As the owner of a trucking company, you’re managing a large pool of drivers, customers, and loads. You already have a lot to handle, so the last thing you want to deal with are scam artists wanting to take advantage of your busy schedule. As with every other industry, no one is immune from becoming a target of a scam, no matter the size or value. Staying informed will keep you one step ahead of fraudulent practices and keep your company and employees safe. If you’re looking for more information here are five common trucking fraud scams to be aware of and how you can avoid becoming the victim of one.

Common Trucking Fraud Scams

Driver in Need: If you’re a company with an exceptionally large number of drivers, you may be a target of this type of scam. The fraudster will collect information from another driver by conversing with them or overhearing it from a truck stop and will use it to call dispatch to request a cash advance.

Phony Repair Shop or Fake Towing: Trucks commonly need to be repaired or even towed during service. The trucking company covers the expenses for repairs, and occasionally a scammer can exploit this by making false calls to a company asking for payment. The scammer provides vehicle information and a driver’s name and sometimes a fake invoice. The goal is to make the trucking company believe the load will be withheld from the driver until payment is received to get the company to pay up.

Fake Police Officer or Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector: This act of trucking fraud involves a scammer posing as a fake government official. They will contact a trucking company to demand payment over a fake violation to get the truck back. You should also look out for notices in the mail asking for payment for renewal fees and threatening fines for missing the payment.

False Freight: This scheme happens when the driver is not allowed to supervise loading. Often the doors are sealed shut, preventing the driver from being able to ensure inventory counts, but is often still required to sign off on it anyway. Only when the delivery is complete do you realize the piece count is off and the scammers likely stole some of the freight.

Load or Fuel Advance Scams: A popular scam in the industry that targets brokers. Scammers steal the identity of a legitimate trucking company and book loads without any attention of picking them up. Instead, they request a cash advance for fuel and travel expenses. Once received, one of two things could happen. The scammer either disappears or more aggressively, holds the load hostage to demand further payment. Either way, the broker is left with money out of pocket and still in need of finding an actual driver to haul the load, if you’re lucky enough to still have it.

Double Brokering: Although this act entirely involves legitimate parties, you want to make sure you do not become a victim of this, and it’s another one that focuses on brokers. This time it occurs when a broker books a load for a carrier, but in turn that carrier brokers the load to a third party without the consent of the original broker or customer. In this case, the actual carrier of the freight is not under the original contract and therefore is uninsured. If the company that booked the third party does not pay the carrier who moved the load, then the original broker could possibly be on the hook for both payments.

How to Avoid Trucking Fraud

As it happens, you already took the first step of avoiding trucking fraud by reading about common scams. Knowing how to identify scams as they occur will stop you from making a mistake.

Here are a few pieces of advice to follow as well:

• Train drivers to not divulge important information in public and to always be aware of their surroundings.
• Request an invoice, and if actually provided one, review it carefully. If no valid address or phone number can be found,
• Find ways to validate the carrier or service provider. Always speak with the driver directly to confirm they are who they say they are. Try asking for information not readily visible on the truck such as the DOT number or employee ID number.
• Directly transfer funds to the driver, not a provider. Don’t risk sending payment to an unknown third party. Also, it’s best practice not to issue fuel advances to a new carrier you haven’t worked with before. Wait until they establish trust by successfully delivering a couple of loads before granting permission to receive cash advances.
• Always be suspicious if someone is pressuring you for immediate payment. Ask yourself if the situation urgently requires you to do so. If absolutely necessary, then just issue a smaller percentage of the cash advance instead of the full amount.

Advanced Commercial Capital: An Industry Resource

Advanced Commercial Capital is here to help the freight industry continue to grow with confidence. We’re in the business of helping your business grow through fair and honest invoice factoring. We protect our clients from unpaid freight invoices due to fraud, bankruptcy, or delinquency, without any surprises. To learn more or go get in touch with our team, call our office at 855.465.4655 or fill out our online contact form today.

Your trucking company is doing everything it can to succeed. Shipments are arriving on time and business is booming. The only problem is your clients are not paying their invoices in a timely manner.

