In our last article, we laid out some things that drivers can do to avoid germs and sickness. Well, a job is always easier with the right tools. If you don’t already keep a kit in the truck for general cleanliness, this is your best excuse to catch up. Coronavirus may be a boogeyman, but having it could make the difference between getting detained and making your delivery on time or even being able to drive at all. Germs and ways to get sick have been here long before Covid-19, and they’ll still be hereafter. So this is a list you can keep for the long term. Let’s get started.
- Hand Sanitizer and Sanitizing Wipes. For the steering wheel, gas pump handle, diner booth table, public bathroom: you can’t go wrong with some sweet sweet sanitization. Most of these have long since disappeared from store shelves and will stay hard to find as long as the panic lasts. Fortunately, you can make your own! It’s easy and dirt cheap. Check out these recipes or look up your own.
- Soap for Hands and Face. Most public places along the road should have soap in bathrooms. But there’s no guarantee, so pack your own! The health and hygiene experts from around the world agree: soap is king. Washing your hands properly with soap and water is better than a dozen squirts of hand sanitizer. But should you go for liquid or bar soap for your kit? Here are some links to articles that will help you decide.
- Disposable gloves. We recommend rocking these oh-so-fashionable accessories whenever you go into a gas station or restaurant. The fastest way germs get in you is by riding your hands to your face. Gloves will help keep them off. Unfortunately, disposable gloves are another item that’s leaving stores as soon as it appears. Look to buy disposable gloves in unlikely places: hardware stores and auto parts stores, as well as restaurant supply stores.
- Disposable Face Masks. This is a contentious one. Experts are saying they… sort of help, sometimes. On the other hand, they aren’t exactly cheap and are getting snapped up with everything else. If you feel more secure wearing a mask (and can find some in the store), go for it. It certainly won’t hurt. But the facts show washing your hands and cleaning around yourself is much more effective than wearing a mask.
- Facial Tissues. Not every sniffle is a pandemic virus. But even so, you should put that snot somewhere that’s not your sleeve. Keep facial tissues handy. You never know when you’ll find yourself stranded in a public bathroom without TP.
- Toilet Paper. And this brings us to the elephant in the store aisle. This is one of the least necessary items on this list; but when you need it, you really need it. We ask that you be polite and consider others when buying toilet paper in these panicky, hoarding times. Keep just a couple dozen squares close to hand.
- Sealable Trash Bag. It doesn’t matter if this is an actual trash bag, a Ziploc gallon baggie, or a Walmart sack. Any used wipes, tissues, etc. should be thrown away, not tossed to the floorboard. Germs like to set up shop on your food spills and discarded bodily fluids. Gross, yes. So don’t let trash clutter up your cab. Throw it away and the germs along with it.
That’s our full list! As you build your kit, you’ll probably discover something more that works for you or that we missed. Add it in! Leave out things that don’t work for you. Make it your own. You are in charge of your own health and have the most say over whether you’re healthy out on the road or sick in bed. Be well and good luck.