Driving a truck is not an easy task. It requires truckers’ full concentration. Truckers not only drive huge vehicles, they also compete for other truckers in the road, extreme weather, tiredness and even unpredictable wild animals.
You don’t have right to make mistakes as one mistake may cost a lot. Thus, trucking is not for nervous or inexperienced drivers.
Even if you are a professional truck driver you should prioritize your safety rather than the destination. The following safety tips will help you avoid dangerous situations and reach your destination safe and secure.
Check your tires prior driving – Actually, tires are the most important ones among all parts of your rig in terms of security. Tires do the main job as they are the only points of the truck that have direct contact with the roads. Therefore, their good condition should be very important for any trucker.
Visually check tires prior starting driving and measure the depth of treat. Always have a precise tire pressure gauge inside of the truck. Check other parts of the rig aside from tires, such as brakes, wheel fastening, cooling system and so on.
Steer cleverly – Keep your hands on the wheel in the position of “3 and 9”. This position is the best for easy steering in both directions without re-positioning hands. You get the maximum control of your truck when you keep the wheel in this way.
Don’t forget seven seconds’ rule – you need to keep the following distance of at least 7 seconds in perfect conditions. In bad climate or when the road is too packed, keep a longer distance. Always remember that the bigger your rig is, the longer it takes it to break after you apply brakes.
Your lights should be kept on – Your clearance and headlights must always be turned on and upheld in a clean form. As you are driving a gigantic vehicle, this amount helps you stay harmless while driving at nights. Your fellow drivers have more time to notice your vehicle’s dimensions when your lights are on. It gives them a chance to notice your vehicle and get ready to regulate when they come closer to you.
Try to avoid changing lanes – Whenever you change the lane, you expose yourself to a danger because your truck has many blind spots. You should check side mirrors as regularly as every fifteen seconds.
Take into consideration bad weather conditions– Keep longer following distance with the vehicles in front of you when it rains or snows. Drive slower than it is mentioned in the speed limit sign. Prepare your tire chains before you go to cruise around mountainous areas in winter. You are recommended maintain fuel tank always full in case of cold temperature.
Load and unload carefully – Please always be sure that both the transport and freight are safe during loading and unloading. You should apply barking breaks for the tractor as well as for the trailer. Leave the loading dock only after being sure that the dock plate is removed and there is nobody working inside the trailer.
Don’t rely on the cruise control – Cruise control is really a great development that simplifies long journeys since it is tiring for truckers to keep the gas pedal hold at all times. However, you should be extremely attentive when using cruise control when driving on slippery roads or in need of frequent speed corrrections (for instance, when you drive on a winding road or when you drive in the city or then there is a heavy traffic).
