Because of the “bloodbath” ongoing in the trucking industry right now, it’s important to realize just how much Americans are dependent on trucking. If truckers stopped working, grocery stores across the country would run out of food in just three days.

Trucking moves about 71% of the freight in the United States, according to the New Haven Register. That means that if the truckers in this country just stopped working, grocery stores would be out of food plunging the nation into an epic food crisis. It’s more important than ever to prepare yourself and your family for a possible food crisis.  Hunger will bring out the worst in humanity and ensuring you can provide enough will keep your mind at ease while others fight over the last can of corn.

“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. And 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.

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. –New Haven Register

This should highlight the importance of taking on a preparedness mindset.  If the grocery stores run out of food, what are your options?  A great majority of Americans have no idea how to grow or hunt their own food.  Others don’t think they need to have any stored food at all in case of a minor emergency such a blizzard or storm.

5 (More) Foods That Last Forever

If you are lagging in your prepping, consider buying bulk dried beans already in buckets. An added bonus is that these buckets are stackable and easy to store. Beans are a staple in my personal prepping supplies because of their nutritional value and price. Plus, everyone in my family will eat beans.  Several brands offer beans in a sealed bucket that’s really easy to store. Augason Farms Pinto Beans Emergency Bulk Food Storage 4 Gallon Pail 253 Servings is offered at our local grocery store.  I have several different kinds of beans in our long-term food storage from this brand because of it.  The price is reasonable too.  This will run you about $60 and it’s similar on both Amazon and in the store.  Here are the specs:

• Total servings: 253
• Total calories: 37, 950
• Calories per serving: 150
• Net weight: 24 lbs (10.89 kg)
• Shelf life: up to 30 years

Beans are only one option. You can also buy kits that have 30-days worth of food in them, such as the Augason Farms 5-20091 Deluxe Emergency 30-Day Food Supply (1 Person), 200 Servings, 36,600 Calories, Net Weight 20 lbs. 7 oz.  Take the size of your family into account when buying.  If you’ve already started prepping, you might need more food, however, if you’re just starting, now is the time to make sure food and water are a top priority!

A food crisis can hit at any time, and it could be in the form of a massive storm rendering travel impossible or an escalated trucking industry “bloodbath.”

Tess Pennington, the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, has come up with over 300 “prepper” recipes for your emergency and long term food supply. The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals (Preppers) is an excellent resource and foundation that covers many topics of preparation. It is especially helpful for the seeker and the new-to-prepping, however, there are great ideas for even the seasoned prepper.