An important part of any business, cash flow in the trucking industry can be sporadic and unpredictable, even at the best of times. Fortunately, debt factoring can help trucking companies maintain consistent cash flow via immediate payments. Below, we will consider the basics of how debt factoring can work for your company.

Will It Improve Your Cash Flow?

Even though it is often referred to as debt factoring, factoring does not involve taking on debt, but rather involves selling an asset you already own. Debt factoring is the process by which a third-party factoring company purchases either a portion or all your company’s invoices. Once an agreement is reached, the factoring company advances you an agreed-upon amount. As a result, you do not have to rely on customers paying their invoices immediately for your business to run smoothly.

Why Would a Business Use a Factoring Company?

There are several advantages to the debt factoring system. Chief among them are the following:

1. Debt factoring provides a quick infusion of cash, allowing for steady company growth – even when invoices are unpredictable. Many businesses struggle to maintain a steady cash flow. In turn, this often prevents them from growing and thriving. Due to the relatively immediate nature of debt factoring, once your invoices are purchased, you can expect a quick and reliable influx of cash to help your business continue to thrive.

2. Debt factoring saves time and administrative resources, including overhead costs. When you sell your outstanding invoices to a factoring company, that company takes over the management of your invoices. Because they are handling customer payments and debt collections, you do not have to pay an employee to handle this task, saving you time, administrative resources, and the overhead cost of an extra employee.

3. Non-recourse factoring helps work against accumulating debt. Non-recourse factoring is a type of debt factoring that protects you from accruing debt if your clients do not pay. For example, if a shipper were not to pay the invoice that you sent them after providing your services, you would not be on the hook for paying back the factoring company under a non-recourse factoring system.

What Are the Different Types of Debt Factoring?

We previously mentioned the benefits of non-recourse factoring. However, it is important to note that non-recourse factoring is not the only type of factoring available. Some companies may use a type of factoring known as recourse. The difference between this type of factoring and non-recourse lies in the risk placed upon you and your business.

Recourse factoring puts your company on the hook for customers who do not pay their invoices. By requiring additional collateral in addition to your invoices, the factoring company has the right to collect money for the unpaid invoice directly from you. Typically, companies that use this type of factoring hold some of your money in reserve.

In a non-recourse factoring agreement, the factoring company fully assumes the risk. Accordingly, if the freight broker or shipper does not pay their invoice, the factoring company suffers the loss. Generally, non-recourse factoring companies do not hold any of your money in reserve, as there is no need to do so.

Advanced Commercial Capital: Risk-Free Debt Factoring

With Advanced Commercial Capital, your trucking company assumes very few risks! Because of the unique nature of our non-recourse freight factoring service, there are no consequences to you if your clients fail to pay their invoices. We also do not require any long-term contracts and do not charge termination fees.

Additionally, we offer:
• Fast and flexible funding options, paying you in as little as one hour for your freight bills
• Strong relationships that foster your success
• And valuable benefits that save you both time and money, from our free fuel discount card program to free credit checks

All of these are just some of the reasons why our clients choose to stay with us for the long haul.
Advanced Commercial Capital can help your trucking company succeed in ways you never thought were possible.

Talk with our team to learn more about how non-recourse debt factoring works by giving us a call at 855.465.4655 or reaching out via our online contact form. We look forward to offering you the easiest and smartest way to factor your freight bills and get the cash you need, without any surprises.

Fuel is among the most significant expenses for trucking companies. As fuel prices regularly fluctuate, fleet managers often feel burdened by the rapidly increased costs, hesitant to settle into any fuel price lows. Therefore, properly budgeting for long-term profitability can prove difficult. Additionally, the strain of unpaid freight invoices due to fraud or delinquency often intensifies financial stresses.

Trucking companies can turn to various financial assistance methods, including a fuel discount card program. Below, we explore everything you need to know about an EFS fuel card – from the definition of a discount card to an application guide.

What is an EFS Fuel Card?

