Truck drivers face many hazards on the road whether they deliver refrigerated goods or haul garbage. Whether it be slick roads, high winds, or reckless drivers, you must constantly be aware of your surroundings. You can help achieve longevity and stay safe on the road if you follow many key tips.
Truck drivers must follow FMCSA regulations, perform routine maintenance checks, and follow the speed limit. Always turn your turn signal on 100 feet before turning, and avoid changing lanes abruptly. Inspect your tire tread and pressure and check your fluid levels before hitting the road for the day. Check your mirrors every 5 seconds and watch out for pedestrians.
These measures are just as much about protecting pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists as they are about protecting you. Follow along as we explore 35 tips for truck drivers to stay safe and ensure longevity.
35 Essential Truck Safety Tips
1. Adhere to Service Rules
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict regulations about break schedules. Follow the break schedule to ensure you don’t drive while overly fatigued as that’s one of the leading causes of truck accidents.
2. Stay in Your Lane
It may be tempting to change lanes often, but truck drivers can endanger themselves and others by doing this. You cannot safely change lanes without checking your surroundings and using your turn signal while trucking. It’s all too easy to neglect a car in your blind spot when changing lanes.
3. Maintain a Consistent Speed
It’s dangerous to frequently change speeds when driving a truck. Not only does this endanger other drivers and pedestrians, but it’s also bad for your cargo. You can damage the products you’re hauling or even lose garbage if you increase speed too quickly in a roll-off.
4. Use a Truck Navigation System
Truckers rely on navigation systems that are specifically meant for trucking. They are more helpful than Apple and Google Maps which cater to standard passenger vehicles. Keep your navigation system in an area and at a volume that won’t distract you.
5. Prioritize Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian safety should be the priority for all truck drivers. This is essential whether you’re driving in a populous city or a small rural town. Routinely check your mirrors at least once every 5 seconds and watch for pedestrians.
6. Check the Ground
When driving a roll-off garbage truck, you must carefully check the ground. Otherwise, you may unevenly place the dumpster back and damage the dumpster or knock it over. It’s also important to make sure there aren’t any nearby pedestrians, animals, or obstacles.
7. Always Consider Clearance
Clearance is vital when trucking whether you drive a garbage truck or a refrigerated semi-truck. Pay close attention to clearance notices when passing under bridges and navigating tight alleys. Otherwise, your roll-off can snag on a bridge, overhead obstruction, or an adjacent wall.
8. Check for Cyclists
Recent data shows that cyclist deaths have gone up by 47% in the past decade. Many of these deaths are caused by drivers who fail to check for cyclists. Your blind spot makes it harder to see cyclists, so you must be extra vigilant and pay attention to bicycle lanes.
9. Check the Forecast
While some trucking and waste management companies delay service for inclement weather, that isn’t always the case. That’s why it’s essential to check the forecast and exercise caution during poor weather. Keep your speed to a minimum when the road is slick and pull over as needed.
10. Stop Driving in Low Visibility
Low visibility is just as dangerous as ice and rain on the road. Foggy conditions make truck drivers’ blind spots even worse. This makes it difficult to safely stop, perform wide turns, and prioritize pedestrian safety.
11. Telegraph Your Stops
It’s no secret that trucks have a stopping distance of up to 525 feet. You must slow down and make it clear to other drivers that you’re about to stop. Ease into your stop to give other drivers plenty of time to slow down. Otherwise, they may rear-end you, damaging your truck and cargo.
12. Check Your Tires
Your truck’s tire pressure and tread conditions are of equal importance. Ideally, you should check your tire pressure daily, and even twice daily in cold conditions. Commercial truck tires last up to 6 years, but you must check the tread daily, especially after navigating rough roads.
13. Bring a First Aid Kit
The last thing you want is to suffer an injury on the job without any way to remedy it. Injuries are always possible whether you’re driving a garbage truck or unloading a refrigerated truck. Fill your first aid kit with bandages, disinfectant, scissors, gloves, and over-the-counter pain relievers.
14. Inspect the Area Before Stopping
It’s vital to inspect your surroundings before stopping and parking. This is important at truck stops, delivery sites, and when collecting garbage in neighborhoods. Check for potholes, pedestrians, cyclists, and animals.
