Road accidents that implicated heavy-duty trucks have become more frequent in recent years. Most of these trucks aren’t your ordinary pickup trucks but those massive 18-wheelers carrying big loads. The factors are different, but a lot of them are related to the drivers of those trucks. However, inspite of causing these accidents, the truck drivers almost never get hurt because of the tough construction of these 18-wheelers.
A terrible accident of this kind would typically include many small cars, injuries and, very likely, death. Should you want to avoid these types of accidents, you probably need to get better at defensive driving. The unfortunate part is, in truck driving school, they are only shown how to drive fast, and completely disregard the concept of safe driving. Ask your trainer to not skip any lessons, and explore further during your free time.
Many people think that driving a truck is the same as driving a sedan. Even though the driving basics and the traffic rules are related, we are talking about two different vehicles. A small-scale truck involves less attention, the maneuverability is higher and even the accidents involving small cars are less dangerous. Just think about parking a truck, and you will grasp the differences.
A great chunk of incidents are caused by truckers falling asleep at the wheel. Even though the transport companies are obliged to give respectable transport times, (the company must allow 3 days for a 1500 kilometers transport in some countries), the drivers rather stay at their homes for one or two days, and then they would try to catch up in the last day. Aiming to operate a vehicle for twenty four hours without delay is very difficult, even with caffeine and other energizers in your body.
Several major transport companies have installed GPS in the trucks to avoid these severe accidents. By having GPS, it prevents the driver from attempting to cut corners and pushes them to drive in a timely manner. While the original costs are higher, it’s going to pay off in the long term. A very important factor is that the expense of being in an accident will be avoided. In addition, people will consider your company as commendable in making the effort to ensure safety and reliability.
There are several instances when drivers would rather take the truck driver’s license and ignore the standard car test. Even though this doesn’t occur often, it does happen. It’s a good idea that you go for a normal car license then work your way up to a big truck. By having a good foundation of basic driving skills, you will be able to become a very safe and effective truck driver later.