No one wants to think about the implications of losing a loved one, especially when that loved one may be far away from home when they pass. At once, I don’t think there’s a trucking family in the world who doesn’t bear the concern of their driver not making it home when they leave. It’s a very real possibility, and one a lot of families aren’t prepared for when it happens to them.
Our buddy Robert Palm, founder of Truckersfinalmile.org, meets a lot of people who weren’t prepared. The nonprofit charity raises money to help offset (and more often completely cover) the costs of reuniting deceased, critically ill, or otherwise physically displaced drivers with their families.
More often than not, trucking families find themselves in need of assistance because it’s not common knowledge, or something usually discussed during sign-on, that these costs aren’t automatically covered by an employer.
Robert Palm and Nicole Kilborn, COO of OBOL ServiceIn fact, it’s not something the company owes anyone, unless specific terms are discussed and agreed upon in the carrier’s contract. And it’s something people need to be educated about, so they can negotiate these terms into their pay packages, or make other arrangements with a company such as OBOL Service, which delivers insurance to travelers to help families get them home when the worst happens.
OBOL Service has recently announced its alliance with the Truckers Final Mile organization. Both are supporting an educational initiative for truck drivers, their families, and the trucking industry, hoping to ignite a paradigm shift within the industry through awareness and knowledge that alternative options exist, before an emergency occurs. OBOL Service looks forward to supporting Robert’s cause and his brothers and sisters of the highway in need by donating a portion of each plan sold in honor of his organization.
Having the initial conversation is often difficult, but something that needs to be done. If your job requires you to be more than 100 miles from home on a regular basis, it’s just as important as any other insurance you subscribe to. Ask about it when you’re considering jobs and consider offering it if you’re an employer.
Robert’s goal has always been for his charity to become unnecessary, and through partnerships like these, he’s one step closer to achieving the goal of putting his nonprofit out of business. And that’s just fine with him.
