How to Avoid Accidents as a Trucker
Truck accidents are more fatal than any other road accidents, so if you have become a trucker recently, you will want to ensure that you drive safely on the roads, follow the basic rules, and maintain distance. Often, when a truck accident occurs, the truck driver is in a better state than other involved drivers – however – the guilt can often be overwhelming.
Truck accidents also occur on local roads, whereas the common belief is that accidents that involve trucks are more highway incidents.
Nonetheless, keep the following tips in mind and you will be good.
Drive a Reasonable Speed
You cannot and should not speed when you are driving a truck. Always make sure to drive at the legal speed limit. And when the sign clearly says that this is the limit, then you will want to take it as a limit and not a suggestion.
You will need to adjust your speed further if you are driving in unfavorable weather conditions, as it is in your best interest and the interest of others to drive more slowly. Your job is to get the cargo from destination A to destination B safely and not speedily. No one will benefit from how fast the delivery has been if you fail to get to the destination safely.
Plan Your Routes
During your trucking career, you will be making multiple deliveries to multiple destinations, which is why you will want to plan ahead.
Like a good, professional, and responsible driver, you will want to be familiar with the potential route that you are about to undertake. So, before you start the truck and leave, make the most of your GPS and also check your map ahead of time. Compare the map to what you find on the GPS to get the full picture of the potential route.
You will want to get a better understanding of the trestle clearances before leaving so you can drive more intentionally and avoid accidents. Make sure to have a plan b for accidents, such as contacting the Houston trucking accident law firm if you get into an accident in Houston.
You get the point – you will want to plan ahead so that you don’t get stuck anywhere and cause a roadblock or whatnot. Take a portable water bottle with you so you can keep sipping water and stay mentally alert.
Be in Touch with the Client
As a trucker, you will want to remain in touch with the client. Surely, most trucking accidents do indeed occur on the highway; however, you will have to exit the highway too to get the delivery to the client. In other words, you will need to make an exit from the highway so you can get to the destination. As you will be navigating unfamiliar roads as part of your job, you will want to contact the client and ask them about the road conditions and how they will impact your driving ability.
This way, you will buy yourself some time upfront and protect yourself from potential danger upon arrival.
