Trucker worries about bringing virus home
Drivers face tough trips as rest stops close and business slows down
No more lineups at the border.
For truckers, there’s at least one silver lining on the COVID-19 cloud.
But then there are the fears: Will they bring the virus back home with them? It’s far more prevalent in some of the U.S. states than in Ontario.
Erie County, including Buffalo, has 802 active cases compared to Niagara’s 99.
And going through customs inspections isn’t any trouble. The problems start, they say, when they stop to pick up or drop off their load.
Most suppliers and receivers have closed their offices, only opening their windows to the drivers to pass their paperwork through and then pass it back.
The usual amenities inside — vending machines, washrooms — are off-limits to drivers now in many cases.
“A lot of our suppliers that you go into, you have to fill out questionnaires first. And they take your temperature at certain places,” said Tom Gee, who usually brings his 18-wheeler across the Niagara border three times a week.
“You get into some of the states and the rest areas are all closed. You can’t even get in, they’ve got it blocked off at the road.”
Joanne Bradley, general manager at Claire’s Delivery and Transportation in Port Colborne, said the company has tried to equip its drivers for the ride outside of Niagara.
“Because of the shortage of hand sanitizer, we’ve been portioning little two-ounce bottles for them … and we’ve been portioning out Lysol wipes if they want to wipe their door handle or steering wheel.”
With about 45 drivers, nearly all of Claire’s trips are around the GTA, London and Brantford. Most of their loads are food products for wholesalers, so while demand might drop it will always be there — better than servicing, say, the automotive industry, Bradley said.
But “a couple of our big customers are just starting to see a slowdown,” she added.
One of her drivers asked to be laid off during the pandemic. Another has asthma and is on medication and asked for time off. Another shows symptoms of the virus, now he’s off, too.
Even so, if the dropoff in business gets worse, “it’s probably going to come to the point where you might not get five days, you’ll get four.
“That’s just the nature of the beast.”
Gee, who stopped at the Fort Erie truck centre Thursday on his way to Cleveland, said he puts about 4,000 kilometres a week on his rig.
He drives from his home in Tillsonburg, about 45 minutes southeast of London, to places that include Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
“My wife is very worried for her and the kids,” he said.
“They’re not going anywhere or doing anything because I’m still crossing the border. They’re totally closed down.”
She’s a bookkeeper, but her job can’t be done from home, he said. So she stopped working rather than risk spreading the virus to her office if he brings it home.
“They’re scared. We don’t see anybody. We haven’t been able to because of my job.”
Rob Zavitz, operations manager at G. Zavitz Ltd. Trucking in Niagara Falls, agreed drivers are having a hard time finding places to eat or use the washroom on the road.
“I think a lot of guys are stocking food,” he said. “I think everybody is pretty much staying inside their vehicles at this point.”
Gee packs a week’s worth of food when he heads out. His truck — which he owns, it’s not a company vehicle — is equipped for long hauls with a TV, microwave oven and fridge.
He’s talked to his bank about lowering his monthly payments, just in case. Like everyone else, he’s doing what it takes under the circumstances.
“It’s all you can do when you have a big truck payment,” he said.
“I’m making the payments on it every month, and that’s almost $3,000 a month.”