Truck Drivers Dedicated to Social Distancing

For most of their workday, truck drivers are isolated in the cab of a truck, moving goods across America. When the time comes, however, to take their 30-minute break, they are even more exposed than the typical public. They are fully reliant that everyone around them is practicing proper social distancing rules recommended by President Trump and the CDC.  

This puts truck drivers at a high risk of spreading the virus across the country. As a professional driver, you are already doing everything you can to keep the country running smoothly. Are you taking proper preventative measures to keep yourself safe and rolling?   

Truck drivers don’t have the option of going home for lunch to avoid a crowd. Some truck drivers carry a pantry of non-perishable food items with them, but most rely on fast food restaurants and truck stop eateries for their daily intake. Truck stops across the country have resorted to closing their dining rooms and driver lounges to slow the spread of the virus, so truck drivers are having difficulty finding a place to relax or take a break.   

Another difficulty faced by America’s movers is the availability of shared facilities. Truck drivers don’t share the same luxury as most citizens, being able to use your private toilet and shower daily. Every restroom they come in contact with has been used by someone else, flushed by someone else, and showered in by someone else—each an opportunity to contract viruses from others.

Some drivers have taken their social distancing measures to the extreme. Such is the case for Brittney Richardson, Owner Operator from Kansas City, KS. As Brittney and her family are showing daily concern about her exposure, she is not taking the distancing recommendations lightly. Always wearing gloves inside and outside the cab, she recognizes all surfaces she is touching are viable points of contact with the virus. Every time she enters her cab from outside exposure, she is sure to spray down her door, handles, buttons, and knobs with disinfectant spray to kill the virus.   

But how extreme is too extreme? Brittney feels so anxious about sharing public facilities that she has set up her own personal port-a-potty in the cab of her truck. Her make-shift, 5-gallon bucket with an attached toilet seat can be seen in this video. While Brittney has taken such drastic measures to eliminate exposure to the Coronavirus, this could lead to different types of health hazards.   

While pre-planning your next load, check out this interactive map that shows how each county across the US is social distancing. You can use it to strategically choose places to stop that will minimize your exposure.   

As always, focus on your own safety first. If everyone practices the guidelines recommended by governmental authorities, your exposure to the virus should be limited. America relies on truck drivers for their everyday necessities. Your health is a contributing factor to the health of the country. Stay safe, stay clean, keep rolling!