The U.S. economy needs truck drivers, yet the economic and health risks they face during the coronavirus pandemic haven't been addressed yet, according to the CEO of an industry group.

"Realistically, truckers are first responders. Our whole economy runs on trucks," Todd Spencer, president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told CNBC's Kelly Evans on Monday.

"Everything that we need, the vital things in the stores, they only get there by truck," Spencer added on "The Exchange."

However, Spencer said government relief efforts so far "have generally gone over the top of truckers." He said that while 96% of truckers work in fleets that contain 20 or fewer trucks, programs created to aid small businesses during the Covid-19 outbreak "really miss them completely."

Truckers are experiencing a squeeze on the rate they receive to haul goods, Spencer said. The rate has "pretty much been cut in half," he said, limiting any potential benefits to a lower cost of fuel.

"They're facing a real economic crisis to be able to continue to operate, not to mention the fact that they actually are on the front line in the battle against coronavirus," Spencer said.

"They really are critical. They go everywhere. They go into the hot zones," Spencer said.

President Donald Trump on Thursday held an event at the White House focused on the role truck drivers play in the U.S. economy.