7 Tips for Truckers: How to Stay Healthy on the Roads During the COVID-19 Outbreak
May 5, 2020
In the wake of thousands of U.S. businesses shutting down due to the coronavirus, some industries have gone into overdrive, ramping up to support emergency efforts during the outbreak. One of these industries is the trucking industry.
In fact, truckers have been—and will continue to be—critical to transporting vital medical supplies, food, and more across the nation. With quarantines, consumer panic, and no timeline for containing COVID-19, the U.S. is counting on truckers more than ever before to keep our communities supplied with the essentials.
Recognizing this, federal authorities have put measures in place, like the HOS rule suspension, to facilitate these efforts and keep things moving. While that may prove to be helpful in the coming weeks, here’s what truckers can do to stay safe and minimize their risk of contracting COVID-19 when they’re on- and off-duty.
How to Reduce Your Risk of Getting the Coronavirus While Driving an 18-Wheeler
Whether picking up, dropping off, or transporting a load, you can take a proactive approach to limit your risk of contracting the coronavirus while driving a truck if you:
- Know the symptoms: These include coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, and fever. Symptoms of the coronavirus generally appear between 2 and 14 days after initial exposure. Be on the lookout for symptoms for yourself and others.
- Wash your hands: After pickups, deliveries, fuel stops, and any stop in a public place, wash your hands thoroughly—for at least 20 seconds, using soap and warm water. If you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.
- Minimize contact: In public and while transporting loads, do your best to avoid touching other people and surfaces. If you notice someone else sneezing, coughing, or having difficulty breathing, stay at least three feet away. And, after you’ve been in a public area, never touch your face without washing your hands.
- Disinfect your truck: Use an EPA-registered disinfectant or a bleach solution to sanitize the inside of your truck’s cabin, as well as any outside features that are commonly touched (like door locks, handles, and trailer hitches).
- Wear gloves: When handling cargo or others’ property, wear gloves. Do not replace hand washing with gloves. Both are essential during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Wear a face mask in public areas: This can help you avoid contracting and/or transmitting the coronavirus.
- Know when it’s time to self-quarantine and see a doctor: If you have been in contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19—or if you have experienced symptoms, visit a doctor ASAP for testing and plan to self-quarantine until you are no longer a transmission risk.
Of course, no matter how careful you may be, you can’t control others’ actions. That’s true both when it comes to the coronavirus and other drivers’ actions on the road. If you are a trucker who has been hurt in a crash, you can turn to the Amaro Law Firm for help.
Hurt in a Truck Accident? We Can Help
If you or someone you know has been hurt in an 18-wheeler wreck, you can rely on an experienced truck accident attorney at the Amaro Law Firm for exceptional advocacy in the pursuit of justice and recovery. We proudly represent injured truckers, loading dock workers, shippers, passenger vehicle drivers, and others in all types of truck accident cases.