Greetings and Welcome to the truckersfinalmile.org Overview of Programs.
Program Number 1:
This program entails the discussion of loss of life. For Truck Drivers of North America, this subject is many times avoided, until it happens. Then we panic. So, this is the service we will provide for our clients.
These programs are “immediate need” assistance. These programs are not intended for injuries and/or medical episodes that occurred any extended period of time ago.
In the event of death of any Truck Driver, in most instances there is an detailed notification process of next of kin. Generally, this is done by the next of kin getting a home visit by a law enforcement official. This may include a police Chaplain, and may be from any branch, such as Sheriff’s Department, State Police, or Local agency. Hopefully, this is not accomplished over the phone, email or any other social media. Those notifying next of kin may usually stay with the person being notified until a friend or other relative arrives.
Upon notification, and should the next of kin choose to pursue services via our programs, we will verify their information, and in every request we will strive to do so within four (4) hours. Information as to who made the notification, agency, officer name, and etcetera will be obtained by our 24 hour staffed offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our staff would then contact the notifying agency. Specifics as to remains locations would be made, i.e. city and state and contact means for any hospital or morgue.
Other secondary confirmation can be made through news organizations, employer and/or other identified immediate family members.
Note: Many times, families do not have resources available to get a truckers remains released from a medical examiners office. To the extent financial strength exists, truckersfinalmile will pay a portion or the full cost of cremation if elected, or embalming. We will negotiate the lowest possible cost for these services and pay the
vendor direct and/or make arrangements for future payments. In most cases, funeral homes will require these payments up front. Also, in cases of cremation, due to any outside agency investigation, there may be a 48 hour hold placed on remains. truckersfinalmile has no control over crematory schedules which may cause additional delay in release of remains. Family members may be required to supply medical examiners offices with appropriate release documents.
Next of kin may need to provide authorities/agencies necessary information to generate death certificate(s).
Benefits received have no refundable cash value and are not transferable. With limited extraordinary exception, individual program benefit per event shall not exceed five thousand dollars. truckersfinalmile.org does NOT transport human remains. We simply help pay the cost of these services provided by established experienced professionals so that the decedent is properly tended to through every step of this process.
Program Number 2:
This program is designed to reunite the truck driver with his/her family should serious debilitating injury occur which requires hospitalization. This can encompass many variables of injury type and should be all inclusive.
We will not pay for any “first need” air or ground transport to a medical facility.
Summary Example: A truck driver suffers a broken hip when alighting from his/her truck in Atlanta and is hospitalized. The company sends another driver for the load. The home is Denver, Colorado. This program will provide air fare from Denver to Atlanta and return, ground transportation from the home residence to the Denver airport if needed, and hotel accommodations in Atlanta for up to five days for the family member.
Once released from medical care, and noting any travel restriction, truckersfinalmile can assist in transportation costs home. Note: truckersfinalmile.org will maintain records of cause and manner of serious injury, location, and etcetera as needed to help establish new federal data base records and to support new studies as needed.
Program Number 3:
This program will cover all the above describe travel, lodging and ground transportation needs of a driver’s immediate family member in the event of serious sudden onset illness. This is again defined by a hospital admission. Verification is the same as Program 2. This could be defined as a heart attack, stroke, gall bladder surgery, or any other serious illness. Pre planned, out patient, dental and/or cosmetic surgeries are not eligible for our programs.
Once released from medical care, and noting any travel restriction, truckersfinalmile can assist in transportation costs home.
Warning: These programs are designed to benefit North American Truck Driver’s and their families in Times of Crisis. These programs are NOT designed to get you home if you are quitting your job and abandoning your vehicle. ALL requests for services are verified and cross verified.
Definition: Immediate family member is; Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Spouse, (Significant
Partner) Son and Daughter.