15. Check Fluid Levels
Checking your truck’s fluid levels is a mandatory part of daily maintenance. This includes windshield fluid, brake fluid, coolant, and oil. Top off or change any fluid that is either low, sludgy, or dirty to ensure your truck performs well.
16. Wear High-Visibility Clothing
High visibility is of the utmost performance for truck drivers, especially when working in waste management. The American National Standards Institute requires it. That said, it’s also important to be seen while unloading cargo in tight spaces.
17. Never Drive Fatigued
Driving a truck while tired is dangerous for yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians. It’s even unsafe to unload cargo or lift a trash can and dumpster while sleep-deprived. Shoot for 8 hours of sleep before driving whenever possible.
18. Follow Local Laws
Following local laws helps truck drivers avoid penalties and stay safe. Carefully watch signs and adhere to speed and weight limits while driving. Drive extra slowly and carefully if you don’t know the speed limit.
19. Shield Your Eyes From the Sun
Seasoned truck drivers know how hard it is to drive with the sun beating down on them. Even a cheap pair of sunglasses can shield your eyes and increase your visibility.
20. Wait on the Wind
High winds can cause truck drivers to veer into other lanes and even roll over. Pull over and wait until it dies down when the wind speed is high.
21. Exercise Caution in Work Zones
Work zones can often become narrow and may contain hazards, such as nails and potholes. You must also watch out for construction workers and follow the speed limit.
22. Check Your Truck After Each Trip
It’s just as important to inspect your truck after a trip as it is before. You won’t spend more than 5 minutes inspecting the tires, fluid levels, and leaks, and it’s worth it.
23. Inspect Brake Alignment
Check your truck’s brake alignment before and after each day on the road. Never drive a commercial truck with misaligned brakes as it’s a major safety hazard.
24. Be Careful in Extreme Temperatures
Driving in extreme temperatures can take a heavy toll on your tires. Avoid driving in overly hot or cold days as you can lose tire pressure.
25. Check Your Reflectors
Your truck’s reflectors are essential to alert others to your presence. They can become damaged from debris, so you must routinely check their condition.
26. Look Before Reversing
It’s important to get out of your truck and look around before reversing. That’s the only way to get a clear 360-degree view of your surroundings. This is easiest in a garbage truck with 2 people.
27. Install a Dash Cam
More trucking companies use dash cams than ever as they help increase safety for truck drivers. They help verify incident reports and file police reports in the event of theft and crashes.
28. Use Your Turn Signal
Truck drivers must use their turn signals to prevent crashes and even pile-ups. Activate your turn signal 100 feet before turning.
29. Reduce Speed on Icy Roads
Never exceed a speed of 45 miles per hour when there is ice on the road. Icy roads significantly reduce tire friction, and it becomes hard to stop in time.
30. Use Your Hazard Lights
You can never depend on other drivers to spot your truck on the side of the road. Turn your hazard lights on whenever you pull over to the side of the road. Activate them before pulling over in heavy traffic.
31. Wait Before Exiting Your Truck
Never rush out of your truck when you stop to grab empty a trash can or unload cargo. Otherwise, you could easily get hit by a car or cyclist and get injured.
32. Lock Your Doors
Lock your truck every time you leave it unattended. Otherwise, anyone could easily enter your truck, steal it, rob you, or steal your belongings.
33. Wear Your Seatbelt
Truck drivers put themselves at risk and may face legal penalties when driving without a seat belt as stated by the FMCSA. It takes 5 seconds to put a seatbelt on and it can save your life.
34. Slow Down in School Zones
Much like construction zones, driving recklessly in school zones is dangerous and illegal. You cannot exceed 20 miles per hour in school zones in most states and municipalities.
35. Contact Your Dispatcher as Needed
Contact your dispatcher right away if an emergency pops up. They can send help, make sure you’re safe, provide advice, and notify the necessary people to ensure there are no hiccups.
Keep Drivers and Pedestrians Safe With Dur-a-Guard
Our focus at Dur-A-Guard is to make the roads safer for truck drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. The protective truck guards we offer ensure pedestrian safety and instill confidence in truck drivers. Call Dur-A-Guard at (908) 688-0800 to boost the safety of your commercial trucks and protect pedestrians today.