TO:	All Crane Freight & Cartage drivers
FROM:	Ron Talley
DATE:	March 23, 2020
COPIES:	Crane Freight & Cartage Management
SUBJECT:	COVID-19 Update

First, thank you for doing your part as we respond to all the unique needs in today’s supply chain as a result of what we are experiencing around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone at Crane remains dedicated to supporting our customers’ supply chain needs – especially emergency supplies – and you are providing an essential service to our communities.

Your normal communication lines are not changing. As we meet this challenge together, please remain proactive and connected with our Operations teams. If you have any questions or concerns, we want to help, and we are here for you.

We are monitoring this situation daily, and, we will adjust business operations and policies as needed. Your feedback is an essential part of those reviews.

We are asking everyone on our team to follow “best practices” to help minimize COVID-19 risks.  We have put together the following minimum guidelines specifically for our fleet operations:

1. The primary action for everyone is to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This will be the most important action for protecting yourself and others.
2. Specifically, please be certain to wash or sanitize your hands every time you return to your vehicle to keep from contaminating your vehicle.
3. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%-95% alcohol. Please be certain to wash or sanitize your hands every time you return to your vehicle to keep from contaminating your vehicle.
4. Completely sanitize the interior of your truck several times each day by wiping down all interior surfaces (control surfaces, dashboard, seats, door handles, etc.) with sanitizing wipes.
5. If sanitizing wipes are not readily available, you can create your own solution by mixing 1 tablespoon of bleach with a gallon of water.
6. When at a shipper or consignee, stay inside your truck as much as possible.
7. For all locations, avoid unnecessary contact and always maintain the suggested distance of six feet from other people.
8. Avoid touching anything that you do not need to touch, especially in public locations. For example, do not use someone else’s pen and do not lend your pen.
9. Sign all paperwork as “shipper load and count” and use seals. If asked, you can inform the shipper that it is our policy.
10. When handling shipping paperwork, immediately wash your hands after handling. Place the shipping paperwork inside large, preferably sealable envelopes. Best practice, if available, is to wear disposable nitrile or food preparation gloves, when handling paperwork or objects in the public (fuel pumps, door handles, etc.)

If you need our assistance providing any of the mentioned resources, let us know and we will help. It is also important to remember to dispose of all used supplies properly.

We are encouraging drivers to remain alert to signs or symptoms that may warn of possible infection with COVID-19.  Although these warnings are in common for all our non-driving employees as well, we recognize becoming sick while away from home presents a challenge.

To lessen the risk of a driver becoming incapacitated by illness away from home, we are encouraging everyone to self-monitor, using the CDC definitions.  This means you should monitor yourself for fever (100.4°F or higher) by taking your temperature twice a day and remain alert for a cough or difficulty breathing.

If you feel feverish or develop measured fever, cough, or difficulty breathing during this self-monitoring time, you should self-isolate, limit contact with others, and seek advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or your local health department to determine whether a medical evaluation is needed.

If you develop these symptoms, please also notify Crane Freight & Cartage and do not drive until your health situation is resolved.

We also know that there are other ways this situation is affecting our drivers, such as rest-stop closures, emergency hours of service declarations, CDL license renewals, truck registration renewals, medical card renewals, state-mandated shutdowns, etc.

While we will keep you informed as information changes and becomes available, you can also monitor these sites directly:

Truckload Carriers Association Resources for COVID-19: https://www.truckload.org/resources-for-covid-19/

American Trucking Associations COVID-19 Update Hub: https://www.trucking.org/COVID19

Texas Trucking Association COVID19 Updates and Resources:  https://www.texastrucking.com/TXTA/COVID19_Updates%20and%20Resources/TXTA/COVID19_Updates.aspx

We are setting up a Drive4Crane.com bulletin page as a central information hub. We will be sending that link to everyone via XRS once available and will also let you know as the page is updated.

Finally, we are also providing a letter you can carry with you explaining that you are providing essential services for any areas limiting business activity to essential services.

Thank you again for being a part of the solution for our clients during this important time.

We appreciate you.

Ron Talley