Program Number 4:
All of the above outlined programs offer benefit to the truck driver’s family. Our Program Number 4 will reverse this for the benefit of the DRIVER. Should any of the above situations occur to the driver’s immediate HOUSEHOLD member as defined above, we will provide all of the transportation modes as above with exceptions below which may apply:
Ground transportation at the home location will be on an as needed basis. Obviously, if the spouse is involved in a serious accident, there may be a need for a rental. The five day limit would apply however. We will not, and cannot secure storage or make other arrangements for any tractor, trailer, and or load. Lodging costs would be covered, only, for example, if the family was displaced by fire, tornado, hurricane, and etcetera and only if all other avenues of assistance were first exhausted.
Summary Example: While away from home on the road, a driver in Atlanta is notified that his spouse is severely injured in a car accident in Denver. Our program would verify, within our four hour goal, arrange a flight home and if no other ground transportation is available, provide him/her with (up to) five day rental car. He/she would return to Atlanta on the second half of our round trip flight after (up to) five days. Any storage of any tractor, trailer, load, would be the responsibility of the driver and/or his company. This five day period of time would allow the driver to then make arrangements for other family members or other agencies or his/her employer to assist. Thus, a more permanent solution could be found.
Verification of need of assistance in this program will be very stringent. We do not assist nor pay for drivers to get home if they are quitting their job and/or abandoning their vehicle.
Program Number 5:
truckersfinalmile.org provides mobility and accessibility improvements at a truckers home. This Program is designed to assist truck drivers that have lost their career due to a work related injury. The truck driver MUST have been employed or self employed as a CDL truck driver at the time of disability. This type of injury includes, but is not limited to: loss of limb, spinal injury, burns, and other mobility restricting injuries that would be made tolerable by improvements to the home. The improvements include, but are not limited to: wheel chair ramp, widening of hall and door ways, ADA restroom modification, lift mechanisms, lowering counter tops and such. truckersfinalmile.org will provide permits, materials and labor to facilitate these improvements within the truckers schedule as allowed by law. To enroll or to be considered for this Program, send a detailed email to mobility@truckersfinalmile.org. Each request considered will be verified and announced on our Facebook page. Before and after photos of improvements provided by truckersfinalmile.org will be used in our media at any time.
Improvements made at “rental” homes must have written authorization of homeowner. Program Update: Beginning 01 January 2018, truckersfinalmile.org will offer benefit of this program to include all household members.
Program Number 6:
On Staff Chaplain Suspended
Program Number 7:
In reserve
Program Number 8:
In Reserve
Sleigh Bells and Santa is our annual Christmas campaign. Please see that page on this website
for all details.
Response to Frequent Questions:
We, our, the programs, as well as any generalized reference to those providing the programs and/or services provided in this outline and on this web site are terms which refer to truckersfinalmile.org, Inc dba/aka truckersfinalmile.org.
Any service and/or programs benefits distributed are made only as the financial strength of the charity allows. Although we actively engage in fund raising activity, we do not and can not assure the availability of funds. Each and every request for program benefits is/are stringently verified and cross verified.
Records for each and every request are perpetually maintained.
Program benefits have no cash value. Distributions are made to funeral homes, airlines, lodging hosts, and ground transportation vendors, such as taxi services, automobile rental agencies, and air and/or ground ambulance providers, and other vendors based on need ONLY. Any desired upgrades to any services provided by truckersfinalmile.org are the responsibility of, and thus at the expense of, the traveling person(s). Costs that you incur may include, but are not limited to, expense such as meals, fuel, parking fees, phone, fax service, taxes on other services not provided by truckersfinalmile.org, and other personal use needs that may be encountered.
Not all requests will receive the same benefit. Amounts WILL VARY by the merits and needs of each individual request AS DETERMINED BY truckersfinalmile.org as financial strength allows. Each operating program has a limit of $5,000 benefit. Actual cost per request below $5,000 is the actual limit. Example, air fare to transport an injured truck driver home is $545.00. We do not pay out the balance of the $5,000 limit. The benefit limit in this example request is $545.00.
