SEATTLE — Smart fleet technology supplier Zonar is sharing a list of practical safety tips and comprehensive resources for drivers and operators who cannot self-quarantine.

The list, can be found on Zonar’s COVID-19 resource page, which includes compliance and regulatory assistance and advice, the supplier said in a news release. With the list and resource page, Zonar aims to help drivers and operators determine what information is useful for them amid an overwhelming amount of information being disseminated by various sources.

Zonar is also providing additional support for businesses, bus and truck drivers, and operators via free weekly webinars hosted by the company's safety and compliance team, including on-demand replays and Q & A sessions.

The team, led by Fred Fakkema, vice president of safety and compliance at Zonar, is also providing one-to-one advice for drivers and businesses around compliance and regulations through a form. This is in addition to Zonar’s customer success team, which is at the ready to handle any customer- or product-specific inquiries.

“Amidst this global crisis, our workforce has been divided into essential and nonessential labor, with commercial vehicle drivers becoming some of the most indispensable — and most exposed — people in the U.S.,” Fakkema said. “Now more than ever, we want to proactively help them stay safe and healthy in any way we can by making it easy to find and ask for help and advice and factual information when they need it.”

Compiled with the help of other industry experts and authorities, the following practical tips are meant to be considered in addition to following directions provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and federal and state officials. These tips were crafted keeping in mind real-life situations that many drivers cannot avoid or control.

Here are the tips that are applicable to school bus drivers:

1.    Stay in your vehicles as supplies are loaded and unloaded and when possible. Keep your windows up when interacting with another person.
2.    Do not touch fuel pumps with your bare hands – they are often the dirtiest areas of a gas station.
3.    Decrease the number of times you touch “shared” objects with your bare hands such as credit cards, pens, cups, clipboards, handles, ATM pads, etc.
4.    Use a face covering (a mask, scarf, or bandana) and gloves when interacting with people, along with social distancing. Disinfect these objects as much as possible.
5.    When you can, go digital or electronic. Avoid receipts, forms, or other physical objects that are passed around without protection.
6.    Handwashing with soap is more effective at removing certain kinds of germs, but if you need to make your own hand sanitizer, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol.
7.    Visit Zonar's COVID-19 resource page for updates. Zonar uses trusted industry and government resources for updates including the CDC, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Small Business Administration (SBA), American Public Transportation Association, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
8.    Take advantage of grants and other financial resources if you need assistance. Go here for updates on applying for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program and its Economic Injury Disaster Loan Assistance Program. Additionally, Zonar’s grant assistance program with Learn, Design, Apply Inc. can help locate applicable grants.