A new documentary, “Be Prepared to Stop,” examines the U.S.’ crumbling infrastructure and the effect it has on the trucking industry.A new documentary released this week on Amazon examines the United States’ crumbling infrastructure system and the effect it has on the trucking industry.
“Be Prepared to Stop” looks to raise awareness about the impact of deteriorating roads and bridges and how the “impending breakdown” of these structures will obstruct the economy, as well as Americans’ daily lives, according to the show’s creators.
“I am incredibly alarmed about the poor state of our highway system and the lack of understanding about how dependent we are on the freight transportation industry,” said Jennifer Clymer, co-director and executive producer of the film. “I don’t think the average person knows just how much we rely on the movement of goods and commodities and how fast this country would shut down if that were in anyway infringed upon. I am hoping this film sheds a light on this problem and is a wake-up call that if action is not taken soon, there will be significant consequences.”
Creators of the documentary interviewed truckers from Maverick USA (No. 76 on the CCJ Top 250), XPO Logistics (No. 3) and D.M. Bowman (No. 224), as well as Maverick USA Owner Steve Williams, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, among others.
The film also examines what would happen during the first five days without trucks in the event of an infrastructure failure.
According to the film, after the first day without trucks, medicine would be unavailable at pharmacies, grocery stores would run out of milk, hospitals wouldn’t have clean linens and more. By the fifth day, fresh drinking water would be harder to come by, industrial production would stop, ambulances would stop and hospitals would run out of supplies, medicine and oxygen.
According to the film’s website, the best way to help create change is to be in contact with representatives at the national and local level.
The film was released on Amazon for online streaming on April 6 and can be rented for $3.99 or purchased for $9.99. More information about the film can be found at BePreparedtoStop.org. A trailer for the documentary can be seen below.