Any refund of any funds provided by truckersfinalmile.org from any vendor for any reason is returned to truckersfinalmile.org only, and will be redeposited into the general operating account, and may be used in any other request or requests as determined by truckersfinalmile.org.
truckersfinalmile.org does not loan monies.
Nearest point to nearest point for any air flight is just that. Ground transportation will be provided to departing airport if flight is arranged as well as ground transportation at destination airport. Airports receiving human remains MUST be certified to do so and may NOT be your “local” airport.
General statement reference definition of the term “Family” used by truckersfinalmile.org. Yes, we understand and are sensitive to “non-traditional” relationships. We use the term “Signifigant Partner”. We honor any type of union, whether recognized by any State or any other State. Our intent is to reunite North American Truck Drivers with Their Family. Family is those that you love and those that love you in an established relationship. These established relationships are not difficult to verify in instances of death, serious injury, or sudden onset medical emergencies. However, next of kin rules apply per law. Some states may not recognize ‘common law’ relationships for next of kin purposes.
Persons/families receiving benefit from any program or service from truckersfinalmile.org will NEVER receive any bill for same. There is no contract. There is no repayment required or necessary. There is no application nor application fee. We do however collect mandatory information needed by the IRS and others to facilitate travel, lodging and rental vehicles and such.
That being said, any subsequent donation to our or any like charity would be appreciated and appropriate tax forms will be issued as applicable. Personal information obtained by truckersfinalmile.org, Inc. to facilitate benefits distribution will never be sold or transfered.
truckersfinalmile.org will provide any of our outlined programs to any CDL Class licensed driver. If an incident occurs to a Canadian or Mexican driver operating in the United States, we will be there for them. For any U.S. driver operating in Canada or Mexico, we will be there for them as well. Our programs are for the North American Truck Driver. We do not nor will not discriminate in any way for any reason. We do not judge any case by fault or cause. Any limitation we may have to any program is funds availability. And we strive to minimize that!.
Statement; regarding benefits to international drivers or U.S. drivers operating in Canada or Mexico: “truckersfinalmile.org, Inc. maintains sufficient control and involvement to ensure funds are used for, and to fulfill, the intended exempt purposes.”
Statement: Appropriate compliance requirements for Canada have been met and are on file in our Albuquerque office.
Statement regarding benevolent funds established by or in use by any trucking company is for informational purposes only. Persons seeking assistance from any source other than truckersfinalmile.org are encouraged to familiarize themselves with that particular funds policies.
It is the responsibility of the parties traveling abroad to provide any required documentation (i.e. passport) for return into the United States.
truckersfinalmile.org can not and does not provide for any storage or security of any commercial motor vehicle or any load there on.
truckersfinalmile.org does not provide transportation for pets. Programs provided by truckersfinalmile.org are not intended to get you home if you are quitting your job and abandoning your truck.
Any/all programs are not applicable during acts of war, domestic or foreign acts of terrorism, or for persons operating in regions of conflict. All text and intellectual property contained on this website, truckersfinalmile.org, and truckersfinalmile.com are owned by truckersfinalmile.org, Inc., and Robert B. Palm exclusively. truckersfinalmile.org is a trade mark of truckersfinalmile.org, Inc.
Any and all change to any policy described above will be announced 30 days prior to its effective date.
Further information on our mission, our goals, and our direction, can be addressed to Robert Palm at 505
205 5603, via email to robert@truckersfinalmile.org, or by visiting our web site at www.truckersfinalmile.org. or by U.S. Mail to truckersfinalmile.org, 3301-R Coors Blvd., N.W., #293, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120.
Thank you for your interest in our benefits programs, and thank you for your initial and continued financial support. Any excess funds for any individual request need or campaign will be assigned to the general fund for future needs of the Mission.
Robert B. Palm, Founder