Impacto de la pandemia de COVID -19 en el sector del transporte pesado de carga: Empresas de la Provincia de Pichincha como caso de estudio

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc worldwide, with profound economic, environmental, and social implications. The demand for land freight transport indicates the economic situation of a developing country such as Ecuador. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the economic impact caused by   the COVID-19 pandemic on land freight transport (TTC, acronyms in Spanish). For this purpose, a sample of 212 companies in the province of Pichincha was used, segmented by size, i.e., large (10), medium (63), small (49) and micro-companies (90), analyzing information regarding sales revenue, total sales, and profits for that period.  The results showed that large and small companies in the province were the most affected, with total losses of US$8 million and US$ 600,000, respectively. In contrast, the medium-sized companies were the only segment that achieved positive profits of around US$ 3 million. In addition, a general analysis was made of the contribution of the TTC in these productive sectors. In the future, this analysis may help planners and decision-makers implement public policies to improve the sector's performance and react to future economic downturns. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate that the TTCD must be quick and flexible; acting in the short term is crucial to encourage recovery. Finally, a proper revival of the sector requires cooperation between the various public and private economic players.