Bob, tell us about AmCoach.

“The AmCoach is a motor home retrofitted to provide suitable and comfortable transportation for truckers when they are discharged from the hospital. We carry truckers wherever they need to go, whether it’s back home, to another medical center or nursing home. 

“These men and women are unable to sit for long periods of time so they can’t fly commercially or ride home in the family car. An air ambulance is outrageously expensive, so that leaves AmCoach as their only way
to get home.”

What kind of injuries do you see?

“A lot of heart attacks. Driving is incredibly stressful. Plus, many truckers smoke, eat poorly and don’t get enough exercise. 

“We see quite a few broken bones from slipping on ice in parking lots, falling off tankers and flat beds, and injuries from truck accidents. Once we transported a trucker who was in a full body cast. AmCoach is equipped with a lift, so we were able to get him inside and comfortable.”

Do you provide medical care?

“No, my job is to drive. We urge family members to ride along so they can give medication, change dressings, and help the trucker to the bathroom.”

What other services do you offer?

“AmCoach is one part of our TransAlive organization. Death
notification is another.

“We have a nationwide network of pastors who are certified in grief counseling. If a driver dies on the road, our clergy notify the family and remain with the spouse until help arrives. They are never left alone.

“Truckers also lose family members, and we do what we can to notify drivers and assist them in getting back home.”

That has to be hard to handle.

“We had one fleet call us to say the three-year-old child of one of their drivers was killed. The company got him back to the terminal, where his personal car was located, but the driver lived 200 miles away. 

“The company refused to allow the guy into his car; understandably, he was an emotional wreck. We sent two volunteers out to the terminal. One drove the trucker home and another followed in the trucker’s car.”

You have volunteers, too?

“TransAlive has an amazing roster of volunteers, organized by ZIP code. When a call comes in, we get the ZIP codes for both the trucker and his or her family. 

“If a driver is hospitalized while on the road, we find a volunteer who lives in the same ZIP code, who can visit the trucker in the hospital. They’ll stay until the family arrives or the driver is discharged. 

“Recently we helped a family from central Arkansas. The trucker was hospitalized in Salt Lake City. One volunteer drove the family to the airport in Little Rock and another picked them up at the airport and took them to the hospital.

“When the trucker was discharged, my wife and I transported him and his family back to Arkansas in the AmCoach.

“A trucker’s community is typically the voices on the CB. They’re not home long enough to establish strong relationships in their hometown. So if there’s a crisis, the family may have nobody to turn to for help. That’s why TransAlive is here. We can dispatch volunteers so both the family and driver get support – even if they’re thousands of miles apart.”

What gave you the idea to start TransAlive?

“Think how many times we drive by accidents and, a few miles up the road, we stop thinking of the people involved. In 1975, I drove by a horrible tractor-trailer accident. But, I couldn’t forget.

“I went to the hospital to offer the driver my help. Over the next eight weeks, my wife Carol and I assisted the driver, Joe Traylor, through three difficult surgeries. When he was well enough to travel, Joe was transported by air ambulance from Texas to his hometown near Indianapolis.

“I started TransAlive nearly nine years later. Joe was lucky in that he was able to arrange for transportation. Today, most truckers don’t have that option.”

Where do you get your money?

“We have incredible sponsors who sincerely care for the welfare of their drivers. In fact, they’re among those with the lowest driver turnover rate in the industry.  

“While some sponsor TransAlive, other firms have an agreement to pay the fuel and expenses for us to bring their sick or injured drivers home.”

What can fleet owners do to help?

“Call us when your sick or injured drivers or leased owner operators need help. Don’t hesitate or worry the case isn’t severe enough to warrant our assistance. Call us and we can talk about it. 

“We always welcome sponsors with gratitude. An AmCoach sponsorship is $499 a year, and I think it’s an incredible way to show your drivers you care about them.”

Editor’s note: If you wish to sponsor TransAlive, visit their Web site at www.Transalive.com or call Bob Hataway at
1-800-USA-HURT.