Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1308523
6 INTERVIEW 12.11.2020 How have you been living this pandemic over the past months? Everything was new and we watched a whole new situation unravel in front of us. Sudden safety measures started being introduced by the authorities as businesses shifted operations and com- munications and remote work became the order of the day. Nothing was predictable any longer and the 'not knowing' made the whole scenario feel more uniquely surreal. What was clear from the very outset was that Covid-19 was bound to distin- guish the tough from the frail and the leaders from the fluff. Probably, because everything hap- pened so quickly and so suddenly that many were caught unawares. Many companies were left fighting for survival. Some of them, even in the local logistics sector, have sadly been forced to let go some of their employ- ees, dismantling teams that must have taken them years and lots of investment to build, train and nurture. is, however, is never the ideal way how to deal with the current situation. Never as much as now do companies need to think long-term. Because the long-term success of companies depends on the long-term success of their employees. How has the free movement of goods been affected? Free movement from one country to another began to change in a short time. Each country began to introduce its own procedures and we began to find that in order to continue traveling, we had to fill out various new forms and submit documents whenever our trucks came to cross from one country to an- other. We enter a country and find that the regulations have changed. All this also brought with it a great deal of un- certainty. What about your drivers? It is a known fact that some of your drivers had to spend several days abroad and could not come back home. COVID was a big challenge for our drivers, especially on a practical level. Everything was new and this brought fear and uncertainty. Many countries started applying new procedures, overnight. Suddenly, new documentation was needed that our drivers never knew about it before. ere was the element of human contact that had to stop. Everything became uncertain. ere was also the emotional level. Let us not forget that drivers are also hu- man and like everyone else, this was a completely new situation that brought with it fears and uncertainties. Our drivers would spend hours driv- ing on completely empty roads - some- thing they had never dreamed of before - a situation that would make anyone feel sad and uncertain. At one point, some drivers spent four months away. We did our best to make sure they were never alone because we kept in touch with them 24 hours a day and provided them with any help Over the past months, no company has been spared by the COVID-19 pandemic and everyone has been jostled and roughed up by the brute force of the economic storm which has many wondering what the recovery curve will eventually look like. BusinessToday speaks to FNCO AZZOPARDI, Chairman and CEO of Express Trailers, who explains how the company sought to preserve jobs and stakeholder value Leaving no one behind