Options Cut By Coronavirus Crisis, Food Trucks Step Up To Help Truckers

GOLD RUN (CBS13) — You have heard of two men and a truck, but what about two men and two trucks?

An electrical contractor has a bright idea to feed thousands and keep the economy rolling during the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's just a grassroots effort that's sort of blowing up," said Scott Zachman.

A couple of weeks ago, his wife made an observation while out driving.

"She saw some truckers pulling to the side of the road and she said, 'How are they going to eat?'" Zachman said. "And I started talking about it and said let's make it happen."

So he and the owner of Dine and Dash decided to set up shop at the Gold Run rest stop.

"We are packaging 200 breakfast burritos and 33 sandwiches at lunch," Zachman said.

They have served nearly 1,200 meals and were just awarded a food truck permit after California Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized temporary permits for food trucks at state-run rest stops.

"Food trucks are a good idea because we need some variety," he said.

Sherri Page says truckers are hungry for hot meals.

"Mostly it's sandwiches and hamburgers. so when you need a vegetable or something hot it's hard to get," Page said. "They have shut down the inside of fast food places and it's only drive-throughs and they won't let you walk up."

The state's goal is to drive food trucks to rest areas along commercial corridors, no more than three permits per location.

"We are doing ours for free. We don't have any intent on changing," Zachman said.

He will keep rolling through the help of donations, saying it's the least he can do.

"They are front and center behind health care in terms of being essential and keeping this nation going," he said.

The temporary permits will be in place until June 15.