Safety Tips for Truck Drivers

Driver safety is the most crucial factor for a safer experience on the road. We are all aware how many accidents and injuries can be avoided by just following certain safety procedures. By ensuring Truck Drivers to follow certain rules during their driving, one can ensure that the transits happen smoothly and the purpose of the transits are properly served.

Here are a few tips that you may provide to your Truck Drivers for a Safe Driving Experience.

• Before starting the transit, the Drivers have to make sure that the load is packed safely and they are not hanging out loose. This is highly important to avoid accidents.
• The heavier loads should be distributed and the lighter loads should be kept on the tow.
• Truck Driver needs to be alert throughout. He needs to look ahead and down the road, especially while rolling down the highway and in heavy traffic. He always need to have an escape route. He should be aware of what is in front, beside and behind him, throughout his drive. Overall, he needs to be alert and aware of things so that he can act accordingly, if and when necessary.
• The Driver need to avoid those routes that usually have high volume of traffic at peak times. This is because, the greater he is exposed to traffic, the more he is prone to accidents.
• This is one of the primary safety tips that Truck Drivers usually ignore. While delivering to the new Customer, since they are not well aware of the place and it is new to them, they need to find a place to park safely. While parking, they need to look around to make sure that they have left another truck’s space, in front and back of the truck.
• The truck should not get trapped, without enough space for turning. They should make sure that there are no obstacles like fire hydrants, electric posts, ditches, etc.
• While driving, the Truck drivers need to make sure that there is plenty of space in front of their vehicle. Truck Drivers tend to mess up things without following this rule, especially in slow traffic and when the truck is moving at the speed of 50 km / h. The Truck Drivers need to have patience and remember that the more empty space they have ahead of them, they will get more time in case they need to slow down the vehicle suddenly.
• Truck Drivers should handle steering and brakes with complete care. They need to steer firmly, but slowly, avoiding harsh movements. This will give them control, in case they need to brake suddenly, and they can do so in a smoother way.
• They have to always drive adjacent to the left side of the road and let other vehicles in the opposite direction to pass on the right hand side.
• While turning left or right, they need to slowly and gradually move to the right or left and then make a turn. After turning, they should for sometime continue to stay on the same side of the road and then slowly and gradually change the lane. They should be careful when making turns on a curvy road. They need to slow down and adjust the speed accordingly. They should be alert about the vehicles that are passing from the opposite direction.
• Studies in India show that 1 in 3 truck drivers do not wear safety belts. The use of safety belts is not only required, but it is very important to reduce the risk of injury. More than 40 percent of the crash related deaths happen every year, due to avoidance of seat belts.
• The use of cell phone while driving should be restricted to route navigation. Talking and texting should be avoided completely.
• The Drivers should be always alert about the speed limits and they should follow the rules and maintain the speed throughout the transit.
• Drinking alcohol and taking drugs should be avoided at all costs. They should avoid anything that impairs the Drivers judgment or physical abilities and causes drowsiness.
• They need to always be cautious about the height and width of the truck and make sure there is a safe space cushion around all sides of the vehicle to prevent any damage to the truck.
• They have to maintain ample stopping distance between them and any vehicles ahead of them. Keeping their head forward and reducing distractions will help them avoid close interactions.
• Certain regions within the country have uncertain weather conditions. That is why they have to use an App that alerts them on weather conditions and help them track changes and avoid dangerous driving conditions whenever possible.
• A healthy diet and plenty of rest is important for staying alert throughout transit. Advise your Driver to get ample sleep and take breaks in between in case they feel tired. During break, a light snack, stretching legs or a power nap will make them feel refreshed. Junk foods, sugary drinks and consuming heavy meals can make them drowsy and so they need to look out for healthier alternatives.
• Truck Drivers need to be always aware of their blind spots and they should constantly check their mirrors. Accidents usually occur when the vehicle makes a move to another lane. If they have maintained the lane position correctly, then the other vehicle will most likely be at fault.
• Live tracking and route navigation has been made available for Truck Drivers to show important information such as where to keep left or right, along with regular updates on traffic. Apps with these features can be of good help to the Truck Drivers, as it reduces the stress of driving, especially while traveling to unknown areas.

Night driving tips

• Buy a good pair of night vision glasses to your Truck Drivers. These glasses will serve as a great resource for their night driving as it enhances their vision and protects them from bright headlights and irritating reflections.
• If the Drivers are already using a prescribed glass, then, get a clip on night vision lenses that can be easily clipped on their prescribed glasses.
• Even an experienced Driver, should never treat night driving like the day driving. They definitely cannot drive straight through 7 pm and 9 am with a short 30 minute break. At least an hour and a half of sleep is recommended.
• Provide your truck driver with an easy-to-use alarm clock with no complicated buttons, to help them not to go to sleep for long hours. Even long hours of sleep can make them dull for driving later.
• Also, make sure your Truck Driver has had enough 7–8 hours of sleep on the day before he will be on for the night transit.
• While driving during the night, the truck driver should also be aware of when to stop for a rest.

>> when they feel like muscles are moving and their eyeballs are getting off the road.

>> when they start hallucinating

> > when everything seems dark and their eyelids are involuntarily closing.

• Also, advise your Truck Drivers that no load delivery is as important as their lives. In extremely bad health conditions, allow them for having enough liberty to rest as much and then start the transit when they feel better.

Human resources are the key to any business. Truck Owners and Freight Forwarders should know that the key resources for their business are the Truck Drivers, who play a significant role in moving the loads from one destination to another. Truck Drivers have to be treated well and their health has to be taken care of.

By using an App with Live tracking feature, you can keep track of Driver’s driving pattern and their behavior while driving, throughout the transit. In case you encounter a bad driving habit in a Driver, you may immediately warn the Driver, saying that bad driving is not advisable for their own safety.

With use of Bigtruck Partner App and its Live tracking feature, you can keep track of your Truck Drivers and identify the good Drivers by understanding their driving pattern and habits. By establishing long term relationships with mature and responsible drivers you can also reduce the cost of maintenance and ensure longer lives for your trucks.

Download Bigtruck Partner App, the No. 1 App for finding more shipment orders, reducing costs on operations and truck maintenance and grow your revenue.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.android.Bigtruck&hl=en