work at the port of Los Angeles that they would be reducing hours beginning on Feb. 28, because of the decreased volumes of cargo moving through the port.

Ron Herrera, the director of the Teamsters Union Port Division of the Western Region, told TIME on March 13 that roughly 30% of those drivers have been allowed to keep driving. He says the decreased hours are driven by the low volume of cargo coming from Asia. ABC 7 reports that Phillip Sanfield, spokesperson for the Port of LA, said that they saw a roughly 25% decline in volume in February 2020 compared to February 2019.
driven by 因为 源于

A spokesperson for Shippers Transport Express told TIME in an email on March 13, “We have in good faith worked to alert our workers to the reduced volume situation facing our industry as a result of the [coronavirus].”

“We’ve informed [drivers] that we will be providing hours as volume arrives and we have more work. Hopefully, volume returns to normal shortly and we will have volume and hours for all our drivers. This will be done on a seniority basis, as hours materialize, which is the Teamster’s process,” he continued.

Read more: Why Can’t I Get Tested for Coronavirus?

One of those workers is 35-year-old Wendy Cruz, who has driven for Shippers Transport Express for four years. She told TIME on March 13 that she’s “definitely” worried about job security going forward. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she explains. “And I recently just purchased a home.”

Herrera told TIME on March 13 that the Teamsters Union anticipates more layoffs because of low manufacturing rates in China. “I don’t think we’ve seen the bottom of this yet,” he says. As NBC News reports, some economists say the coronavirus could have a bigger effect on U.S.-China trade than the Trump-era trade war did.|
anticipates more layoffs 预期更多的裁员

How is the ride-sharing industry affected?

Uber and Lyft have also taken a hit from the spread of COVID-19.

Uber has announced that if any driver or delivery person contracts coronavirus or is asked to self-isolate the company will provide financial assistance for up to 14 days. Uber has also announced that it’s working to provide drivers with disinfectants to help clean their cars. Similarly, Lyft has announced that it plans to deliver cleaning supplies to its drivers and will “provide funds to drivers” with COVID-19 or in quarantine “based on the rides they provided on the Lyft platform over the last four weeks.”
it’s working to provide drivers with disinfectants  正在努力提供消毒剂
disinfectants  消毒剂

But many U.S.-based Uber and Lyft drivers have expressed frustration that their companies have no done enough to protect them from the virus or from severe economic losses.
expressed frustration 表示沮丧

Steve Gregg, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft in California’s Bay Area for a little over three years, told TIME on March 13 that he’s “not in a position” where he can stop driving. Even though he says his fear over the coronavirus has caused him to have mild panic attacks, he’s had to keep driving because he depends on the income to support his children. Gregg adds that the two-weeks compensation he would receive if he got sick would be “a little too late.”

Yash — an Uber and Lyft driver whose full name TIME is withholding to protect his job — says his income went down last week by 30%. He adds that as his income has gone down, his costs have gone up; he now takes his car to get washed every day.

“We are at the front line of this epidemic. On a daily basis we deal with 20-30 people,” he says. He says he’s been suffering from insomnia since the crisis began, but he can’t stop driving because he can’t afford to.

When asked for comment on March 12 about the impact the spread of the virus has had on drivers, Uber directed TIME to a speech the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi gave at Morgan Stanley last week, where he said, “As far as the impact to date, first of all, we are completely focused on the operational side of the business, making sure that our riders are safe, our drivers are safe, they understand what are best practices to make sure you stay safe. Our employees are taken care of. Our partners are taken care of.”

When asked for comment on March 12 about the virus’ impact on drivers, a Lyft spokesperson told TIME in a statement, “We are monitoring the coronavirus situation closely, and taking action based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. Our focus is on keeping our riders, drivers and team members safe. We have an internal task force dedicated solely to this issue, and are prepared to take action as needed.”
monitoring  监视
dedicated solely 专用的

Responding to the concerns raised by the drivers TIME spoke with, a spokesperson for Uber said in a March 14 in a statement, “The mounting fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus is being felt by everyone around the world. We know it’s especially concerning for people who drive and deliver with Uber. In these difficult times, their well-being is at the top of our minds, and we have a dedicated team working around the clock to support them the very best we can.”

Lyft did not return a March 13 request for comment on the drivers’ comments.