Via California - May/June 2020 - 11

COMMUNITY
Fleet manager Alex Grant has
adapted to new rules of the road.
Doing our part
How AAA has been helping out in tough times.
Alex Grant, who manages a fleet of
AAA service trucks based in Fairfield,
Calif., says a lot of things changed
when the coronavirus crisis hit.
Traffic got lighter, for one thing.
Most of the people still driving were
doing so for good reasons. They may
have been medical personnel, first
responders, grocery store clerks, or
others who, in one way or another,
were working to keep the rest of us
healthy, safe, and fed. Grant's job was
to help make sure everyone arrived
safely wherever they were going.
His top priority as a fleet manager
remained the same as always: ensuring
the safety and well-being of AAA
Members and his staff. But in the days
of physical distancing and extreme
hygiene, that meant making some
creative adjustments.
Take, for example, a routine call
for Emergency Road Service. Drivers
now had to limit their physical contact
with Members and passengers,
observing the distancing protocols
and minimizing contact with surfaces
that others may have touched. For
the time being, a Member getting a
tow could no longer ride in the truck
with the AAA driver.
When a Member contacted the
AAA service center, a staffer would
provide an estimated wait time, as
usual. But now she or he would also
ask the Member to use that wait time
to arrange a ride-with a friend, relative,
or ride-hailing service-to wherever
the vehicle was being towed. In a
few cases, AAA could provide rides in
vans that had entirely separate airspaces
for the driver and passengers
AAA | VIA 11
JAMES BUETI
Via California - May/June 2020

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