Every trucker should know the basic road safety rules. By obeying essential safety tips for trucking at night, you can avoid sudden accidents.
Avoiding simple driving safety tips is the main reason of road crashes. If you follow rules which are not difficult to follow, hazardous crashes can be prevented.
Keep a Good Driving Reputation
An accident can affect you and your career negatively. Violating any basic road safety rules can risk your CDL.
Moreover, getting an ideal truck driving job might be difficult for a certain time. So, if you want to maintain a good driving reputation, make sure that you’re not violating anything below:
- Do not drive a commercial truck without essential documents such as a license, permit, and endorsement.
- Do not cross the speed limit as this can be a severe violation.
- Do not swerve.
- Do not text or talk over the phone while driving.
- Following other vehicles closely and reckless driving are violations of road safety rules.
- Doing random things while driving which would lead to injuries and deaths should be avoided.
Important Safety Tips for Trucking at Night
I’m putting forward a few safety tips for trucking at night can be helpful to prevent anything unforeseen on the road.
1. Perform Safety Inspection
A safety inspection is essential before a trip. It is a must for you to inspect for truck brakes and tires. These commonly cause dangerous accidents.
Truckload should be balanced appropriately and securely placed in the right place. The insecurely placed loads may lead to a hazard.
2. Drive Defensively
Defensive driving or driving defensively has an advantage in different ways. This will help you to increase your chances of safety for you and others on the road.
Commercial truck drivers face unfocused drivers, drivers who have less experience, and sudden road accidents. You will need to adjust to these conditions to lessen threats.
Some of the defensive driving procedures are:
- Closely look ahead of you for traffic issues and work issues, which can be a distance of 15 seconds.
- Check mirrors regularly. It can be done for every 10 seconds to check vehicles that are coming from behind you.
- Control the speed of your truck correctly according to local driving laws.
- Be careful about the road and weather conditions.
- Obey the laws and respect other drivers who share the road.
3. Use 3 Points of Your Body
Three points of your body should be used at all times when driving. Not using any of these correctly can put you to face a hazardous situation. These 3 points are your two feet and one hand or two hands and one foot.
Always keep these points in contact with your truck equipment to drive safely. Make it a habit so prevent falls and slips as well as crashes.
4. Stop Distracted Driving
To stop distracted driving is one of the most important safety tips for trucking at night. Distracted driving is a common problem among many truck drivers.
If you focus on a different task other than driving, you are already committing distracted driving. Distracted driving occurs due to mobile devices and other electronic devices that hinder your attention for driving safely.
Texting is a common driving distraction. The consequences are accidents, crashes, and deadly incidents from this distraction.
There are studies that prove truck drivers lose attention when texting. It said that they lose 4.6 seconds from the road for texting each time. Within this time, they can travel more than 370 feet if the truck runs 55 mph.
Texting is illegal not only for commercial drivers but also for all drivers. In most states, using mobile phones while driving is prohibited. You can only use a device if it’s hands-free and can be dialed with one button only.
A deadly accident can occur due to eating, drinking, map reading, and using navigational tools.
To avoid distracted driving:
- Keep the mobile device closer to you by putting a mobile holder so that you don’t need to grab it when you need it.
- Use the speaker function of your phone.
- Try to avoid eating or drinking anything when driving.
5. Leave Adequate Space for Safe Stopping
You should be alert about daily safety tips for trucking at night and follow them accordingly. When you need to stop your truck, ensure you have adequate distance between your truck and any vehicles in front of you.
Apply your common sense and experience and be more to reduce crashes. Use signal and brake for safe stopping. Another important thing to remember is to ensure that you have 8 to 10 seconds to stop your truck.
6. Follow School and Work Zone Safety
Follow all school, work, and construction zone signs carefully. If you do not follow signs, this may be dangerous for you and the people around you.
You need to follow extra rules since work zones require more carefulness. Confused vehicles, lane shifts, moving workers, and other hazardous things can hamper your regular driving.
