Despite the incredibly tough economic climate in which companies find themselves operating, the warm heart of the trucking industry continues to beat strongly as companies within this sector find ways to help protect members of the trucking fraternity in the overall fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is no doubt that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the wellness of the trucking industry remains more critical than ever and of great importance in this respect is the health and safety of truck drivers who have been leading the frontline charge in the delivery of goods and services in what have become highly unusual operating conditions.
It is for this reason that Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) has collaborated with the Trucking Wellness Programme, an initiative of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI), to donate 4 000 reusable facemasks to truck drivers across South Africa in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus within the trucking industry.
“As Daimler Trucks & Buses, we continue to recognize the importance of the trucking industry on the economy and are therefore extremely honoured to assume responsibility in taking action to fight the spread of the pandemic with this donation. Furthermore, it’s always a pleasure to strengthen and expand the great work undertaken by the Trucking Wellness team which aligns strongly to our undisputed purpose of keeping Africa moving”, says Michael Dietz: CEO of Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa.
With this donation, each truck driver will receive a reusable facemask which contains a pack of five filters when they visit any of the 21 national fixed roadside wellness centres located on all major trucking routes and South Africa’s borders. They will also be handed out via the mobile clinics operated by Trucking Wellness.
“This donation is important to Trucking Wellness as it confirms DTBSA’s longstanding commitment to support our health and safety initiatives for the road freight industry. Handing out facemasks of such a good quality further reinforces the value DTBSA places on the wellbeing of truck drivers. This will certainly serve as a token of appreciation to not only the truck drivers but also to our roadside wellness centre staff who have worked tirelessly since the inception of the lockdown,” says Tertius Wessels, Managing Director of Corridor Empowerment Project (CEP) appointed by the NBCRFLI to manage Trucking Wellness on its behalf.
The facemasks were officially handed-over to the Trucking Wellness team by employees of DTBSA at the Roodekop Truck Stop in the East of Johannesburg.
The relationship between Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) and the Trucking Wellness Programme goes back over 10 years and the work initiated through this partnership has grown to positively impact thousands of lives both on and off our roads. May it continue over the next 10 years and beyond for its positive impact is felt not only by the truck drivers themselves, but by the entire trucking industry.
