In The News
4 Free (or Low-Cost) Resources for Expediters in a COVID-19 World
It’s a brave new world out there.
As most states have issued stay-at-home orders for non-essential businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expediters are on the frontlines, working long hours, delivering essential goods for healthcare and other vital supply chains in this crisis.
To support your efforts during this challenging and stressful time, a number of companies in the trucking industry have recently introduced new products and policies that could save you money and make your life a bit easier on the road.
Here are four of those resources that may be useful to you.
New Telemedicine Service for Truckers: First Month Free
ELD provider Konexial recently launched GoMedRx, a new telemedicine service designed to help its customers receive immediate access to medical advice.
But since GoMedRx is an open platform service, it's available to all drivers no matter what ELD provider they use. And all drivers that subscribe to GoMedRx in the next six months will receive 30 days of free service.
“We know how hard—and often impossible—it can be for truck drivers to stop and get the care and/or advice for medical issues both large and small,” said Ken Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Konexial. “With the COVID-19 pandemic (a.k.a. Coronavirus) at the top of everyone’s mind for the foreseeable future, GoMedRx will help drivers determine their symptoms quickly, and get the care they need not only for themselves but for their families.”
Drivers can use GoMedRx immediately after signing up, and on average, can speak to a telehealth physician in 23 minutes. Health insurance is not required to join and use GoMedRx, and there are no bills beyond the subscription for using the service.
“GoMedRx also covers mental health services and counseling,” Evans said. “With isolation and depression being real issues in the trucking industry, GoMedRx makes it easy to talk to a counselor when needed, wherever they might be.”
For more information, go to https://www.konexial.com/gomedrx/.
Free DOT Inspections
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodyear Commercial Tire & Service Centers recently announced that the company's U.S. locations are expected to remain open as "essential services," while offering free Department of Transportation (DOT) inspections, valued up to $120. These government-mandated inspections include a full review of the tractor and trailer, including brake systems, tires and wheels, exhaust systems, lighting, and more.
“Goodyear is dedicated to meeting tire and service needs for the many hardworking professional drivers, first responders and other essential workers who are making countless sacrifices to protect public health and safety and deliver needed goods during these difficult times,” said Frank Payne, director, Goodyear Commercial Tire & Service Centers. “With the health and wellbeing of our customers and associates top of mind, we are taking a number of precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19 at all of our centers so we can remain open and keep vehicles on the road.”
Pennsylvania Rest Area Status Alerts
A couple of weeks ago, PennDOT closed all rest areas statewide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But immediate pushback by truckers, trucking industry associations, and the public led to the reopening of 13 out of 46 rest areas in Pennsylvania.
But in a fluid situation where rest area openings and closures can change quickly, how can expediters get the latest status?
Drivewyze has an app for that.
On March 24, Drivewyze announced that it had added Pennsylvania rest area “open and closed alerts” to its Drivewyze Safety Notifications service. Drivewyze Safety Notification alerts are available as a free service to carriers subscribed to the Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service.
“Finding safe places to park within mandated Hours of Service rules is a daily challenge for drivers,” said Brian Heath, CEO of Drivewyze. “Keeping track of which sites are open or closed on the road adds to that stress. We know truckers work long hours to delivers essential goods – they keep food coming in, in a moment in time where shelves can barely be stocked. They need help on the road to do that. To help alleviate this, the Drivewyze team has added a temporary open/closed safety alert for PennDOT rest areas to help drivers stay aware and plan ahead.”
The rest area notifications will be displayed for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, so long as PennDOT rest area parking is limited. The notification format will be familiar to drivers already receiving similar Drivewyze safety notifications.
How does it work?
The alerts signal “rest area open” or “rest area closed” when an inbound trucker is both 25 and 5 miles out. “This takes away the guesswork and stress of not knowing – giving truckers time to find another stop if that rest area is closed,” said Heath.
Both the Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass application, and the Drivewyze Safety Notifications service, are available to carriers on supported ELDs and other in-cab devices, through the Drivewyze partner network (https://drivewyze.com/drivewyze-on-your-eld/). Subscribers interested in deploying the Drivewyze Safety Notifications Service, including Pennsylvania rest area alerts, should contact their ELD or in-cab device provider.
Paid Truck Parking Suspended
In a Facebook post on March 24, Sapp Bros. announced:
“Effective immediately: In response to COVID-19, we’re suspending paid parking at all our locations for the time being. All truck parking is free. We remain open at all locations to serve you. Thank you, drivers!”
Sapp Bros. has 17 locations nationwide. For a list of locations, go to http://www.sappbros.net/travel-centers/locations/.
For the latest notices on Sapp Bros. Covid-19 updates, go to http://www.sappbros.net/covid-19-notice/.