All truck drivers wish for smooth and clear roads, but it isn’t always feasible to wait for ideal conditions when you need to get where you’re going as soon as possible. You will sometimes need to drive in less-than-ideal road conditions, and it’s important to know what to do in those cases. For your sake and the sake of everyone you share the road with, we’re going to give you a few pointers on how to stay safe in poor road conditions.
Plan Ahead
The best way to stay safe in poor road conditions is to have a plan for how you’ll change your driving while dealing with them. Knowing that you and your cargo are at risk, make certain that your cargo is as braced as it can be via cargo load bars and the like. Having cargo shift in a trailer is bad enough during the best road conditions. When roads are particularly bad, any minor shift could cause you to lose control of your trailer and, therefore, your truck.
Allow a Wide Driving Berth
As a truck driver, you already know that you need to give a much wider berth to the car in front of you if you expect to stop safely. When road conditions are bad, this becomes even more of a priority. A fully laden truck takes much longer to fully stop than some rookie drivers realize. Because of this fact, always give the vehicle in front of you as much room as you can to ensure both your safety and theirs.
Remove Distractions
One of the easiest ways to stay safe in poor road conditions is to get rid of any outside distractions that could impair your driving ability. You should never text on your phone while driving, but in bad road conditions, it becomes even more dangerous to be distracted by your phone in any way. Even having the radio up too loud could distract you to the point of a mistake. Leave the distractions for later and stay focused on driving safely.
Pull Over If Necessary
At the end of the day, no delivery is worth your life. If it’s safe to do so and you think it’s safer than continuing to drive, don’t be afraid to pull over and wait out the worst of the weather. Truly terrible storms can cause accidents to even the most cautious driver, so don’t risk it if you feel uncomfortable driving.
Logistick wants every one of our customers to stay safe while making their deliveries. It’s why we make the products we do. For both your safety and the safety of your cargo, consider Logistick’s cargo securement systems for your truck.