Nebraska State Patrol troopers at weigh stations and rest areas armed with trash grabber tools began distributing 100,000 cloth face masks to truck drivers rolling through the state.
At the eastbound Interstate 80 weigh station at the Cass County line, Sgt. Les Zimmerman and Trooper Kevin Kern began doling out the free masks at 7 a.m.
"Thank you so much," one trucker said as he rolled up to the duo.
Capt. Gerry Krolikowski, who heads the State Patrol's Carrier Enforcement Division, said by 8 a.m. the two had distributed more than 130 of the surgical masks.Â
Only a handful of truckers had declined the offer.Â
Weigh station operators planned to call all trucks without pre-clearance in for inspection, he said, and as they exit the scales they're handed a mask, via the improvised trash grabber tool.Â
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Haulers serve as an important part of the supply chain and transport vital goods from the field to the processor or from the processor to the warehouse, Krolikowski said.Â
Weigh station operators in the state have begun to see more haulers donning personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 outbreak, he said.Â
"But by far, a lot less than I've seen in the general community," he said.
Troopers across the state, along with members of the Nebraska Trucking Association and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, were handing out the face masks Wednesday.Â
“Our partners in the trucking industry have done heroic work over the last several weeks to keep Americans' grocery store shelves stocked and transport critical supplies all over the country to help in the fight against COVID-19,†Krolikowski said. “Our troopers are proud to be part of this effort to keep those drivers safe.â€
They'll continue their statewide effort Thursday.Â
Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security officials provided the masks as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.