Safety features on trucks?

62 is brutal. On the open straight to horizon roads out west.. ugh

 

Companies that continue the 62 MPH governed speed limiter are typically chasing both MPG and lower insurance rates. Safety doesn't have much to do with it. The accountants tell the safety department how to justify it. A slower truck hitting something does less damage than the same truck going faster. Therefore lower top speed can save insurance type payouts.

62 using the pedal is not uncommon....

Some companies will allow you to bump to 65 while on cruise.

I believe some of those have safety interventions if you get above 70 for very long.

 

@hopeful eyes take it to heart when the drivers here say these features are NOT safety features at all... In many situations they are actually more dangerous.

Believe me, once you get some experience you will not want these on your truck. If you must have them per company policy, then learn to drive for long periods of time without the cruise control. Most of these things only activate if the cruise is turned on.

 

I like the automatic braking on Freightliner because it always watching just incase the driver missed something or something crazy happens and someone cuts you off or stopped in your lane. It only activates if someone it less then 3.9 seconds in front of you and they are stopped or going very slow compared to you. That's more of the adaptive cruise control working most times. If it see you more close and not doing anything you will get a collision warning on the dash first. If don't respond then it will apply the brakes

 

If and when you start driving for a mega fleet. Your interface with the company will scream / whistle loudly when you overspeed. Ask your trainer at what speed it notifies. When I was with Western Express it was 67 mph. Dont exceed what ever limit and the company wont accuse you of speeding.

Lane departure alarm can be silenced. You may want to have it off until after you have driven for 6 months. Many of the alarms may cause distractions. Those distractions mean driver fatigue.

Yet back up cameras arent like what personal conveyance have. Usually you will be swapping trailers daily, so companies of mega fleets wont install them.

 

My truck has power steering, automatic slack adjusters, and a seat belt, that’s about the extent of safety features I have

 

Before I started driving trucks two years ago (20 years driving charter buses) I thought I’d want a backup camera. I even looked into portable rigs that I could attach to different trailers, once I learned about drop and hook.

I’m glad I didn’t spend the money, after I started driving trucks I realized that it would have been a solution looking for a problem. Learn to use your mirrors and, yes, get out and look. Like me, you’ll quickly realize that you don’t need a camera.