Driving a commercial vehicle can be a hazardous occupation, especially considering how many accidents occur on the roadways every day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 40,000 fatalities occurred in 2011 related to traffic accidents. And considering how much time truckers spend on the road, the risk of collision is probably higher than the average driver. This only means that you have to act in a more responsible manner if you want to avoid trouble. If you want to get more details about drivers’ safety tips, visit this website https://gamikia.com/ for further details. Here are a few important safety tips to get you started.
- Get Zen. A favorite quote from the Zen school of thought goes something like this, “Eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired.” You may have heard of several iterations of this quote floating around, but the basic idea is to pay attention to the signals your body is sending you. Often, drivers are working on a tight deadline that allows them a little leeway for eating and sleeping beyond scheduled pit stops. But if you fall asleep at the wheel and crash your rig, you’ll be lucky if you make your delivery at all, much less on time. You could not only destroy your truck and its contents, but you might also become injured or end your own life or the lives of others in the process. Pulling over at a rest stop to grab a bite and get a quick cat nap may seem like a waste of time in your tight schedule, but it could save you a lot of time and hassle down the road.
- Go hands-free. It’s important to stay connected when you’re on the road, not only to dispatchers giving you updates concerning your job, but also with friends and loved ones that you may not see for days or weeks at a time. And the many hours you spend behind the wheel offer the perfect opportunity to catch up. That said, talking can be a distraction when you’re driving, especially if you have yet to install a hands-free setup for your phone. Plus, many states have now enacted hands-free driving laws and you no doubt want to be in compliance so as to avoid tickets. With Bluetooth and other after-market options available these days, there’s simply no reason to risk your safety and the safety of other drivers on the road by diverting one hand from the wheel to work your phone. Go to this website https://myvoxtopia.com/ to get detailed information about driving rules.
- Follow the rules of the road. When you’re behind schedule and there’s no one on the road, it can certainly be tempting to exceed the posted speed limit. But keep in mind that the faster you go, the less time you have to react in the event that a car cuts you off, an animal jumps into the road, or some other obstruction requires you to hit the brakes or swerve, for example. And any time you commit a moving violation, you not only stand to get ticketed, but you put lives in danger (including your own). As a commercial driver, you have a greater responsibility to observe the rules of the road, especially considering the size of the vehicle you operate.
- Account for weather conditions. You may have seen it all where inclement weather is concerned during your tenure as a trucker. But that doesn’t mean you are immune to the effects of gale-force winds, driving rain, or icy road conditions. In fact, overconfidence in this area is far more likely to get you into trouble than a healthy dose of caution.
- Buckle up. Yes, it can get annoying and uncomfortable to wear a seatbelt during the many hours you’re stuck in your truck. Unfortunately for you, most trucking company jobs explicitly require you to observe this important safety rule, as do the laws of nearly every state. Unless you want to end up with hefty fines should you be pulled over, you’d like to get fired from your job if you’re caught, or you relish the idea of flying around your truck like a rag doll in the event of an accident, it’s best to buckle up. For further details, visit this website: https://bbcnewspoint.com/.