An EFS fuel card offers a convenient, powerful, and secure payment solution for transportation companies, regardless of fleet size. Across North America, fuel cards are commonly accepted at thousands of locations. The EFS card is designed to meet customized financial demands and consolidate transactions onto a single card.

Fuel cards offer discounts on diesel by the gallon. How does this work? Essentially, fuel card providers form partnerships with fuel stations, allowing card holders to receive exclusive discounts from these specific fuel stations.

Specific discounts vary by location. However, the cumulative savings brought by fuel programs can be extraordinarily beneficial for trucking companies.

What Are the Benefits of an EFS Discount Fuel Card?

EFS helpfully lists a few of the primary fuel discount card benefits, and we have expanded on each:

Fuel Card Industry Trends

Many of the current benefits of EFS fuel discount cards step from industry trend-based development. A few of the most common industry trends include:

How Can You Apply for an EFS Fuel Card?

Applying for an EFS fuel card is simple and streamlined as most applications only require basic information. At Advanced Commercial Capital, two applications are required:

1. EFS Master Services Agreement

The first, an EFS services agreement, only requires a simple list of info, including:

-Legal name
-Primary address
-Phone number
-Fax number
-Primary contact
-Primary contact phone number
-Billing contact
-Billing contact address
-Billing contact phone number
-Billing contact fax number
-Number of active vehicles in your fleet
-Number of active drivers/ cardholders

Depending on the number of vehicles in your fleet, an account set-up fee is required. If applying for an EFS fuel card with Advanced Commercial Capital, we cover the set-up fee in full. After the basic information has been provided, authorization is required, and the application is complete.

2. Customer Application

The second simple form is the customer application. Once more, information required to complete the final step of the application is straightforward. For example, the following items are included (but are not limited to):

-Corporate name
-Location address
-Website URL
-Location phone number
-Federal tax (or CRA) ID number
-DUNS number
-DOT number
-Years in business
-MC or provincial operating license
-Ownership type
-Number of cardholders and trucks
-Amount of average weekly fuel, check, and other
-Description of transportation services provided to clients

Once the final application has been authorized, you are finished applying for the EFS fuel card program. Both components of the application with Advanced Commercial Capital can be found at an easily-accessible EFS application pdf. If you have any questions related to the EFS program, feel free to call us at 435.673.4655 – or get in touch with our EFS/FTS Plus representative, Amber White, at 901.474.0835!

Advanced Commercial Capital’s Fuel Discount Card & EFS Checks

At Advanced Commercial Capital, we are proud to partner with EFS and offer our clients access to a fuel discount card and an easy-to-use check product. Part of the FTS Plus discount network, the fuel discount card allows for fuel discounts at the majority of national, regional, and independent truck stops. Additionally, through the FTS Plus network, truck drivers can save money on tires, oil, truck parts, insurance, and a wide variety of additional products and services.

With your EFS account, you will be able to issue checks, similar to Comchecks and T-Checks, to transfer money to your drivers when needed. EFS Checks are easy to use, available at truck stops over the country, and have one of the lowest fee structures in the industry.

EFS Fuel Card Discounts

While fuel card discounts fluctuate with fuel prices, a few examples of fuel savings include:

Advanced Commercial Capital

We understand the financial strains that accompany managing a trucking business. Unpaid invoices and fluctuating fuel costs can be detrimental. This is why our non-recourse freight factoring service includes a fuel discount card program.

What is the benefit of utilizing a non-recourse freight factoring service in conjunction with your fuel discount card? Of course, every company has to determine if freight factoring is the right financial service – many trucking businesses in need of immediate cash, experiencing economic difficult, waiting on a traditional bank loan, or in need of increased business stability find that freight factoring is a profitable solution.

Why non-recourse factoring?

Non-recourse factoring is a factoring method where the factor (our company) bears the credit and collection risk on purchased invoices. Because we won’t charge you back when your customers don’t pay their bills, there is no reason to hold reserves. To learn more about our non-recourse factoring services, give us a call at 855.465.4655 or reach out via our online contact form!

