The "Boogey Man" Virus

Being on a dedicated account, I oftentimes go to repeat customers. Some of them I go to enough that they know me by name. Everybody has new procedures and protocols in place now to accommodate this whole "social distancing" experiment.

One of my customers had a sign up telling us to un-tarp and un-strap after driving into the building, and then lay our paperwork on the bed of the trailer. They would then unload it, sign the bills, and leave it on the trailer. It said, "Do not get out of your cab until the fork lift driver signals you with three short beeps on his horn." Then we were allowed to get out and grab our paperwork!

At the Hydro plant in Cressona, PA I headed for the guard shack just like I've done for the past five and a half years, and I find the door is locked. The guard comes to the glass door and shouts through the glass for me to stand back eight feet and he will bring my bills out and set them on the table just outside the door. Then I have to wait until I hear him lock the door back before I can advance to the table and sign my bills! He then waits for me to leave before gathering them up.

I'm about sick of this "Boogey Man" altering our everyday behavior. Before the guard closed the door behind him, as he returned to his protective lair, he looked back at me saying, "Geesh Dale, whoever thought it would get to this? I feel like I'm playing a part in a science fiction movie." He is right - that's kind of how it feels. I feel like I'm re-living an episode of "The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers."

I seriously question this whole approach to battling a virus. It seems most healthy people can deal with it successfully. If more of us could be exposed, then more of us would develop anti-bodies. That seems to me the fastest way to eliminate the threat. Why can't we concentrate on protecting our senior citizens and other highly vulnerable people while the vast numbers of healthy people develop a natural resistance to this. Avoiding a virus doesn't eliminate it. Developing an active defense mechanism kills it.

What do I know about fighting the "Boogey Man?" Nothing! I'm just a dumb truck driver who still has some modicum of common sense.

Once we have a significant part of our population with effective anti-bodies we could harvest their blood plasma and give it to the vulnerable folks. OMG, that's just too simple isn't it!

I'm not scared of the "Boogey Man," but these nut jobs in D.C. are literally frightening.

We're being treated differently by our own company as well. It used to be that when we showed up we had a folder with our names and any paperwork and seals ready for us and turn it in in our transportation office with dispatch and management. Now we're needing to dig through a mountain of paperwork to find our applicable paperwork, go on the computer (the mouse doesnt look like it's been cleaned ever) to dispatch the trip, upon arrival separate everything instead of just leaving it all in the folder. This way nobody else touches our paperwork. After returning to the yard we parked the trailer then parked truck in our assigned pad. We back the truck in so fuelers know which ones need to be fueled. New policy is we either fuel it ourselves or have fuelers do it but we need to stay with the truck. Their reasoning is to avoid anybody else being in our truck and possibly spreading illness. The kicker is theres about 20 or us that do not have an assigned truck and in a different truck everyday. Also for the short term we're being instructed to call the store before arriving so they can help us unload to get us out of "danger" faster. Now instead of nobody being around while I unload I'll have a couple people in close proximity to me. I mentioned in a different topic that I needed to deliver something to dispatch. I was about to call the dispatcher so he could come to the door when a member of management came out. We talked a couple minutes and he took it for me. Then he used his gloved hand to remove the top of his water bottle to refill it at the water cooler, then began drinking it. I will not allow myself to live in fear. I am treating this virus the same as I treat every other. I will take basic precautions to prevent getting it such as washing hands. If I get it I will try to avoid spreading it by covering my cough. If this stupid thing prevents us from closing on our 1st house next month I'll be extremely upset.

Old School, this is what awaits you if you sign your bills before he relocks the door....

Mikey B, you're right - that's what all this unrealistic fear makes it feel like.

Looking at some stuff coming from other countries, it seems that ~1/2 of everyone who has it wont show any symptoms... so there isn't much anyone can do about it, anyway. I feel like its already widespread, and isn't as bad as first thought. We can slow it down a bit, but some of the panic out there is over the top. It does suck in the north east, tho.. they're running out of ventilators in NYC and Philly.

inside a NYC ER now

My niece sent me this link. She's a night RN in this emergency room. She says, quite simply, they're overwhelmed.

Just saw that report on NBC nightly news. They had 13 deaths in 24 hours. They have a 53 foot reefer trailer at the dock as a temporary morgue.

inside a NYC ER now

My niece sent me this link. She's a night RN in this emergency room. She says, quite simply, they're overwhelmed.

“I'm not scared of the "Boogey Man," but these nut jobs in D.C. are literally frightening.”

Great points! I agree!

It seems the medical “experts” and news media are ecstatic over the demise of common sense and freedom. Can Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness be far behind?

🤔

Just saw that report on NBC nightly news. They had 13 deaths in 24 hours. They have a 53 foot reefer trailer at the dock as a temporary morgue.

inside a NYC ER now

My niece sent me this link. She's a night RN in this emergency room. She says, quite simply, they're overwhelmed.

Imagine being the trucker hauling that trailer to the morgue.

"What are you hauling?"

"Just a couple of dead bodies not much weight in here"

Talking about Shippers and Receivers have become overly cautious last week I had a pick up at Clorox in Aberdeen Maryland and their protocols are drivers back to their assigned door, stay in your tractor once your loaded / unloaded only then you can go into the office and sign the BOL of course after you sanitize your hands. The irony is this is a bleach factory....