Truckers: Staying Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the COVID-19 pandemic upon us, there are two basic things you need to do: stay informed and be careful. Trucking is a vital industry. Many drivers are still on the road—moving food, medical supplies, fuel, etc. Shutting down the entire transportation/logistics system of the United States is not possible.

Stay Informed

National, state, and local authorities provide daily briefings about the best way to protect yourself and others. Advice changes from day to day. Restrictions to travel and assembly are updated as experts get better information.

• Actual facts will help you understand the situation, and help you protect yourself.
• Don’t obsess on the news. The fearmongers are having a field day.

Be Careful

The two most important things you can do to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are to keep clean and follow the isolation directions.

• Wash your hands.
• Don’t touch your face.
• If you are in an area that requires a face mask, make certain that you wear one.

It is difficult to keep clean on the road. With the normal time pressures placed on professional drivers, there is a temptation to skip a shower occasionally, and let the laundry wait. Avoid those temptations now. Be extra careful. Be extra clean.

Remember:

• Stay at home if you are sick.
• Know the symptoms of COVID-19.
• If you show any symptoms, inform your dispatcher and seek medical help.
• Avoid areas that have large numbers of people.
• Keep a distance of 6 feet between yourself and others.
• Spend as little time in truck stops as possible.
• Stay out of truck stop TV/film rooms.

The survival rate for COVID-19 is very high, but it only takes one careless person to infect dozens of people. If you keep informed and are careful, you stand a much better chance of staying healthy and not infecting other people.