Truck Drivers, Minimize Your Covid-19 Risk

The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced new risks to truck drivers that can make your job more stressful. Due to Covid-19 spreading so easily, it’s important to understand how to minimize your risk. Here we review the steps you can take to keep you safe while trucking.

Protect Yourself

The best way to protect yourself is to practice these CDC guidelines for all truck load pickups, deliveries and stops along the way:

● Always wear a mask when you leave your truck
● If you choose to wear gloves, use disposable gloves, and dispose of your gloves after use
● Use hand sanitizer even if you have worn gloves, after interacting with others, or touching anything
● Maintain a distance of six feet between yourself and others

These are the basic rules that will help reduce risk for truck drivers.

Petrol Pump Hygiene

When you stop for gas, remember to maintain your distance from staff and other customers. Choose self-filling stations to reduce contact with others. Remember to thoroughly wash your hand with sanitizer immediately following your fill up and payment.

Choose Contactless Payment

Avoid using or accepting cash in your travels. Payments with tappable debit cards is the safest mode of payment for truck drivers. You can also consider contactless payment using your phone. The less surfaces you can touch, and the less money you exchange, the less germs you are likely to encounter. When you do have to touch surfaces or money, always wash your hands thoroughly. Keep any money you are given in a separate area, so you don’t have to touch it again.

Travel with Your Own Bed Linens

If your route requires stops at hotels, be very diligent in your hygiene. Wash your hands after touching anything. Also, travel with your own bed linens or even a sleeping bag and your own towels to reduce touching hotel linens. If you share a truck and cab with other drivers, do not use the same linens. Again, practice frequent hand washing regardless of where you sleep.

Eat In Your Vehicle

Your safest bet when eating is to purchase food for takeout and eat in your truck. Consider traveling with your own packed food to reduce the need to enter restaurants or touch packaging prepared by food service workers. Again, wash your hands before touching your food, and preferably after removing any packaging touched by food service workers.

Restroom Tips

When using public restrooms, avoid touching anything. If possible, travel with your own toilet paper and bring hand sanitizer into the bathroom with you so you can wash your hands before “wiping” to avoid touching yourself with germs. Try to open doors without touching handles using your body to push doors open. You can also use a piece of clothing or toilet paper to provide some protection from the surface. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching anything in your truck following a visit to public toilets.

To be extra safe, wipe down your steering wheel, and cab door handles with an approved cleanser before carrying on with your journey. Follow the same rules if using public showers. Wear shower shoes and keep them in a plastic bag after your shower. Wash your hands thoroughly when you remove the shoes. Use your own soap and shampoo and wash thoroughly. Never use a hair dryer in a public space as this can move germs around.

Contactless Delivery

If your company has not provided no-signature delivery, avoid sharing pens and touching surfaces like clipboards.

These truck drivers’ tips will help keep you safe on your journeys and help you to avoid Covid-19.