All across the country, there are men and women that dedicate their life to driving trucks. Truckers have a demanding job, as it’s not easy to drive a vehicle that big. Bearing that in mind, I have some driving advice that will make you safer:
Picture Credit: https://goo.gl/lsTExJ)
Try And Leave Room For Overtakes
It’s no secret that your truck isn’t the fastest thing on the roads. When you’re pulling a heavy weight, there’s no way you’ll be speeding along. In fact, you’ll probably end up cruising along below the speed limit on some roads. As you can imagine, this presents a problem for other drivers. They end up stuck behind a slow truck that’s preventing them from getting somewhere on time. So, what do they do? They try and overtake you. As a trucker, you have to allow as much room as possible for the overtake. Stay as close to the outside of the road as possible. This helps prevent accidents from happening. If you don’t give them enough room, then end up taking a risk and could crash into an oncoming vehicle. So, tip number one; leave plenty of room for overtakes.
Slowly Edge Out At Junctions
Tip number two is for anyone that approaches a classic T-junction in their truck. When in your car, you can sometimes cruise across these without having to stop fully. This is because you can see the traffic and if it’s clear you can just drive straight through. But, with a truck, it’s harder to see traffic from both sides. Plus, you have the extra length behind you. So, firstly, you have to stop. Then, slowly ease yourself out and keep checking. If you pull out too fast, a car will hit you, and there will be a massive truck wreck. The next thing you know, you’re in court with a truck wreck attorney blasting you for your poor driving. Don’t let this happen, as it can be very damaging to you and your driving career. Always approach junctions with caution, and ease out of them.
Never Drive When Tired
Driving when tired is bad at all times, but, it’s worse when you drive a truck. There’s a certain level of responsibility you have when you get behind the wheel of a vehicle that size. It’s a lot harder to drive than a regular car; that’s for sure. So, you have to be alert at all times. You need 100% concentration, nothing more nothing less. If you’re a tired trucker, then you’re endangering the rest of the people on the road. Remember, you have a heavy load attached to the back of you. So, if you snooze slightly and drift into the wrong lane, you could hit multiple cars. It’s far too easy to cause a pile up on the highway when you’re not alert at the wheel. Get as much sleep as you can whenever you’re not driving.
Hopefully, these tips will help you become a safer truck driver. If you found this information helpful, perhaps you’ll enjoy another article too? Check out our previous post with tips on dealing with life on the road. As a truck driver, you’ll find it useful!
