A Trucker's Life Part 11

I drive a tiny Fiat and I zip in and out of traffic at times. Since being in the trucking industry, I have noticed my driving habits have changed…for the better! Many truck drivers have stated how stressful it can be when on the road. They have to be vigilant at all times; looking at passenger vehicles zipping in and out and that got me to start driving safer and becoming more mindful of truckers and their equipment. We who do not drive big rigs don’t realize so many of the hazards we can create for truckers. Some of the things a few of our truckers have mentioned we can do is:

Use the turn signals!

Don’t zip in and out through traffic!

Give plenty of space around the trucks!

Be patient and give them time; they will get up that hill or over in the other lane as soon as they can.

Passenger vehicles can go from 0-60 mph in no time flat and can stop on a dime; semi-trucks cannot! Consider this; a rig that is hauling a fully loaded trailer traveling at 65 mph needs at least a full football field’s length to come to a stop. If you are zipping through traffic and have to come to a sudden stop, that’s an accident that you could’ve prevented, not the trucker. When you are coming to merge in traffic from an exit and a truck is not getting over, it isn’t that they are being rude; they just can’t get over yet. Please be patient and merge in after the truck goes by. Many accidents could be prevented if we would just be patient and drive sensibly. Our trucks are equipped with cameras and we have seen where our truckers have very skillfully avoided a near-accident that almost happened because a passenger vehicle thought it could squeeze in or dart across and there wasn’t enough time. But sometimes there will be nowhere a trucker can go and BAM! That’s where the trouble starts. We want you and your loved ones to arrive safely so please think about these things and change your driving habits!