Sharing the Road with the Big-Rigs

When my husband started driving trucks, I was concerned with being alone a lot and how it would affect me. But as time went on, I actually learned a few things about these trucks that I either didn’t know before or had never really thought about. Now, when I’m driving on the highway, I pay a lot more attention to the trucks out there and where I am driving in relation to them.

Stopping Distance

Trucks require a lot more distance to stop than your car does. This is especially true when their trailer is completely full. Since you can’t see inside their trailer, it’s safer to assume they have a full load.

When you are passing a truck on the road, make sure there is enough room before coming over in front of the truck. Allow a lot of room, coming over in a small space, just enough room for your car is a bad idea. Truck drivers like to leave several seconds stopping distance between them and the car in front of them to compensate for the longer stopping distance. When you come over in that one-car-length space, they don’t have room to stop anymore. It is especially dangerous if you accelerate to get past them, come into the space, and then tap your breaks to slow down to avoid accelerating into the car in front of you. Remember, the truck can’t slow down as quickly as you can. Attempting to stop suddenly can also cause the trucker to lose control of his trailer leading to a much larger accident.

How many times have you been driving along and a car turns left in front of you, causing you to slow down to avoid hitting them. Now think of a big truck hauling several tons, requiring several hundred feet to slow down and stop trying to do the same thing. The driver is left with few options to avoid hitting the car. Swerving to miss it will cause a loss of control of the trailer. The driver can only try to slow down and hope that the car accelerates quickly, hoping that he does not hit the car. When you are making a turn or merging onto the roadway, be sure to allow plenty of room if you are turning in front of the truck. It’s best to wait or accelerate quickly.

Turning Radius

Most truck drivers do their best to stay in their lane when making a turn. However, if it is a tight turn, they will probably go out of their lane. When a truck is making a turn, slow down and allow them time to complete the turn. In order to keep the trailer in the lane, the driver must go very slow. Be patient, don’t try to go around the trailer, you may get hit and the driver probably can’t see you.

Speed

We all know how frustrating it can be when traveling behind a big-rig and they are going slower than we would like. Keep in mind that the weight and size of these trucks keeps them from accelerating at the same rate as your car. If you give it time, the truck will soon get up to cruising speed. Tailgating a truck is not going to get them to go faster. The trailers don’t have back windows. The driver can’t even see you when you tailgate. Not to mention, you can’t see what’s ahead of the truck if you are that close to the back of the trailer. Most trucking companies have “governors” on their trucks that limit the speed the driver can go to 60-65 miles per hour. If you are going to pass, pass quickly. Don’t drive alongside the truck if you can help it.

Blind Spots

There are more blind spots on a truck than you may think. The common rule is if you can’t see the driver in his mirrors, he can’t see you. Right behind the trailer is one blind spot. Another is alongside the cab, especially on the right side. The truck sits very high. When you drive along side a car, the other driver can see you through the window. This is not the case in a truck. A passenger car isn’t tall enough to be seen out of the window of a big-rig. Right in front of the truck is another bad spot. Leave at least one-car length between the back of your car and the front of the truck to ensure he can see you. It has already been mentioned not to drive alongside the trailer. The reason for this is that there are several areas alongside the trailer where the driver can’t see you. Instead of trying to remember where the blind spots are and figure out whether or not you are in one of these blind spots, it’s better to just get past the truck and allow plenty of room.

Courtesies

When a truck is trying to change lanes, it is polite to let them know when the lane is clear for them to come over. If a truck has his turn signal on to come over to your lane, flash you headlights to let him know there is room and it is okay to come over now. Most drivers will flash their tail lights once they are over as a way to say “thank you.”

I remember as a kid, we used to try to get the truck drivers to honk their horns. This is not something you should do. There are a couple reasons for this. First, it is distracting for the truck driver. Second, the horn is loud. It may startle the other people on the road, causing them to swerve or lose control of their cars. The truck drivers would rather not do this.

Try not to lose your temper and yell or make rude gestures at the drivers. Driving can be frustrating, it is for all of us. Most of these drivers are professional and polite. They are not trying to inconvenience you or make you angry. The things that make most motorists the angriest, are not the driver’s fault. They are limitations of the truck and safety related. Try to remember that if the trucks are not on the road, that is a bad sign for the economy. Nearly everything we purchase at the store was delivered by one of these trucks. Even if we don’t all like them, we all need them. Let’s all try to make the roads a little safer and give the trucks some room.