Are you eligible to apply?
- Have you had an injury or illness within the last 365 days?
- Did the injury or illness cause you to come off the road?
- At the time of illness or injury, did you hold a valid Class A commercial driver’s license?
- At the time you came off the road, were you driving a semi-truck as an over-the-road driver, away from home for 4 or more nights/week? (This will be verified through your employer and/or settlement statements)
- Was driving a semi-truck over the road your primary source of income prior to injury or illness?
- Has/Will the injury or illness lead to financial difficulty (i.e. cause you to be out of work and depleted your savings)?
- Are you a U.S. citizen?
- All of these criteria must be met and will be verified upon receipt of an application. .
*Please note that we are unable to provide assistance if the medical problem occurred while intoxicated, or under the influence of illegal drugs. We are also unable to provide assistance if the driver is out of work due to an elective procedure.
BEFORE applying please be ready with the following information:
1. Hospital, clinic or doctors’ names and phone numbers
2. Employer’s name, phone number, POC and valid email address
3. The amounts of your monthly household expenses
4. If you are an Owner Operator or Lease Operator, your business income and expenses
Other Helpful Information about the Application Process
What do I do with my application when I complete it?
- When completing online, it will automatically be sent to us after signing.
- If completing a paper application, fax to 865-851-8396, mail to P.O. Box 30763 Knoxville, TN 37930 or scan and email it to contact@truckersfund.org
How does the process work?
After receiving completed application
- Questions will be sent out based on your answers provided within the application.
- A medical release form is sent to the listed hospital, clinic or doctor to request copies of medical records.
- Employment verification is done by sending the form to the company listed or through business documentation.
- Once the medical records have been received, your employment has been verified and all questions have been answered, then members of the Review Committee will review your application.
- After a decision has been made, you will receive an email.
- If you are approved for financial assistance, you will be asked to provide a copy of the bill(s) to which you want the money to go towards. Payments are sent to companies directly.
- *Please note that, due to the high volume of drivers needing assistance, we can only offer short-term help with a small portion of bills.
How long does the process take?
- The process is not quick, and it can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to process the application. We will send updates as your application proceeds through the steps. **Please do not call/email daily about a status update, as this takes away time from processing other applications!
- Delays are due to
-Medical records not being received
-A lack of response from the applicant concerning questions
-Incomplete applications - Delay in receiving employment verification from company or requested business documentation
Medical records are requested within 1-2 business days of receiving responses to additional application questions; however, many offices do not supply the records in a timely manner. We suggest that applicants call their doctor or hospital in advance, letting them know a release for medical records will be coming from the St. Christopher Fund, and ask that they send your records as soon as possible.
Are there other resources you can provide?
Yes
- Contact your local community action agency. You can find your agency by entering your state and county here.
- You can also find additional resources by calling 211 from any phone.
- Contact your mortgage provider, landlord, loan companies (e.g., car, credit card, furniture), courts (i.e., child support), IRS, cell phone company, and other types of companies in which you owe monthly bills to explain your situation and ask for deferment/help during your recovery time.
- If you anticipate being out of work for more than a few months, apply for social security disability. It generally takes 1 year to get approved.
Click here for an extensive list of additional resources.