By Al Muskewitz
 
Every driver who comes through orientation at Transco Lines gets a couple of things before heading out on the road – a set of keys and a Driver Safety Starter Pack. 

The pack is a thoughtful way to give those new drivers – many starting a career, changing jobs or re-entering the workforce – just about all the essentials they need to combat COVID-19 coronavirus and one less out-of-pocket expense in their early days on the job.
 
There is one thing the pack doesn’t have: Liquid hand sanitizer.
 
It’s not that the Arkansas-based carrier is opposed to using the product or practicing the frequent hand washing to mitigate the spread of the virus. Quite the contrary; the health of their drivers, staff and customers is paramount. It’s that the product’s high-alcohol content makes it a prohibited item under CDL rules and they don’t want it in the truck.
 
Under the alcohol section of the FMCSA guidance, drivers are prohibited from using or possessing alcohol unless it is manifested and transported as part of a shipment. It defines alcohol as the intoxicating agent in beverage alcohol (ethyl alcohol) or other low molecular weight alcohols including methyl and isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Medical professionals recommend using a hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol content to be effective; many higher quality products contain more than that.
 
The FMCSA clarified its guidance defining “use” as to drink, but the letter of the regulation could create an issue with inspectors, so to remove any confusion, Transco is doing its diligence by not providing it to drivers at all. 
 
“That’s an FMCSA requirement; you can’t have an alcohol-based substance in the truck, just like you can’t have a prescription narcotic in the truck,” Transco’s director of recruiting David Edge said. “It can be any alcohol-based product, not (just) consumption but any alcohol-based product is not regulated to be in that truck.
 
“Now the FMCSA has waived some requirements, but that is not one of them. If they get pulled over and inspected it could be a huge issue and affect their ability to drive in the future. If they’re rolling down the road with 12 bottles of sanitizers, No. 1 they’re going to be in violation if they were to get pulled over. 
 
“We have to err on the side of the FMCSA to be compliant. To be with a reputable company and they knew about it they would ask you, like we would, you need to get that out of your truck. Let’s find an alternative that would be compliant and legal.”
 
There are other ways sanitize, and Transco provides the guidance and products to make it so. The CDC says if you wash your hands with good soap and water for 20 seconds or more you’re going to wash off any pathogen. Additionally, Transco is providing new drivers gloves, alcohol wipes and other cleaning products (it also makes available to veteran drivers who return to the terminal), all the federal health guidelines, multiple daily reminders on maintaining proper hygiene practices and shout-outs via social media to trucking-friendly businesses that have reached out to make a driver’s experience better.
 
Company officials remind drivers to wear their gloves when exiting the truck, practice social distancing at shippers and in truck stops, wash hands and wipe everything down when returning to the truck.
 
“We’re mainly telling them to do the hygiene things they need to be doing anyway, just we all need reminding of,” Edge said. “Our president sends out a message every day saying here’s where we’re at, here’s what’s happening with our company, here’s what we’re doing. We know times are scary but we’re constantly on a daily basis staying in touch with them. We’re trying to over-communicate right now to them.”
 
Transco has more than 350 trucks – all equipped with a full-size trucker refrigerators and inverters to aid in food preparation – and 700 dry van trailers providing customized service for customers requiring Just-in-Time performance. About half its trucks are manned by two-driver teams, which creates its own unique set of challenges during this time of social distancing. Many of the teams are family units – i.e., husband-and-wife, brothers, etc.
 
If a driver does become exposed to the virus he would have to self-quarantine. Edge reported a “couple drivers” in the system are currently self-quarantining, but to date are not diagnosed with COVID-19. The company is “taking care of them” and their jobs through all the protections available through human resources. If a team that’s not a family unit is exposed, both drivers would be quarantined. 
 
As the trucking industry continues to answer the nation’s call for supplies and essentials, financially strong Transco is finding its freight has been “very good” and its drivers seeing an uptick in miles; one team reported getting 6,800 miles last week, its best week in the two years it has been with the carrier. The work is there and Transco is actively seeking more drivers.
 
“We posted a meme today on our Facebook about trucks and the drivers in them are like oxygen – ‘you ain’t gonna survive without them,’” Edge said. “If they told the trucks to park and shelter-in-place, nothing’s going to happen. You’re not going to have toilet paper, you’re not going to have medicine, you’re not going to have groceries after about 24 hours. The economy would come to a (stop). We would be below the Depression.
 
“We’re bringing the medical equipment they need, we’re bringing the medicines, we’re bringing the food, we’re keeping the food chain and supply chain going. Grocery stores are still open, pharmacies are still open, there are things that still have to happen and they won’t happen unless we bring it. That’s what we told our drivers: ‘It’s like the mail; you’ve got to get through.’”
 
The emergency has caused Transco to change some of its recruiting policies. It has reduced orientation classes from about 25 to 12 out of an abundance of caution, but still accommodates them all. It has created some hardship on the company, but to ease that pressure it has committed to going the extra mile by developing some limited remote orientation and making arrangements with its rental car and hotel partners to keep the process moving. It hopes explaining the measures will instill confidence in drivers who may be thinking about delaying their commitment to the company in light of the current climate.
  
Al Muskewitz is Editor at Wright Media. He can be reached at musky@wrightmediacorp.com

Click here for available truck driver jobs with Transco Lines Inc.