Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/757641
Diversions 42 | Overdrive | December 2016 PREVENTABLE OR NOT: Things that go bump in the night SCENARIO: Late one evening, John Doe pulled into a pitch-black run-down parking lot behind a vacant restau- rant to take a short rest. Break concluded, Doe dialed up a song on his smartphone and prepared to exit. As he was backing up, his trailer crashed into a giant water-filled pot- hole, severely damaging some of the trailer's crossmembers. Doe's carrier hit him with a preventable accident warning. He contested. Who's right? VERDICT: Preventable. The National Safety Council's Accident Review Committee said Doe should have checked for hazards before backing blindly in the dark. Nonprofit aids truckers in different ways The Truckin' Runners Facebook group held its third annual "Virtual 5K" in November to benefit the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief fund. The nonprofit's mission isn't to be solely a source for money to defray truckers' medical/health-related costs when in dire need, says SCF representative Julie Dillon. Rather, the organization covers drivers' costs in a broader sense, helping those "whose medical problems occurring within the last two years have led to financial hardship. Assistance may be in the form of primarily paying living expenses while recovering from illness and out of work, providing infor- mation on how to negotiate price reductions with medi- cal providers and hospitals, and/or direct payment for medical services or prescrip- tion drugs." As of the end of Septem- ber, the organization had given out more than $1.4 million in its lifetime on behalf of 1,653 drivers, an average of $605 per driver. "We pay all bill holders direct," says Dillon. "No money is given to drivers themselves." The Virtual 5K, during which participants doc- ument a 5K/3.11-mile run, is part of the SCF's ancillary mission to provide health-related programs to benefit professional drivers. Runners donate at their desired level. The SCF's six-month Driven to Be Healthy Challenge is intended to channel the competitive spirit toward better health for drivers. It has monthly winners, as well as two annual grand prize winners for Highest Percentage of Weight Lost and Most Active Minutes. A vaccine-vouchers program enables drivers to get flu, pneumonia and shingles vaccines for free at any Kroger Pharmacy, Little Clinic or Walgreen's. Just print the vouchers from the SCF website (truckers- fund.org), and present it with your CDL at one of the locations. The program is made possible by a part- nership with the National Association of Independent Truckers, the Owner-Op- erator Independent Drivers Association and the SCF. – Todd Dills Various events pledge fund-raising support to the St. Christopher fund, including this Fit for The Road 5K walk-run at the 2016 Great American Trucking Show. Other support comes from SCF "Band Together" wristbands, available at truck stops with donations to the organization.