The Novel Coronavirus has impacted every industry in unique, unprecedented ways. Some businesses were impacted immediately, especially those without the ability to adapt to curbside services, online orders, or digital procedures. Individuals across hundreds of companies have experienced layoffs or furloughs.

Certain industries – including grocery stores and delivery services – faced sudden, rapid growth, with a swift and urgent need for staff. The transportation industry sits between the growth and decline of hundreds of companies. How has trucking been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic?

While truckers remained busy moving freight to keep hospitals, grocery stores, and Amazon warehouses stocked with essential items, tougher times may be ahead. As state and local governments keep isolation orders in place, economic impacts increase in severity – and truckers will be affected.

In the content below, we explore the future of trucking after the coronavirus pandemic, to the best of our knowledge.

Freight Volumes

The need for freight volume in certain sectors soared with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidelines. Shipping and delivery companies, grocery stores, childcare providers, and hospitals have required unprecedented amounts of food, hygiene products, medical supplies, and other essential items. As people’s buying habits suddenly changed to pandemic needs, truck drivers have been required to continue hauling loads across the country.

However, as non-essential businesses closed their doors and hundreds suffered from unparalleled layoff/ furlough rates, the demand for “non-essential” items plummeted exponentially. Thus, while certain sectors soared in freight demands, others dropped to nearly nonexistent requirements.

Overall, freight volumes are starting to decline – a decline predicted to accelerate over the coming weeks. The Trucker’s Report states:

Even where people are still working and still making money, social distancing practices and worries of an economic recession are keeping people from spending money on non-essential items. As demand for those goods falls, so too does freight volume… Some sectors are already feeling the squeeze, but if the outbreak lasts much longer, the strain on the economy and freight volumes will only get worse.

The Trucking Industry’s Response to Plummeting Freight Volumes

Small, independent transportation companies are hit the hardest. As freight volume plummets, some face an uncertain future. One independent driver, Timothy Barret, shared his concern for the future of his business should the freight decline continue. Barret primarily hauled automotive parts for concerts and live events, two industries severely impacted by COVID-19.

“I am basically shut down,” Timothy stated. “I can go broke two ways: hauling for nothing or not hauling. I’m not going to [run loads] and exchange money for fuel and drive the truck for free.”

Although small to mid-size companies may be impacted most severely, even large carriers may have to lay off workers if the decline proceeds on the projected path.

Drop in Oil Prices

Initiated by a Saudi Arabia-Russia feud over oil prices, crude oil prices around the world have dropped – negatively impacting freight rates for independent truckers. At first glance, lower diesel prices may seem beneficial, lowering operating costs. However, lower oil prices will impact already slow freight within the oil sector (accounting for 3-5% of all truck freight).

Jim Meil from ACT Research commented:

The drive for fuel efficiency and the advances in technology are some of the crowning achievements of truck OEMs… It’s great to see trucks get mileage that was unthinkable even 10 years ago with 8.5 mpg and higher in some cases. But that’s a bigger benefit when diesel is $4 or higher rather than $2.75 and lower. Fuel efficiency is one of the advantages the industry uses to put buyers in trucks, and with lower fuel prices, that advantage goes away.

Predicted Economic Recovery Shape

With a predicted, U-shaped economic recovery, getting back to normal freight volumes and freight rates may take a considerable amount of time.

The U-shaped economic recovery describes a unique recession and recovery pattern, defined by a steep decline in employment, GDP, and industrial output that remains depressed from 12-24 months before complete recovery. In a U-shaped recovery, the recession tumbles along the very bottom of the shape before beginning a sharp incline. The 1973-75 Nixon recession and the S&L crisis recession of 1990-91 are two examples of historical U-shaped economic recovery patterns.

Although the predicted recovery shape is only a prediction, the educated projection extends recovery into 2021.

Can Freight Factoring Help?

Todd Amen, CEO and president of American Truck Business Services (ATBS) warned that consumers out of work for an extended period will halt spending. “Ultimately,” Amen commented, “what happens to the sentiment in America is we close our pocketbooks, we’re going to stop spending money because we need to survive. We’re going to stop shopping except for the essentials. That means freight stops moving.”

