TRUCK SAVY
WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
TRUCK SAVY
BOWLING GREEN, KY.: Driving Interstate 65 South to Nashville from Bowling Green is a first-hand education in living peaceably with the eighteen wheelers all around you. This is one of our nation's major trucking roads and extra awareness of the limitations of these heavy vehicles is mandatory.
But first, don't wish there were no trucks. They are a vital economic factor in our lives. They can go where railroads do not and, in fact, are the least expensive way to move the many things we want to where we want them. And do not pick on the truck drivers either. They are highly trained professionals. Respect them. Like all of us humans there may be a few who should find another job. Because of those few unsafe ones we have to know even more about how to cope for our own safety.
A fully loaded trailer-truck may be 20 times heavier than your car. It will take twice as long to stop on dry pavement as you do, even longer in the rain. At 65 mph it will take twice as long to stop as it does at 55 mph. While truck drivers allow for this when they can there is little they can do when a vehicle in front stops suddenly. Be aware of traffic slowing ahead and signal with your brake lights, too soon rather than too late. Look especially for traffic stopped where it is not expected such as at road repair sections. If there are trucks moving behind you when you stop, signal with your hazard lights also.
Large trucks look like they are moving more slowly towards you than they actually are. At night their lights may lead you to estimate wrongly where they are positioned ahead of you and at what speed. When passing a truck do not freeze and hesitate just as your vehicle gets along-side. If you cannot see the driver in the truck’s side mirror the driver cannot see you (blind-spot). Keep up your speed and complete the pass, signal your intention to return into the line well ahead of the truck.
Long trucks need several lanes in which to make 90 degree turns, such as around corners. Give them plenty of room.
GHD93 all rights reserved
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
TRUCK SAVY
BOWLING GREEN, KY.: Driving Interstate 65 South to Nashville from Bowling Green is a first-hand education in living peaceably with the eighteen wheelers all around you. This is one of our nation's major trucking roads and extra awareness of the limitations of these heavy vehicles is mandatory.
But first, don't wish there were no trucks. They are a vital economic factor in our lives. They can go where railroads do not and, in fact, are the least expensive way to move the many things we want to where we want them. And do not pick on the truck drivers either. They are highly trained professionals. Respect them. Like all of us humans there may be a few who should find another job. Because of those few unsafe ones we have to know even more about how to cope for our own safety.
A fully loaded trailer-truck may be 20 times heavier than your car. It will take twice as long to stop on dry pavement as you do, even longer in the rain. At 65 mph it will take twice as long to stop as it does at 55 mph. While truck drivers allow for this when they can there is little they can do when a vehicle in front stops suddenly. Be aware of traffic slowing ahead and signal with your brake lights, too soon rather than too late. Look especially for traffic stopped where it is not expected such as at road repair sections. If there are trucks moving behind you when you stop, signal with your hazard lights also.
Large trucks look like they are moving more slowly towards you than they actually are. At night their lights may lead you to estimate wrongly where they are positioned ahead of you and at what speed. When passing a truck do not freeze and hesitate just as your vehicle gets along-side. If you cannot see the driver in the truck’s side mirror the driver cannot see you (blind-spot). Keep up your speed and complete the pass, signal your intention to return into the line well ahead of the truck.
Long trucks need several lanes in which to make 90 degree turns, such as around corners. Give them plenty of room.
GHD93 all rights reserved
posted by WRECK-LESS at Saturday, November 19, 2005
1 Comments:
Kudos on the "Truck Savvy" column! As a former Over-the-Road truck driver - both solo and team in the U.S. and Canada - I am particularly glad to see this. After I got off the road, I worked for the State of New Mexico at their "super coop" in Anthony, NM as a Certified Commercial Vehicle Inspector.
There is one simple rule of thumb when interacting with trucks: When you see a truck slowing down or stopping, there is a reason why. That is particularly true on an interstate where traffic always keeps moving. Truck drivers often know about hazards miles ahead of them because of the CB.
Trucks never (and I cannot emphasize never enough!) slow down or stop unless there is some impediment to their forward movement! The vast majority of truck drivers are paid by the mile driven. If their truck is not moving forward, they are not earning. They do not ever slow down, stop, or detour around unless forced to do so.
I cannot tell you how many times I encountered cars going around a slowed or stopped truck (usually with their flashers on)either in the passing lane or even on the right shoulder only to plow right into a construction zone, accident, or other emergency setting!
Sometimes you will encounter two trucks running side by side in both lanes only to seem to be doing it to aggravate everyone behind them. Not true! Although they really aren't supposed to do that, it is for a reason. Too many people wait until the last minute to get into the only open lane where there is construction only to cause a huge time-consuming bottleneck. In order to get the bottleneck cleared up once and for all so everybody can move, truck drivers will slowly ease traffic along in all lanes available quite a while before the bottleneck occurs.
Ellyn George
Store At Your Door
http://www.storeaturdoor.com
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