Transport Canada Issues COVID-19 Best Practices Guidance for Drivers and Carriers
The best practices guidance issued by Transport Canada and developed in consultation with the Public Health Agency of Canada – the lead agency for Canada’s fight against COVID-19 – provides general best practices and recommendations for trucks drivers and carriers with respect to commercial operations during the pandemic.
In addition, it provides recommendations on precautionary measures that can be taken by both fleets and drivers, before, during and after trips on cleaning surfaces in vehicles as well as appropriate social distancing and sanitary practices.
Carriers are encouraged to review the documents by clicking here:
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Tim Horton’s Latest Franchise to Accommodate Truckers
After McDonalds and A&W issued statements committing to serving truck drivers last week, Tim Horton’s followed suit today:
“We’re committed to serving our truck drivers, and have been moving quickly to make our restaurants more accessible for them during this crisis. Thank you to those driving transport trucks and oversized essential service vehicles, for keeping our country going.”
STA Urges Fair Treatment of Drivers During Covid-19
From Today’s Trucking:
As drivers frantically continue to transport essential goods to communities across the province, and entire country, governments at the same time are implementing further restrictions to help curb the coronavirus pandemic, and drivers are struggling to find basic services while on the road.
“Truck drivers are essential workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and if it were not for them the economy would come to a grinding halt,” said STA executive director Susan Ewart. “Goods and services would not be picked up and moved to ensure the Saskatchewan shelves are stocked. It is important to be respectful around the needs of the drivers and allowing them access to washrooms is critical.”
Several reports and feedback from drivers have pointed to a lack of access to basic services, such as washrooms, a place to rest, even food.
The STA says when shipper warehouses deny access to washroom facilities, drivers are put at greater risk, as the health community urges people to wash their hands regularly to avoid contracting or passing on the novel virus.
To this end, the STA urges the supply chain to come together and support each other, including drivers loading and delivering freight at various locations.
The association applauds those who have taken extraordinary measures to accommodate drivers with the continued closure of several restaurants and other facilities. Some have invested in portable washroom facilities, and others are offering food to drivers.
Pilot Flying J Reminds Truckers It’s Fully Operational
Pilot Flying J commended the announcement in Ontario today to install portal washrooms at facilities around the province, and also wrote to CTA to remind truck drivers that Pilot Flying J as a full service Travel Center business is “open and operational across North America for business and has taken tremendous care and diligence in maintaining the cleanliness of its facilities and as always the restroom facilities themselves.”
Innvest Hotels, which represents Comfort Inn, is offering truck drivers discounted rates during COVID-19.
The company sent CTA the following statement:
“Our GM of our hotels are staying current with all relevant information related to COVID-19 and continue to engage their staff with the issue of maintaining a safe and sanitized space for everyone. Re-emphasizing the importance of washing hands and walk through the standard operating procedure for cleaning guest rooms and other common areas to ensure proper sanitization.
We are pleased to offer the trucking industry our VIP/Loyal rate attached an electronic listing of our hotels that would take the drivers to the reservation page for the hotel to make the booking at the VIP/Loyal rate which is a 10% discount off the Best Available Rate or they can call the hotel directly and book and ask for the VIP/LOYAL RATE.
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War Room: How the CTA developed its Covid-19 strategy
The response to Covid-19 is often described in the language of battle. It’s a fight against the virus. We’re mobilizing resources. It’s a wartime strategy. It’s only appropriate that the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has come to refer to virus-related meetings of trucking executives and association managers as a War Room.
It’s not a room, exactly. They’re not all huddled around a long boardroom table. In these days of social distancing – and reflecting the need to tap into expertise from across the country — the meetings of Canada’s largest trucking association come as conference calls.
Full Story at Truck News:
New Brunswick OPSA Brief April 2, 2020
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TruckDown Operational
Th Manitoba Trucking Association is reporting TruckDown would like to remind members of their services: TruckDown.com is a vendor locator used by the commercial trucking industry to locate and contact vendors throughout Canada and the USA. The service has over 40,000 heavy truck service vendors in the network including truck stops, heavy truck repair shops, heavy wrecker services, mobile tire and mechanical repair services, scales and more. Vendor listings include whether or not the location is open. The service is free to use for commercial fleets.
Helpful Hint: When searching on TruckDown every vendor location has a link called “Report a Location Update” that can be used to report the need to update location information. The TruckDown team follows up on all reports by contacting the vendor. Reporting location updates helps all fleets by keeping information accurate.