Are you someone who drives a truck for a living? If yes, it can’t be denied that you’re doing a tough and dangerous job. When you have to drive professionally, this needs good skills and you also need to be responsible enough to ensure the safety of others. In short, it is vital to be safety conscious. In fact, being cautious about your safety is the only way in which you can keep yourself alive and calm during tense moments that may arise when you’re driving a truck.
We’ve asked a truck accident lawyer and he has related to us the frequency of truck accidents on US roads. Let’s check out a few essential safety tips for truck drivers, especially those who drive a truck regularly for their living.
Use your best common sense for judgment
You should always use your best form of common sense while judging things and obey the traffic instructions and rules from your carrier. Stay alert while driving a truck and here are a few tips to follow:
- Be aware of everything that’s occurring around you
- Look down the road watchfully and also around your rig
- While moving down the highway, particularly in heavy traffic, keep an escape route planned
- Be well rested in order to concentrate while driving
- Be aware of everything and act accordingly, whenever it’s necessary
- The electronic logbook system offers a system for drivers to take proper rest
Stay informed and aware of weather reports
Make sure you’re aware of road and weather conditions much before you start a trip and keep checking the reports as often as you can. Keep a clear eye on the outside temperature and watch out for sudden changes in temperature. Once you get to know what to expect, you can be better prepared for poor weather conditions and other precautions.
Examine the delivery places on foot
Among all driving safety tips, this is probably the most forgotten tip for truckers. While delivering to a new customer, you should be aware of the place to park your truck safely. For a better understanding, you may leave the rig at a place for 10 minutes and examine the spot. Shippers will often say that they have trucks coming in that place but don’t always rely on them. Check things yourself. Since the truck is huge, it may get trapped and be unable to turn around. Hence, you should visit the place on your own and check everything.
Be extra watchful at night
When you’re driving at night, be extra cautious and watchful. You may be subject to tough maneuvering situations that may need those extra skills to be sharpened. Be careful if you don’t know the route as you may often head towards a ditch and slam into a trailer unknowingly.
Therefore, if you’re a truck driver who has the duty of driving a truck both day and night, you need to be extra careful and make sure you avoid fatal truck accidents. In case of accidents, don’t hesitate to seek the help of a lawyer.
