9 Essentials For Sharing The Road Safely With Trucks

SHARING THE ROAD SAFELY WITH TRUCKS

There are roughly 3.75 million tractor-trailers on the road, each one weighing up to 120,000 lbs. In a collision with a truck, a 3000 lb. car is far more vulnerable than the truck. Studies have indicated in car/truck collisions that car drivers are roughly at fault 80% of the time and make up 80% of the deaths resulting from these accidents.

Car and truck drivers share the road alike, which is why it is so important for car drivers to keep some basic rules in mind when dealing with trucks on the road. The following tips will allow truck drivers to do their job safely and will help get you and your family home safely as well.

SHARING THE ROAD SAFELY WITH TRUCKS Introduction

1. Know the ‘No Zone’ 2. Merge safely 3. Exit safely4. Pass safely5. Watch for reversing trucks6. Leave enough room to stop safely7. Stop before the stop line at an intersection8. Stay clear of spray and splash9. Never drive when you feel unsafe

Nine EssentialsSHARING THE ROAD SAFELY WITH TRUCKS

1. KNOW THE ‘NO ZONE’

DON’T HANG OUT IN THE ‘NO ZONE’A truck driver’s blind spots are known as the ‘NO ZONE’. If you must enter any of a driver’s blind spots, pass through and get past as soon as possible. And remember, if you can’t see the truck driver in their mirror, they can’t see you.

2. THE SAFE MERGE

Get up to speed to match the flow of traffic. Look for a spot in traffic to blend into before you arrive at the merge. Always make sure the truck has enough room. Remember, trucks may not always be able to move over because there may be a vehicle beside them.

PICK YOUR SPOT, SIGNAL AND GO

3. THE SAFE EXIT

USE CAUTION WHEN MAKING AN EXITDon’t pass a truck to make an exit if there is less than a mile from your exit. Instead, remain behind the truck and safely take your exit.

4. THE SAFE PASS

Passing incorrectly can be extremely dangerous. Once in the passing lane, assess the truck & trailer’s length to ensure you have enough time to pass. After passing a truck, make sure you can you see the truck’s headlights and front tires in your rear view mirror before changing lanes in front of the truck.

USE CAUTION WHEN PASSING

5. DEALING WITH REVERSING TRUCKS

When a truck is backing up, make sure you give them plenty of room. Never drive behind a reversing truck and trailer. Trailers don’t have reverse lights, so pay attention! If you can’t see the driver, then they can’t see you.

GIVE ROOM FOR A REVERSING TRUCK

6. THE SAFE STOP

A COMPLETE STOP TAKES TIMEIt can take more than a football field for a fully loaded truck to come to a complete stop.

LOADED TRAILER WITH HOT BRAKES

LOADED TRAILER WITH COOL BRAKES

EMPTY TRUCK AND TRAILER

TRUCK ONLY

PASSENGER CAR

A truck should be a full seven seconds behind the vehicle in front.

SEVEN SECOND RULE FOR TRUCKS

7 SECOND DISTANCE

A four second safe following distance is recommended for cars. To see if you are at a safe distance, pick a landmark, like a tree, as a reference point. When the vehicle in front passes your chosen landmark, start counting. If you pass the landmark before you can count to four you are following too closely.

FOUR SECOND RULE FOR CARS

4 SECOND DISTANCE

7. THE SAFE INTERSECTION STOP

TRUCKS MAKE WIDE RIGHT TURNSWhen approaching an intersection behind a truck, watch the position of the truck. If the truck appears to be turning left or right, always stay back and never try to squeeze by as the truck may not clear the turn without hitting your vehicle.

At intersections, always stop behind the white stop line or stop line sign. If you stop past the stop line, turning trucks may not be able to complete their turns without hitting your vehicle.

STAY BEHIND THE STOP LINE

8. AVOID SPLASH AND SPRAY

Don’t pull out to pass a truck unless you can clearly see your way forward. Splash and spray from a truck can severely hinder your visibility and it greatly increases your risk of accident. Keep well back and stay safe.

WET AND SNOWY DRIVING CONDITIONS

9. NEVER DRIVE IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE

Bison Transport has a ‘Right to Decide’ policy. That means our Professional Drivers can push back the start time of a trip or stop driving when they feel conditions are too risky to continue. All drivers share this responsibility to avoid driving in unsafe conditions resulting from fatigue, bad weather, poor health or an unsound state of mind.

TRUCKSTOP

GAS

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE

To summarize, every driver has the responsibility to drive safely. The techniques and tips outlined in this presentation will help all drivers learn to share the road in a responsible and courteous manner so that everyone gets home safely.

SHARING THE ROAD SAFELY WITH TRUCKS

For more information please visit BisonTransport.com