Important Safety Tips When Driving Large and Heavy Vehicles
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Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash
If you’ve been on a farm for a significant amount of time then you’ll probably have noticed that driving a large vehicle can be quite a challenge, but also a necessary part of running your farm. Whether it’s a tractor or a transport truck for your crops, it’s important to know how to safely drive a truck but also pick the best truck for your farm. There are plenty of different large vehicles that you might need to operate to make your farm more efficient, so we’re going to talk about a couple of safety tips that you’ll want to follow to ensure that you understand how to use them correctly.
Understanding the most common types of accidents involving large vehicles
There are a number of common accidents that may occur if you’re in an accident involving a large vehicle.
One of the most common is driver error. Many different types of driver error occur as a result of deliberate decisions. For example, a driver may look at their phone, their attention might drift off because they’ve been driving for a long time, or they might even be tired when driving. These can easily cause a wide range of different accidents and it’s vital that you take a break when driving to ensure that you get all of your distractions out of the way. You also shouldn’t be driving if you’re feeling tired, especially if you’re hauling your products a long distance away.
You might also face poor weather conditions. In this case, you’ll find that you may have trouble sticking to the road, especially if you don’t have the right tires or if there’s a sudden weather condition such as heavy rain or snow that blocks your visibility.
Lastly, a problem unique to large vehicles is a shifting load. The way your cargo is loaded onto the truck can make a huge difference in your ability to control the truck. If the cargo is loaded in a weird or unbalanced fashion, then you may find that your truck can swing out of control in certain circumstances. This greatly increases the chances of you ending up in an accident.
Safety tips for new truck drivers
So let’s take a look at some of the most important safety tips to remember when driving a large or heavy vehicle:
Load your cargo carefully. Make sure you’re not overloading your truck and make sure you try to balance the load correctly so that your vehicle doesn’t swing around.
Understand where your blindspots are. If you’re distracted, then your blindspots become extremely dangerous. You should avoid being distracted and you should also learn where your blindspots are so that you can be extra careful about certain areas around your truck.
Drive slow and steady, especially during adverse weather conditions. Your truck is a lot more difficult to handle than a regular car, especially if you have a lot of cargo in the back. Make sure you drive safe and slow especially if the road conditions aren’t great.
