Maintaining a focus on controlling your fleet's safety through defensive driving is one of the best strategies to keep your commercial truck insurance quote as cheap as possible.
Accidents may lurk around every corner, but appropriate defensive driving instruction can help your drivers stay out of trouble. Even a seasoned truck driver can benefit from completing an updated safety training course and having defensive driving materials at his disposal.
Defensive driving, or being a defensive driver, is defined by the National Safety Council and the American Society of Safety Engineers as guiding to save lives, time, and money regardless of the conditions or conduct of others.
Allowing your driver to take driver training classes is one of the most effective strategies to reduce the number of accidents your fleet has each year while also lowering your overall insurance costs.
You can enroll in a variety of defensive driving classes, programs, and services provided by organizations that employ various safety approaches and instruction.
Here are four defensive driving techniques for trucks and truck drivers that have shown to be effective.
Maintain Your Focus on the Road Ahead
Professional defensive driving instructors advise drivers to gaze at least 12 to 15 seconds ahead when teaching courses and strategies. This will allow you to monitor for potential hazards and impending threats while still having enough time to react.
The more road conditions you check, the more time you give yourself to react, which is especially important in larger semi trucks that require more time to maneuver or stop.
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Leaving lots of space between your truck and the car in front of you is part of seeing ahead. When moving up to 40 miles per hour, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) recommends leaving at least four seconds between vehicles.
After that, add a second for every ten miles per hour you increase your speed. Allowing this amount of distance on vehicles lets you to handle traffic safely while also providing enough juncture to stop if necessary.
Another advantage of defensive driving strategies such as scanning ahead is that you can give yourself a break. When you have at least one choice to lean away from danger, you have an escape.
To avoid other vehicles coming your way, you might attempt to ensure you have room to your left or right — whether it's another lane or the road's shoulder.
Finally, one of the most important driving recommendations is to constantly inspect intersections before entering them. It's easy to become obsessed on the light, but we must keep our focus on the road. It is not always safe to proceed simply because the light turns green.
Have you ever tried to run through an intersection on a yellow light that turns red before you get through? Being alert of inattentive pedestrians or vehicles can help to reduce dangerous driving at intersections.
Maintain a Reasonable Pace
Set your cruise control to the velocity limit may be tempting. Some truck drivers will go five miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit. While adhering to the speed limit is preferable at times, it is not the only guideline.
Road conditions, weather, visibility, traffic patterns, the size of your truck's cargo load, and a slew of other considerations should all be considered when selecting the best speed for your trip. Wet or snowy roads, for example, can lengthen stopping distances, especially if you're hauling freight.
Organizations should focus on defensive driver safety training programs that promote making appropriate judgments based on the conditions of the hazardous road, rather than relying on a defensive driving course that establishes speed restrictions.
In the trucking sector, defensive drivers must be aware that the company's policy prioritizes safety. This should always be part of any defensive driving safety training program or course.
Other situations where the proper speed may be lower than the posted limit include curves and exit/entrance ramps. Truck drivers should slow down to maintain control because the speed limit signs displayed on major curves are meant for passenger automobiles.
Before entering or departing a highway ramp, defensive truck drivers drop their speed. Drivers who ignore this advice are more likely to commit a transportation-related mishap, roll their truck, or injure themselves.
Work zones are a perfect example of situations where the recommended speed isn't necessarily what's indicated. Maintain your awareness to see where hazardous works are located and make sure you drive and merge into the correct lane properly.
You Should Know Where You're Going
When preparing your next professional truck driver safety and training course, sharing materials that help drivers better plan their routes may be valuable.
Often, the most dangerous road is one that truck drivers are unaware of. Trying to read a map or modify your GPS while driving can lead to the kinds of distractions that lead to car accidents.
Make sure your truck drivers have the opportunity to learn how to use technology in the cab before starting a new job when it comes to technology in the cab. Newer automobiles come equipped with a variety of GPS and safety features, but they are only as good as the driver who works them.
When it's time to modify their GPS or driving systems, truck drivers should pull to the side of the road, use their emergency blinkers, or take a break. This is regarded as one of the most important aspects of defensive truck driving instruction.
Driving defensively is being aware of your surroundings while driving and informing the other driver. One of the first topics you should cover in your defensive driving course is lane-change accidents.
To begin, realize that activating your turn signal to let another vehicle driver see and know your intentions is critical in preventing road accidents. Then double-check the road in front and behind you to make sure it's safe to switch lanes.
Last but not least, perform a safe lane change. Turn signals are one of the most straightforward methods for preventing and managing defensive driving instruction.
Consider the safety of the driver first.
Even though management and staff are under pressure to deliver a cargo ahead of schedule, they should keep their safety in mind to reduce the likelihood of dangerous mishaps.
The prevention of transportation accidents should also be a subject of a defensive driving training course. This suggestion will assist and assist your management in coping with major injury-related concerns.
Management should also understand that a late cargo isn't worth the risk of a fatality or other emergency. Cargo may be replaced, but personnel cannot. One advantage of focusing on safety once a month is that a motorist will be able to return home safely every day.
One of the leading reasons of accidents in the transportation industry is distracted driving. Texting or checking online accounts while driving are both extremely dangerous and prevent you from driving safely and defensively.
Driving safely also entails living safely. That involves getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and not pushing yourself too hard.
For your fleet, contact SoCal Truck Insurance.
The first step is to identify the services your fleet business need to safeguard your vast fleet, ensure its safety, and obtain the best possible costs.
Logging in online, following our safety advice, and subscribing to our blog for resources are all effective ways to encourage and assist your truck driving staff to practice defensive driving every day.
As a result, your commercial truck insurance quotes will be reduced, your rights will be protected, and your bottom line will be better.
In the commercial trucking insurance market, we give exceptional services and the best policy to gain the maximum benefits. To book your free consultation and quote, log in online and send us an email.
Take command of your fleet and reap the rewards of partnering with the best. SoCal Truck Insurance is here to help.
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