The world is caught in a struggle: The struggle against COVID-19. Whole economies have been upended as a result. Yet, the world must go on. The trucking industry plays a pivotal role in delivering essential goods and services. From food to medical supplies, the trucking industry is serving our nation’s needs. With these industries now working harder than before and in challenging circumstances, they need our support and skills more than ever.
Fortunately, the government has made it easier for trucking companies to get the job done in this current environment. They have put temporary measures in place, such as waiving certain CDL requirements for a period, to accommodate and support industries and the truck drivers transporting these goods.
Truck driver safety needs to be top concern and it is about more than your bottom line. This is a matter of public health and safety. During this time, the term “truck driver safety” has taken on several meanings for fleets. Tuck driver safety not only refers to making sure drivers don’t engage in risky driving behaviors (such as speeding) and avoid crashes but now it also includes ensuring drivers practice hygiene and is aware of cleanliness at all times, especially when they regularly come into contact with other people.
You must take both types of truck driver safety into consideration. This is the best way to reduce the risk you fleet faces. If you want to keep on delivering goods and services to those who need them – if you want to keep your company going, you need to keep your truck drivers safe and healthy. Truck drivers who operate safely are far less likely to get into crashes. This means there is less risk of them needing to take time off for an illness.
By keeping your focus on these types of truck driver safety, you can also generate greater societal benefits. Truck drivers are kept healthy enough to return to their loved ones at the end of each shift and your fleet’s due diligence is keeping the health system from becoming overwhelmed, something that is incredibly important in our current COVID-19 pandemic environment.
The fact is this: Now is the time to step up to the plate and do what you can to ensure your truck drivers’ physical health and safety is ensured. But what exactly, do you do?
Physical Health Comes First
If you want your truck drivers to be prepared, they need to be educated regarding how COVID-19 is spread. They must know how to prepare themselves to prevent that spread. Here is some information directly related to COVID-19 transmission.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is mainly spread from person-to-person and contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. It is spread between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), through the respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even talks and, by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching one’s own mouth, nose or possibly eyes.
Of course, we are all still learning about this virus, so these guidelines are subject to change, and will likely change, at any time. Fortunately, we do know of concrete measures that you can put in place to help prevent the spread of the disease. Let’s take a closer look at everything you should be doing in greater detail.
First, hand hygiene. Any time one of your truck drivers accesses a facility where they can wash their hands, the should. There may be times when they do not have access to soap or water, so it is important you equip your truck drivers with hand sanitizer.
Teach your truck drivers that they must wash their hands for at least 20 seconds (the time spent washing matters a lot in effectively killing germs), to avoid touching their face and to cleanse their hands after they’ve touched surfaces or objects.
Contact and Protective Equipment
Humans are social animals, but right now the guidelines require social distancing. If possible, your truck drivers need to avoid close contact with other people. When your truck drivers arrive to deliver the goods, CDC guidelines state they should stay six feet away from other individuals.
This guidance should extend to colleagues as well. If you need to communicate with your truck drivers or they need to communicate amongst themselves or with the back office, use telematics technology and online communication tools to facilitate that communication. These tools can also be used to provide training, feedback, and instructions on jobs without the need for physical contact. During a time like this, these are essential tools.
You also want to invest in protective equipment. Do your truck drivers need face masks or gloves? If o it is your responsibility to procure them. Truck drivers also need to clean or replace their protective equipment in between jobs because germs can cling to masks and gloves for a prolonged time. Remember to check whether the equipment you have procured can be reused. If it cannot, you need to set up appropriate means of disposal.
Finally, you want to make sure you are thoroughly disinfecting any surface that sees a lot of use. Whether it be inside your vehicles or elsewhere at your home office, cleaning has never become more important. Make sure your truck drivers are educated on how to set up a routine where they disinfect their vehicles (and protective equipment) at the beginning and end of each shift and provide them the tools to do so.
Safety While on the Road
While we have spent time talking about how you can protect your truck drivers from infecting themselves or others, you also must consider over-the-road safety. Telematics and other safety technologies provides you with a variety of tools to keep track of your truck drivers’ movements, the jobs they have completed, the hours they’ve been driving and what driving habits may be endangering them on the road.
Trucking companies who are in the business of transporting essential goods or services have likely seen a rise in business. It may be that your truck drivers are working longer hours and squeezing in more runs with even less time on the clock. Combine that with the stress of the Covid situation, and you can easily see where truck drivers could become fatigued.
Did you know that sleep deprivation has a similar effect on your body as alcohol? If you are awake for more than 18 hours, you could suffer similar effects as someone who has a BAC of .05. That should be very concerning. Driving a big rig while fatigued results in slower reaction times and increases the possibility of an accident occurring. But how do you manage truck driver fatigue?
First, consider the time of day. The most common times drivers tend to fall asleep at the wheel are early morning (2am – 6am) and early afternoon (2pm – 4pm). This is when a person’s body clock takes a natural dip that causes drowsiness and reduced concentration. Make sure your truck drivers are armed with this knowledge.
Also, do your best to mitigate stress. Your truck drivers are worried. Now may be the time to invest in their motivation, whether through raises or other benefits or perks. Stress can be a factor in an accident, there is no doubt about that.
And lastly, you wan to monitor drive time. Driving performance takes a plunge after two hours of continuous driving. The longer a person spends behind the wheel, the more rest they need in order to regain their initial driving performance.
Invest in Technology
What is a fleet manager to do to make sure all the above does not become a problem for their truck drivers? Well, monitoring your drivers’ behavior is one of the first ways.
One of the best tools to use is video telematics. Installing and using in-cab camera technology gives you an inside look into what is happening with your truck drivers while they are on the road. You can go back and look at video of your drivers at times when certain driving events were triggered to see if fatigue may have played a role.
Many companies now offer real-time in-video streaming so that fleet managers can see what is happening on the fly. Should you see that a driver is nodding off or not fully concentrating, you can contact them via the in-cab tools at your disposal.
If there is any time to focus on truck driver health and fleet safety, it is now. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly upended the way we do business, but it is time for the transportation sector to adapt. There is just far too much at stake.
To learn more about FMCSA guidelines during COVID-19, simply click or tap here.