There is a report stated in 2016 that there are more than 10% of truck crashes that occurred in the working zone.
In the school area, you should be more cautious as many students walk randomly on the road in front of the school. Pay attention to road workers. Then, follow signs made by flag crews.
7. Follow Road Safety Laws
Just like other safety tips mentioned here, this one requires more carefulness too. As recommended by the local laws, drive trucks within the exact speed limit.
Generally, the speed limit is 62 mph. You should not drive beyond this speed limit. You also need to adjust the speed of your truck in different driving conditions.
You may need to travel to different states. Each state comes with local laws that you need to follow for road safety. Staying safe on the road is more important than reaching the destination quickly.
Moreover, local road safety laws and speed limits can differ in various states. For example, Georgia permits you to travel within the maximum speed of 55 mph while South Dakota permits a maximum of 80 mph for semi-trucks and trucks.
8. Keep Headlights Clear
Are you following all the safety tips for trucking at night? If you want to be a responsible truck driver, you should be aware of many things, even a simple part of the truck.
Clear headlights ensure safe driving at night. Keeping lights clear at all times will make everything visible.
Having clear headlights is not only for your safety but also for other drivers. This is because it helps other vehicles to adjust on the road to avoid any potential hazards. It is important to notice everything on the road while driving.
9. Ensure Appropriate Loading and Unloading
Loading and unloading are other factors that drivers should pay extra attention to. Make sure that your truck is well secured when unloading or loading. Don’t forget to turn off the engine and use parking brakes.
Moreover, chock blocks provide excellent security. If possible, try to carry chock blocks with you and use them when required. Start the engine only after finishing the task and ensure that nobody is working in the area.
10. Wear Seatbelts
Wearing seatbelts properly is the most significant safety tip for trucking at night. Some recent studies demonstrate that in 2021 more than 30% of truckers will experience severe crashes.
Annually, about 40% of injuries occur due to driving trucks without wearing seatbelts. Last 2016, there are more than 10,000 people who got fatal injuries which lead to death.
Do not forget to use your seatbelts while driving. It allows you to secure in driving seat. This saves you from crashes and reduces the risk of injuries.
Consider the following guidelines while wearing seatbelts:
- A seatbelt is for safety, so make sure your seatbelt properly fits you.
- The shoulder belt should fit across your rib cage and the lap belt across the hips or pelvis.
- Do not wear shoulder belts under your arm or behind the back.
- In case of a roomier belt, you will need a safety belt extender.
11. Place Comfortable Cushions Around You
Driving towards the long-distance is painful. This is where excellent cushion should be used.
When you are in a comfortable seat and there are cushions around the driving area, you will enjoy truck driving. This will also provide more concentration on the road.
12. Check the Weather
Good weather ensures safe driving. You should keep yourself updated with daily weather news. However, weather update is sometimes not accurate as the weather is unpredictable in many states.
The key here is to be alert. Do not attempt to drive in hazardous conditions just to prove you are a great driver. Sometimes, this can lead you to unexpected incidents.
13. Get Healthy Foods and Enough Rest
It comes at the last of the list, but do not avoid this important safety tip for trucking at night. As a driver, you need to maintain a healthy body. It will enhance your performance and keep you alert on the busy road.
So, make sure you have a healthier diet and enough sleep daily. Also, get sufficient rest when you feel tired to do your night driving job.
Another note is to not drive when you are sick or on the medications. Doing this can hamper your concentration and may lead to accidents.
When feeling weak, walk for a few minutes to make your body more active. Avoid junk foods, heavy meals, and sugary drinks during driving.
Bottom Line
Night trucking is a lifestyle thing and not just a simple job. A good driver shouldn’t skip any safety tips when trucking at night.
The above-mentioned safety tips for truck drivers will allow you to return home every day safely and happily after long hours of driving at night. Keep in mind, safety is a must, no matter what’s your job!