Truck Driving Research Paper

Improved Essays
When a 3,000 pound car and an 80,000 pound truck collide, the outcome is often grim. Some of these accidents could have been avoided had the driver in the car knew how to share the road with large trucks. