Federal authorities will be soon be handing out hundreds of thousands of masks to truckers all across the U.S.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that it will coordinate the distribution of 800,000 free masks for truck drivers at dozens of locations across the country in the coming days.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will be assisting in the mask distribution operation.
FMCSA is currently delivering the masks and plans to distribute them to drivers over the next few days.
You can view mask distribution locations below.
Arkansas:
- I-30 East/West at log mile 93.2 (2.1 miles east Hwy 84)
- Alma – I-40 east and west at Arkansas – Oklahoma Border
- Hope – I-30 east and west at Arkansas – Texas Border
- Riverside – I-40 west at Arkansas – Tennessee Border
- Bridgeport – I-55 west at Arkansas – Tennessee Border
California:
- I-5 Northbound at mile marker 203 (outside of Los Angeles)
- Possible other locations include rest stops and Ports of entry or border crossings
Georgia:
- I-75 southbound, mile marker 179, in Forsyth/Juliette, GA just north of Macon, GA.
Georgia Inspection Stations
- I-85 southbound at Georgia – South Carolina Border (Franklin County Inspection Station) MM 169
- I-95 southbound at Georgia – South Carolina Border (Chatham County Inspection Station) MM 111 I-75 northbound at Georgia – Florida Border (Lowndes County Inspection Station) MM 23
- I-75 southbound at Georgia – Tennessee Border (Catoosa County Inspection Station) MM 343
- I-85 northbound at Georgia – Alabama Border (Troup County Inspection Station) MM 23
- I-95 northbound at Georgia – Florida Border (McIntosh County Inspection Station) MM 55
- I-20 westbound at Georgia – South Carolina Border (Columbia County Inspection Station) MM 188
- I-20 westbound at Georgia – Alabama Border (Douglas County Inspection Station) MM 43
- I-16 westbound from Savanah Port Area (Bryan County Inspection Station) MM 144
Illinois:
- Eastbound on I-80/I-294 at mile marker 1
- I-55 Southbound MM 108-Williamsville Scale
Indiana:
- I-70 EB/WB on mile marker 107
Indiana Rest Areas:
- I-65 SB at the MM 150
- I-65 NB at the MM 72
- I-70 EB at the MM 107
- I-70 EB at the MM 65
Nebraska:
- Westbound on I-80 at mile marker 431 near Omaha
NE Two-day event locations:
Day 1 (April 29):
- Melia Hills Rest Area Interstate 80 MM 431 WB Waverly EB Interstate 80 MM 415 EB
- Waverly WB Interstate 80 MM 415 WB
- North Platte EB Interstate 80 MM 180 EB
- North Platte WB Interstate 80 MM181WB
- Nebraska City EB/WB Hwy 2 MM 501 EB/WB
- Fremont NB/SB Hwy 77/275 MM 123 NB/SB
- Hebron Hwy 81 NB/SB MM 4 NB/SB
Day 2 (April 30):
- Goehner Truck Parking Area Interstate 80 MM 375 WB
- Waverly EB Interstate 80 MM 415 EB
- Waverly WB Interstate 80 MM 415 WB
- North Platte EB Interstate 80 MM 180 EB
- North Platte WB Interstate 80 MM 181WB
- Nebraska City EB/WB Hwy 2 MM 501 EB/WB
- Fremont NB/SBHwy 77/275 MM 123 NB/SB
- Hebron Hwy 81 NB/SB MM 4 NB/SB
New York:
- Northbound on I-87 at mile marker 33. Just north of NYC, Sloatsburg, NY
Texas:
- I-35 Northbound at mile marker 362A approximately 5 miles south of Hillsboro, midway between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Waco
All Texas inspection sites:
- Mount Pleasant – I-30
- Queen City – US 59
- New Waverly – I-45
- Falfurrias – US 281
- Riviera – US 77
- Penwell – I-20
- Devine – I-35
- Seguin – I-10
The move to distribute masks comes after the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) wrote to President Trump early in April asking the government to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for truck drivers, who are considered essential workers and at the front lines of the fight against Coronavirus.
Similarly, the trucking trade group Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) called on Trump to provide truckers with PPE in an April 22 letter: “Truckers are traveling around the country without access to masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. With an operational budget of $665 million for FY 2019, surely the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has funding available in its budget to make this a reality in accordance with the National Transportation Policy to keep the supply chain intact.”
Since the Coronavirus outbreak began, a growing number of locations require all people who are out in public to wear a mask. In some areas, those who don’t comply can be denied services, fined, or even jailed.