The COVID-19 pandemic pushed businesses in every industry to take precautions to keep commerce moving while reducing potential exposure to the coronavirus.

However, our economy relies on the trucking industry, so it is of the utmost importance to keep drivers healthy and safe. While not all trucking companies have measures in place, there are a few things fleets and even independent drivers can do to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frequent Temperature Checks

Truck drivers are still hauling goods across state lines, sometimes venturing into areas that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While most drivers start their shifts by checking their trucks to make sure they are in working order, many now start their days by taking their own temperature.

Some fleets have even implemented “smart thermometers,” which digitally record temperatures and track the location of drivers in case they are heading into or out of places that have been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Some are even taking their temperatures at the start of their shifts, during breaks, and at the end of the day. Self-monitoring is a great way to keep track of how healthy drivers are.

Minimizing Contact

Waiting at loading docks can be tedious and cost drivers and fleets time as well as money. These are very serious times, and waiting is going to be necessary. Shippers have staggered their staff to minimize contact with each other and with drivers.

This streamlined and staggered workflow may cause additional delays, but waiting longer for trucks to be loaded and unloaded is a minor inconvenience compared to potentially becoming infected with the coronavirus.

In fact, despite strained relationships in the past, shippers and carriers have greatly improved communication since the COVID-19 outbreak started.

Shippers and carriers need each other to keep our economy rolling, and being able to coordinate shipments has minimized delays overall. Minimizing contact while increasing communication has made a big positive difference.

At Express Freight Finance, we are working with trucking companies to help the industry through the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read about our expanded hours of service and how we are making the health and safety of our employees our number one priority.