The average tractor-trailer driver logs more than 45,000 miles each year. Given a fully-loaded rig nears 80,000 pounds and moves at high rates of speed, CDL-holders need to act with caution. But despite the best efforts of responsible truck drivers, the country experiences upwards of 500,000 accidents annually and too many fatalities. That’s why it’s essential for newly-minted truckers to gather as much safety information as possible and put it to work. These are strategies that could prevent an accident, injury, or someone needlessly losing their life.
1: Practice Advanced Defensive Driving Strategies
Anyone who attends passenger driver’s license training encounters defensive driving techniques. To say handling an 18-wheeler is different would be something of an understatement.
Truck driver defensive techniques also involve scrutinizing road conditions. The passenger vehicles around you do not necessarily understand that a big rig cannot maneuver or stop as quickly as their 6-cylinder or hybrid car.
By looking further down the road, an experienced trucker can anticipate what smaller vehicles are about to encounter. Anticipating how they will react to rough construction terrain or slippery roads allows you to increase the space distance between you or change lanes. Keep in mind, a truck traveling at just 55 mph requires upwards of 400 feet to make a complete stop.
2: Practice Patience With Passenger Vehicles
Truck drivers sometimes adopt a set of industry-insider principles they operate under. Flashing your lights to signal someone they can re-enter your lane safely ranks among them. It’s essential to keep in mind that someone shuttling children around in a minivan has no point of reference about the ways of the trucker. What sometimes seems like commonsense etiquette to a professional CDL-holder is science fiction to the general public.
Safety dictates that tractor-trailer drivers do not get drawn into potential road rage situations. You’re operating the largest vehicle on the open road, and a misstep can cost someone their life. Don’t worry about the little things. Pull your shift and earn a good paycheck by arriving at your destination safely.
3: Plan Your Route Before Leaving the Yard
The advanced technology available to modern-day truckers makes planning more decisive than ever before. GPS mapping systems allow you to simulate routes based on elements such as total miles, time, tolls, and other parameters. Perhaps the single greatest advantage of leveraging next-generation technology stems from the ability to identify road construction.
Torn up highways with orange barrels reducing travel lanes causes significant traffic and congestion. These spaces also pose risks because irresponsible passenger vehicle drivers too often try to race to the merge point and cut in front other others. Along with saving time and reducing work stress, planning to avoid road construction makes the trip less risky. Technology can also help drivers avoid severe weather and identify places to get off the road in the event of an emergency. Planning, as the saying goes, is a key to success.
Hands free phone use does not equal distraction free.
look ahead
leave an out
watch out for the other guy
What happened to the number one most important product of being a truck driver make sure your truck and trailer can go down the highway legally and safely you’re all so afraid of us truck drivers and reckless killers and runaway rigs you leave the most important rule out you people are a joke it’s called a pre-trip in the morning a post-trip at night and when you stop and en route safety look
You can have 5 car length ahead of you, and the asshole car drivers, don’t give a shit, they will fill that void, cut in front, without thinking. And telling you your ## 1
Think we all have been there and getting worse by the day. And blaming the truckers, and these idiots lawyers looking to get rich.
All 3 of the above is BS. You can route plan all day everyday and something will change it. 4 wheelers are the most dangerous idiots out here and no matter how defensive you are it doesn’t help.
Every day im on the road I see those Owner opperaters tailgating cars, Im a company driver but a happy and safe one. They got to put a stop on those owner operators that don’t care about families. They always try blaming the new driver’s, and the New drivers are the SAFE ones out there.
That’s still not good enough, it’s not only four wheelers, it’s everyone, and since they lifted the pandemic, every idiot has come out.
I have a suggestion for new CDL holders. How about not driving with your feet on the dash? And remove the earbuds from your ears.