Truck drivers must constantly be mindful of safety because of the size and power of their vehicles and their capacity to cause harm. Knowing safe driving tactics and putting them into practice on the road can greatly reduce truckers’ chances of getting involved in an accident.
About 130,000 people are injured each year in accidents involving trucks, and semi truck accidents have a very high fatality rate. The vast majority of accidents involving big trucks are caused by drivers of other vehicles, rather than the truck driver. To avoid the human and financial costs involved in these accidents, big truck drivers must drive very defensively, ensuring their own driving is excellent and anticipating and reacting to other drivers’ mistakes.
Here are a few best practices for truck drivers:
Have a good seat – This may not sound important, but it is. Your seating position will affect your ability to see other vehicles on the road. Your truck seat also needs to provide proper support to prevent back pain from long hours on the road. Uncomfortable truck seats may result in you being distracted by your discomfort, causing you to pay less attention to the road.
- Watch your speed – This one’s a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. Speed and semi trucks are a deadly mix, as the sheer size of these vehicles makes them very difficult to stop and extremely destructive if they strike another vehicle. Stay within posted speed limits and reduce your speed in dangerous conditions.
- Technology is your friend – Rearview cameras, drowsy driver monitoring, cross traffic alerts—all of these tools can help keep truck drivers safe on the road. If your truck doesn’t have some of these features, you may be able to have them installed.
- Be wary of work zones – About a third of all fatal work zone accidents involve big trucks. When entering a work zone, be aware of laborers who may be working nearby and also carefully observe speed limits.
- Be sure to observe hour restrictions – The law does not allow drivers to exceed 11 hours of continuous driving. Too many hours on the road contributes to fatigue and reduced awareness of what’s happening on the road.
Suburban Seating & Safety offers semi truck seats and truck accessories from top-quality manufacturers. Check out their products today to find the best seating and accessories for your vehicle.
Five Best Safety Practices for Semi Drivers
About 130,000 people are injured each year in accidents involving trucks. The kinds of accidents with the highest fatality rate, though, are accidents involving semi trucks. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 72 percent of 2014 truck accidents that resulted in fatalities involved tractor trailers.
If there’s one ray of comfort, it’s that the vast majority of accidents involving big trucks are caused by drivers of other vehicles, rather than the truck driver. What this means, though, is that truck drivers must constantly be mindful of safety. Their vehicles have immense size and power on the road, and with that comes the capacity to cause great harm if they are not careful.
Fortunately, truck drivers have a lot of safety information available to them. In fact, knowing some basic safe semi truck driving tips and putting them into practice on the road can greatly reduce truckers’ chances of getting involved in an accident.
The following list is an excellent truck safety driver checklist that can be referenced at any time:
- Have a good seat –Your seating position will affect your ability to see other vehicles on the road. A good truck seat should also provide proper support to prevent back pain from long hours on the road. You’ll also want to make sure your cab has the right accessories, like a tablet or smartphone mount in an ergonomic position to maximize your attention to the surrounding traffic.
- Watch your speed – This one’s a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. Speed and semi trucks are a deadly mix, as the sheer size of these vehicles makes them very difficult to stop and extremely destructive if they strike another vehicle. Stay within posted speed limits and reduce your speed in dangerous conditions.
- Technology is your friend – Rearview cameras, drowsy driver monitoring, cross traffic alerts—all of these safety products can help keep truck drivers safe on the road. If your truck doesn’t have some of these features, you may be able to have them installed.
- Be wary of work zones – About a third of all fatal work zone accidents involve big trucks. When entering a work zone, be aware of laborers who may be working nearby and make sure to obey the speed limit.
- Be sure to observe hour restrictions – The law does not allow drivers to exceed 11 hours of continuous driving. Too many hours on the road contributes to fatigue and reduced awareness of what’s happening on the road.
Contact Suburban Seating & Safety at 1-844-SAS-SEAT or by email today. Our experts will work with you to select the best safety equipment for your vehicle and help keep you and your truck safe on the road.
