Truck Drivers Work Extra Hours To Deliver Goods During Coronavirus Pandemic

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (CBS4)- Truck drivers are putting in extra hours and working long hauls to keep up with increased demand from shoppers stocking up during the COVID-19 outbreak. Federal regulations have even been lifted to allow truckers to stay on the road longer, but drivers are running into other obstacles.

According to the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, it is becoming more difficult for truck drivers to find open restaurants, parking and restroom facilities along the state highways as new travel restrictions are placed on businesses and people during the coronavirus pandemic.

CBS4 talked with one Denver based driver who delivers perishable items to stores and he said ironically he can't buy food to eat.

"Rest areas are being shut down. Some states you can only go through a drive-through, but you can't go inside, to carry out food. That presents a problem for us because we can't take these trucks through drive-through and you can't walk up to a drive-through to get food," said Roderick Montgomery, a Denver based truck driver.

Greg Fulton, President of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association has heard the same issues from drivers.

"One of the things we would ask is our shippers and our customers allow access to their facilities for our folks to use restrooms, and things like that."

The American Trucking Association has also come out calling on the federal government to take precautions so that rest stops can stay open thus allowing truckers to take breaks and be able clean-up and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

At the very least, drivers like Montgomery would like a possible number to call for truck drivers to place orders and possibly pick-up food curbside.

"Just try to make things more accessible to us, 90% of the drivers, we go to Walmart to pick up supplies food for our trucks, but we're having the same problem that everybody else is having," Montgomery added.