Truck accidents cause serious personal injuries, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, and permanent disabilities each year. Since trucks are so much larger than passenger cars, collisions involving trucks and smaller vehicles can and do often lead to fatalities. If you drive a truck, however, there are many things you can do to help prevent trucking accidents:
1) Take refresher courses. Many truck drivers only take driver education classes when getting their trucking license. However, additional and refresher courses can help correct bad habits, can strengthen your driving skills, and can ensure that you get a professional’s feedback about your driving. This can make you a far safer and more effective driver.
2) Take an extra level of driver licensing than you need. If you are driving a small pickup truck, for example, consider getting a license for light commercial vehicles. Getting extra licensing gives you more options, but more importantly, it also makes you safer and more effective with smaller vehicles as well. It makes you more confident behind the wheel and teaches you skills you can apply in your driving.
3) Learn to drive different trucks. Different trucks require different skills, but many trucks require the same attention to loads and hill grades. Learning to drive different models of trucks will boost your confidence and will allow you to become a better driver as well.
4) Try different roads. Even if you tend to drive the same streets again and again on your commute to work, consider driving your truck on different types of roads. You may find that driving on city roads is very different than driving on twisting country roads. Becoming familiar with the way your truck handles in different roads is an important step to becoming a good driver.
5) Drive with and without loads on quiet streets. Different loads can affect how your truck handles. Learn how to effectively and safely load your truck, distribute the weight of a load, and secure the load of your truck. Experiment with different loads on quiet streets until you get used to handling your truck in these conditions.