Staying close but distant: Two Men And A Truck takes all precautions to keep moving safe

With moving deemed an essential service by the Ontario government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with Two Men and a Truck Canada more committed than ever to our motto “The Movers Who Care,” we have implemented several procedures and protocols to protect our customers, management and employees.

Safety comes first, so we are following the best practices and guidelines for sanitation, physical distancing and cleanliness set out by our federal and local governments, provincial health agencies and the World Health Organization.

First and foremost, our movers wear clean uniforms and protective gear such as masks and disposable latex gloves. They wash and/or sanitize their hands carefully. Once done, they wipe down the truck door handles, steering wheel, dashboard and cab interior with disinfectant wipes.

During COVID-19 we are no longer performing on-site estimates at the customer’s home. We are leveraging technology to perform a virtual walk through a customer’s home as well as performing telephone estimates and customers now can enjoy a brand new chat feature available to them on our franchisee’s websites.

Visit twomenandatruck.ca to see a video of one of our drivers performing this procedure. They also sanitize the interior of the truck box.

Two days before every scheduled move, we call our customers for an update, asking if anyone is ill or has been out of the country and recently returned. If the answer is yes, we postpone the move. And let’s talk physical distancing. Staying six feet away from each other during a move is just one step. We ask that no more than two persons remain in the home during the move, and that they stay secluded in one room in the house during the move to the degree that’s possible to limit customer contact.

At our 26 locations across Canada, we stagger the dispatching of moves by 15-minute increments to keep the number of our employees coming into the franchise at one time to a minimum. We also attempt to use the same crews during each week, to decrease their exposure to others. Of course, if any of our staff becomes ill, they stay home and self-isolate for 14 days before returning to work. We also advise them to call their doctor or the public health number, and/or to self-assess at the Ontario website created for that purpose.

Although change is challenging, it is also exciting. No one handed us a playbook for dealing with COVID-19. We are figuring it out as we go. We find the main thing is to allow common sense to prevail and to drive decision-making. Safety comes first, as it always has at our company. This concept takes on a heightened importance as a result of the current pandemic.

Throughout the year, pandemic or not, people move for a variety of reasons, such as leases expiring, divorces, job relocations, as examples. The real estate market may be slower right now, but many people will be looking to move in June, July and August – our busiest time of the year. We know that our customers and communities are counting on us to stay healthy and continue to provide this very essential service. Even during this unusual pandemic situation, we are still moving Canadians forward!