It's a Team's Life

Are You Prepared?

ARE YOU PREPARED?

What happens if you are in an accident? What happens if you are hauling freight? What happens if you are injured? What happens if you have pets? What happens? And more importantly, are you prepared? It seems that this year I am seeing more accidents than ever before. For this reason, I have been asking myself “am I prepared if I am in a serious accident?” The answer is, “I’m not sure!”

A couple of years ago our truck was hit while we were parked at a truck stop. We were not hauling freight at the time. The damage to our truck was mostly cosmetic. We could still work while we waited for parts to arrive. This year a team that we know was also hit while switching drivers at a truck stop. They were hauling freight. Unfortunately, the damage to their truck allowed them to drive during daylight hours only. They would not have made the delivery on time. They had to find someone to meet them, transfer the freight from their truck to another and trust that the team who picked up the freight from them would get to the delivery safely and on time.

My first question is, “Are we prepared if either  my husband, me or our pet are injured?” We do have health insurance for me and my husband. We do not have pet insurance. That is something we should definitely look into. 

My next question is, “What if the accident results in a long hospital stay? Who do we have to advocate for us?” Earlier this year my husband and I decided to see an attorney to set up a trust. Included in the trust is a will as well as medical and financial directives for each of us. Also, in the trust are instructions for who would take care of our dog, Rocky.

Another question is, “How do we or our possessions get back home? Do we have procedures in place to make this happen?” This is something else that we need to figure out.

These are questions that no one wants to think about, much less address. But they are very important questions for which we need to have a plan. As stated above, we have addressed some situations. However, we still have more work to do. 

Where are you in this process? Are you prepared? These certainly sound like doom and gloom questions but definitely questions that we all need to face. Please take the time to be prepared. In the end, being prepared will make any accident easier for all of us and our loved ones to navigate.

Here’s to millions of safe and profitable miles!

Kelly Plumb