Congratulations! You are well underway as being a professional truck driver and are racking up the hours behind the wheel as we speak. The more hours you rack up, the more sights you will see while going around the country. Unfortunately, sometimes you might not see the prettiest of sights. Those sights being accidents of another truck driver or private, civilian cars on the road. Our Semi Truck Repair Flint Michigan experts are here to provide some helpful tips to prevent you from having any accidents on the road.
Take Your Time On The Road
With long hours ahead of you and wanting to stay on schedule, truckers may try to get through everything as quickly as possible. However, rushing around with an 80,000lb vehicle might not be the safest way to practice accident prevention. It is important to take it slow when you are using your rig. Whether you are coming to or going from a truck stop or backing into a loading dock, it is important to take your time. This is by far the best tip to practice to prevent accidents. Speed is the leading cause of all accidents whether it’s your profession or not.
Be Vigilant
Staying vigilant about your surroundings and your vehicle is extremely important. Don’t skip out on your bases like checking blind spots or inspecting your rig before you go out on a long trip. You should have eyes on your entire vehicle while keeping an eye out for the other drivers on the road. Accidents can be one-sided a lot of the time, so it is critical to watch others. A good way to practice this is to have a routine when you leave the loading dock or stop for rest for your rig.
Planning Your Trips
Now, of course, not all trips go according to plan. Detours and roadblocks happen. With this being said, it is still important to plan out your trips especially for newer drivers. As time goes on, you’ll become more and more familiar with trips, but when becoming a newly trained driver, it can be intimidating figuring out how to get from point A to point B. Your daily routine should include trip planning which is timing out your breaks, fuel stops, and goals for reaching your destination.
Trust Your Gut
If you are making a turn or heading down a road that doesn’t seem right to you, stop and think for a minute, and always trust your gut. This holds true for having a spotter as well. Spotters can be helpful but are not meant to do your job for you. Usually, a spotter will only have eyes on one part of the truck, so it is important to still be focused and aware of what is going on with all aspects of your rig. Take your time. No one is going to be mad if you are cautious before making a tight turn or backing up.
Great post – Very informative.