As owner-operators prepare for darker days, trucking companies can look for financial assistance to remain afloat until the economy recovers. Freight factoring is one such option. In fact, non-recourse freight factoring can provide the cash flow necessary for your trucking company to recover after the coronavirus pandemic and launch into a profitable future.

Advanced Commercial Capital

At Advanced Commercial Capital, we protect trucking companies from unpaid freight invoices due to fraud, bankruptcy, or delinquency. Our non-recourse factoring provides cash flow for your trucking company with zero unpleasant surprises. We own the risk, not you. If your client fails to pay, we take responsibility for the unpaid invoice.

Trucking companies often look to factoring to increase cash flow during periods of growth – or periods of economic difficulty. To get in touch with our team about factoring for your transportation company today, feel free to reach out at 855.465.4655 or via our online contact form!

To remain current on highway and driver safety, trucking companies must constantly observe any new regulations put in place. At the start of 2020, both trucking and traditional drivers experienced regulatory changes, from identification to drug and alcohol clearinghouse compliance procedures.

However, with the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a few of the planned regulation adjustments have been postponed. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure you are aware of each change and when they come into effect to prepare your trucking company accordingly. In the content below, we discuss five new trucking regulations to be aware of in 2020.

Real ID

As a national federal regulation, all drivers from every state and territory previously had until Oct. 1, 2020 to transition their driver’s license to a Real ID. This new form of identification complies with new background and security requirements. For any drivers who fail to acquire their Real ID after October 1, 2020, their traditional driver’s license will deny access for commercial aircraft boarding, authorization to nuclear facilities, or entry into federal buildings while on business.

However, as of late March 2020, the Department of Homeland Security extended the deadline one year due to delays brought by the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Real ID deadline is now extended to October 1, 2021.

Revised Entry-Level Driver Training Rules

For those in pursuit of their Class A or Class B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), this new federal trucking regulation is especially imperative to prevent failure of compliance.

Beginning February 7, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) instituted a new set of higher standards for professional truck driver licensure. However, training programs have until February 7, 2022 to alter their programs in full compliance with the new regulations in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Therefore, to qualify for your Class A or Class B CDL, all aspiring truckers are required to successfully complete an entire training program. The federal Entry-Level Driver Training course now consists of 19 behind-the-wheel assessments (reported by a training provider to the Department of Transportation) in conjunction with passing knowledge of 31 course topics.

Additionally, any existing truckers who intend on becoming a driving instructor must hold a clean motor vehicle record (MVR), a cleared medical certification, and have two or more years of driving experience.

Updated Hours of Service Regulations

At the close of 2019, the FMCSA announced five new changes to the hours-of-service (HOS) federal regulations. As summarized by PrePass, the five key changes proposed by the FMCSA aim to increase driver flexibility while maintaining both their safety and the safety of fellow drivers. The five HOS changes are as follows:

30-Minute Breaks

Drivers may retain the 30-minute break rule. However, to increase driver flexibility, they may tie it to eight hours of driving time, in lieu of eight hours of “on-duty” time. This allows the 30-minute break to be satisfied by a driver using on-duty, idle driving status, as opposed to off-duty.

10 Hours of Off-Duty

In modification of the sleeper-berth exception, this change allows drivers to split their required 10 hours off-duty into one period of at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and the other period of not less than two consecutive hours, either off-duty or in the sleeper berth. Neither time period would count against the maximum 14-hour driving window. Current HOS rules only allow an eight hour-two hour split, and the shorter rest period is currently counted against the maximum 14-hour driving window.

Off-Duty Breaks

This HOS change allows truck drivers to take a single off-duty break of at least 30 minutes and up to three hours, pausing the driver’s 14-hour driving window, provided the driver takes 10 consecutive hours off-duty at the end of the work shift. This proposal would accommodate disruptions in the driver’s workday, such as weather, traffic and extended detention times.

