By Al Muskewitz
 
While the drivers of the Montgomery Entities have been delivering essential goods to keep the country moving during the coronavirus pandemic the company’s management team has delivered a number of policies and initiatives to make life for its drivers a little easier.

Rollins Montgomery, CEO of the Birmingham, Ala.-based flatbed fleet, announced last week he will defer payments for 30 days for MT Select independent contractors “to allow them some cushion to provide for their families during this time and until freight picks up.”
 
He also rolled out a six-figure Good Friday bonus package to all of the company drivers (Montgomery Transport, MT Dedicated and RM Logistics) “for the sacrifices they make for us being on the front lines" in the battle against the virus.
 
To that end, with an increasing number of shippers and consignees starting to require drivers to wear face masks as a prerequisite for access to their sites, Montgomery has deployed handmade masks obtained through various sources to the entire fleet of drivers.
 
“A plethora of them were provided by an awesome group called Bham Face Masks,” Montgomery marketing director Anna Lacy McMains said. “They’ve been tremendous.”
 
As its name implies, Bham Face Masks is a Birmingham-based group whose mission is to provide homemade facemasks to be used in low-risk scenarios to save N95 masks and other high-level PPE for use with COVID-19 and other droplet precaution patients.
 
According to its website, as of April 9 Bham Face Masks has distributed more than 31,500 of the more than 56,000 masks requested.

The group sent 500 masks to the Entities and the company purchased another 5,000 from a swimsuit manufacturer in Texas that has converted part of its operation into a mask-making facility.
 
Montgomery also is awaiting delivery of hand sanitizer and additional PPE this week that will be deployed to its entire fleet.

In March Montgomery sent an email to all of the carrier's customers reassuring them of its commitment to keeping their link in the supply chain moving. He told them the company's workforce was there for them at "full capacity."

The company has approximately 600 drivers and 100 office personnel through all of its entities.

Al Muskewitz is Editor of Wright Media. He can be reached at musky@wrightmediacorp.com
 
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