The first safety tip for every driver of road vehicles is to take care of yourself properly. In other words, make sure that you have had enough rest and that you have been well fed and watered. If you take medication, be sure that you have taken it. You should also take care of your general level of fitness by taking regular exercise. All the above will help you remain alert and responsive but also stave off drowsiness.
A comparable attitude ought to be taken towards your vehicle. This means regular routine maintenance. This frequent routine maintenance will be second nature to good truck drivers anyway, and it will involve checking the tyres for pressure and wear and checking hoses and leads for damage.
The last thing you want while you are diving down a motorway is to have a tyre or hose blow out. We have all seen large chunks of rubber on our roads, which are the outcome of such blow-outs. They are dangerous to the truck driver and anyone else driving behind.
It is not usually the professional truck drivers who cause problems, but any qualified driver can hire a truck and some drivers become a little rusty. Once you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you are accountable for it, so be sure that it is fit for use. If you are picking up a trailer, make certain that all the lights and brakes work on that too.
Awareness and alertness are two of the most essential safety factors for the divers of any vehicles, but particularly so for truck drivers, because they are driving such huge but also weighty vehicles. These substantial vehicles have their own extraordinary issues that cars do not have.
For example, they might have blind spots, they may be less manoeuvrable, they might be more difficult to stop and the load might be perilous. Even if all that is a fact, it is still not usually the professional driver who will cause an accident. Rather it could be the Sunday driver, the kid with the stolen vehicle, the drunk driver or even just someone who has forgotten to take their spectacles with them
Truck drivers have to not just not make mistakes, but they have to anticipate yet become on the look out for the mistakes of other drivers. This is why it is so important for the driver to become alert, which equals taking care of the driver’s health yet fitness.
Another manner of taking care of the driver is to always wear your safety belt. If there is an accident, the truck diver is likely to be the most professional driver around and therefore the most useful person there until the police and safety / rescue personnel get there. There should also be a fire extinguisher in the cab, whether the load is perilous of not.
The weather conditions can change a great amount for long distance truck drivers, so it is a good idea to be aware of the local conditions and to have clothing appropriate to it. After all, you will have to get out of the cab at some time. For the same reasons, it is a sensible idea to have an efficient heater and air conditioner.
A hands-free mobile phone is an essential part of anybody’s safety equipment, and a conscientious truck driver should also report any dangerous incidents to the police – items like substantial road kill, debris, reckless drivers and accidents.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with Uvex Safety Glasses. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Safety Glasses Bifocal