Driving with Adverse Weather Conditions

Modifying the adverse driving conditions exception, this new regulation extends by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted. Currently, truck drivers can extend their 11 hours of driving time to 13 hours under adverse conditions, but the 14-hour driving time window is not extended. The FMCSA believes this will allow drivers to wait out or drive slowly through adverse weather conditions, rather than driving ahead to stay within their allowable driving window.

Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) and the Short-Haul Exception

This final HOS change adjusts the short-haul exception by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles. If adopted, all truck drivers would have a maximum 14-hour workday. Drivers utilizing the short-haul exception would still be required to return to their normal work reporting location at the end of each workday. While those drivers are not required to utilize electronic logging devices (ELDs), their employers must continue to maintain time records.

Overtime Trucking Rule Updates

The last federal overtime regulation update took place in 2004. Therefore, to accommodate for growth in pay rates since then, the U.S. Department of Labor instituted a new, overtime trucking rule effective January 1, 2020. As a result of the new regulation in force, any full-time truckers are considered non-exempt and are entitled to receive overtime pay if they make less than $35,568 annually.

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

Despite having only been in effect since January 6, 2020, the FMCSA has already identified nearly 8,000 violations pertaining to substance abuse. The new, drug and alcohol clearinghouse -regulations imposed by the FMCSA require that all motor carriers, fleets, trucking companies, third-party administrators, medical review officers (MROs), and substance abuse professionals report any detected drug and alcohol testing violations.

Through an online database called The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, both the FMCSA and employers can then monitor all violations in every state and national territory in real-time to prevent violators from crossing state lines for work to avoid detection. Additionally, all trucking companies must populate the database with employee Department of Transportation (DOT) substance abuse and verify that the delinquent drivers complete their return-to-duty requirements.

Currently, the FMCSA tracks drug testing violations through urine samples to detect alcohol and drug use, but may lead to hair follicle testing or oral fluids better to identify drug use within the last 90 days. With these new regulations in place, our nation can help improve driver safety while in transit and on the road. Furthermore, with this database in effect nationwide, commercial driving companies can better detect any truck driver applicants who have a history of driving and substance violations.

Help Your Trucking Company Thrive with Advanced Capital Commercial

While balancing the new regulations placed in effect every year, it may be hard to also keep current with your financial and bookkeeping tasks. At Advanced Commercial Capital, we are dedicated to helping your trucking company thrive. When dealing with the high demand for trucked deliveries while remaining in compliance with the new driving and driver regulations, we tailor our solutions to the cash needs of the trucker.

We understand the unique needs and challenges trucking companies face. From paying for fuel to truck maintenance and payroll, it is hard to wait on delinquent customer payments. To get in touch, contact us today at 855.465.4655 or via our online contact form! We look forward to walking beside your company and watching it thrive.

During a time of global crisis, the employees moving America are uniquely impacted – and uniquely needed. COVID-19 has severely disrupted the supply chain, while demand for medical supplies, food items, and even toilet paper require movement along the lonely roads of America.

As truck drivers transport items across the country on empty streets, how can they stay safe? What best practices should truckers follow? What opportunities for healthcare are currently available? In the content below, we provide a guide for truck drivers on staying safe during the current unprecedented pandemic.

The Coronavirus’ Unique Impact on Truckers

As the backbone of the supply chain, truckers are necessary to move vital supplies across the country. The Department of Transportation suspended some off-road break regulations, adjusting “hours of service” for drivers transporting emergency medical supplies. While demand increases, many state-operated truck stops, including lounges, restaurants, and fitness centers, have shut down. Thus, truck drivers are called upon for more and asked to work with fewer amenities.

The U.S. Xpress director of public affairs, Mary Danielson, rightly called faithful fleet drivers heroes. “They all understand,” she said, “that what they are doing is critical to the country. The majority are reporting to work and getting it done.”

Steps to Contain COVID-19 Spread

As many truck drivers step up and continue transporting freight, efforts to remain safe during the pandemic are ever important.

Of course, fighting to stay personally healthy as a truck driver is of utmost importance. According to Trucking Info, “drivers are uniquely situated to both help the country in its fight to contain the COVID-19 virus – or to facilitate its spread.” Staying healthy is critical for the driver’s personal health – and the health of countless others across the country. Few individuals carry the powerful potential to prevent the spread or promote the spread as much as truckers.

