The (5) Keys of driving OTR Every new driver should adhere to

#6 dont add to the idiot drivers that already have a cdl, just because they have a cdl doesnt mean they know what they are doing

 

All these things are great, but I will draw a bit of a debate about the 5th one. I get more detailed. I always tried to make sure I could see the persons eyes. This has kept me out of so many problems I have lost count. EVEN in my POV. If you see a car about to pull out and you can't see that they are looking at you, well I always started to slow at that point. I know this is not possible across all of trucking situations. Actually about 20 or so years ago I think I might have saved a young girls life because I followed that. She was so busy yacking with the other girls in that car she never looked to her left. If I had not already started slowing I would have T-Boned her going close to 60 MPH. When she pulled out I was slow enough I was able to get slowed enough that she could get by me and live. I don't think she saw me until I was almost on her. My father taught me this years before the Smith System!

 

I rarely ever make eye contact with a car or truck waiting on a side street, I’ll turn my head away from them and still keep them in sight and will be prepared.
But it seems if I make eye contact then they will always pull out right in front of me.

 

Smith system - 5 keys to safe driving, been around since the 50's.....and still relevant.

 

You are not the first driver I have heard say that. I have had this discussion live many times in Truck Stops. However I will stand on my comment. If that driver has their head turned away I start the process of slowing down. I know too many drivers that through no fault of their own have been involved in accidents where there were fatalities. Today I no longer have to worry about this. Just to make this clear. I know of a driver that I believe drove for Lithonia Lighting in Georgia that went through this and later blew his brains out. My comment is not an underhanded attempt to blame truckers. It is just that truckers sometime don't understand the size and weight of their vehicle. Being a professional is a lot more then just saying you are!

 

I was training a new driver who started out as a Limo driver in New York and that was his advise for local streets in the big rotten apple. He avoided the expressways whenever possible and negotiated Brooklyn with ease.He said the second they see your eyes, they bolt.

 

I was on I- 24 yesterday and an ambulance came up behind a bunch of us. I saw him pretty quick in my mirror and pulled over out of the way and the people in front of me did the same. There was a white SUV that never got out of the way even though the ambulance was right behind them for at least a good 45 seconds. Finally they woke up and got out of the way I want around behind the ambulance looked over and it was some ditzy blonde that still had a phone in her hand.

 

Number 7: be a student of human nature and Physics. When someone does something stupid or realizes they are in trouble and want out, strange things can happen.

However along comes a brain dead idiot against me in my own lane creating a real problem.

In Memphis east of the I-40 bridge I had a man with a pickup towing a little 15 foot boat with outboard stop short in rush traffic in front of me. I knew I was not only going to hit him but shove that boat into the cab hurting or killing them. There had to be some kind of out and nothing.

I finally invented a out, I steered to the right and used the last three feet between his outboard motor and the transom of his boat (The back stern wall) to finish the stop. I took a risk hoping that the one on my right steer will move when I moved right. He moved.

Im happy it worked out. It was about all I can stand as far as problems beginning to compound during that hard stop. I think we all were. That FFE tractor was due for some brake work and that was taken care of at any expense in the first shop capable of doing that necessary work. When I came out I had brakes for once. For once the Shop boss issuing that Comcheck did not complain after I explained why.

If you know something is not 100% on that truck of yours, Drop everything and get it fixed. It's really hard to describe how lucky we all were that I did not hit anything being as heavy as I was that day.

 

The main key is not to lock your keys in the truck.