Standard Guidelines

As truckers, following these health guidelines are critical:

• If you feel sick, stay home.
• Wash your hands with soapy water for at least 20 seconds frequently.
• Sanitize surfaces touched frequently.
• Maintain adequate distance from people with respiratory symptoms.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Cover your mouth with tissues when you sneeze, and immediately discard used tissues.
• Wear masks and gloves

The founder of Konexial, Ken Evans, explains how serious trucker safety is:

Not just our company, but our entire nation, needs to be doing everything we can to protect truck drivers. We are at the point where truck drivers having PPE is just as important has healthcare workers in hospitals having that gear. These items are in short supply right now. But I am calling on fleets, the trucking industry, and the federal government to work together in a way to supply PPE to drivers. Simple, day-to-day items like masks, face protectors and gloves can play a major role in helping to contain the spread of this virus.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Beyond personal hygiene, understanding early onset symptoms of COVID-19 will help drivers identify the virus within themselves and take necessary measures. Early symptoms include:

• Sudden loss of smell; change in the way foods taste
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

Severe symptoms include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Pain or pressure in the chest
• Confusion
• Inability to get out of bed
• Bluish lips or face

As a truck driver, you should seek medical attention if experiencing severe symptoms. However, when hundreds of miles from a hospital, drivers face a unique challenge.

One excellent solution, Telemedicine, gives drivers the ability to call a physician anywhere in the country for virtual assistance. Of course, if a more serious medical emergency is taking place, drivers should always call 911.

Prevent Spread by Taking COVID-19 Seriously

Like the rest of the American public, truck drivers can stay safe and prevent spread by taking the virus seriously. Healthcare professionals share that the virus is easily transmittable, with the potential to overwhelm the healthcare system. Thus, ever since the virus entered the U.S., governments have been taking steps to prevent its rapid spread.

One doctor, Jonathan Wiesel, shared that the primary problem with the Coronavirus is its long latency. For example, one may be infected but wait to show symptoms for weeks. In light of the severity of COVID-19, Wiesel strongly suggested a practice of good personal hygiene – “make sure you prevent the spread of the infection to the extent that you can by not shaking hands, and washing your hands religiously and often.”

Testimonials from Truck Drivers Staying Safe During COVID-19

Nate McCarty from Denver, Colorado shared his experience as a truck driver during the COVID-19 pandemic with Fox News. He said he was just as busy as during the summertime; however, the kind of freight being carried is unique as grocery and Amazon deliveries increase dramatically. “Some of the truckload carriers,” Nate commented, “they’re running at capacity.”

Nate explained that many truck drivers have been away from home for months, feeling the need to help other companies and the country. Even though none of Nate’s co-workers were sick during the time of the interview, the cautious truck driver is still taking precautionary measures, like social distancing, to stay healthy while on the road.

“It’s made me a lot more aware of the place that I go on my trip and everything that I’m touching. I’ve always used antibacterial wipes on the truck and the hotel that I stay in,” he said, “and I wipe everything down on the room and now I’m wearing rubber gloves.”

Nate described his struggle in finding places to eat due to the increase in carryout-only restaurants. Despite the regular challenges faced on the road, the truck driver from Colorado described the comradery experienced between truckers, even greater now during this time of crisis. “The motoring public,” Nate continued, “had been expressing gratefulness as well, holding up thank-you signs, passing cards, and waving.”

Tony Spero of Connecticut agreed with Nate McCarty’s experience. He has been able to maintain his regular route despite additional safety measures. Tony shared, “We’re doing what we got to do to keep this country supplied. And we’re going to keep on doing it, and we’re going to do it as safe as possible.”

Advanced Commercial Capital

At Advanced Commercial Capital, we are concerned for your trucking company and the safety of your fleet. During a time of global turmoil and unpleasant surprises, we offer consistent freight factoring services, providing you with the immediate cash you need.

To get in contact with our team, give us a call at 855.465.4655 or via our online contact form.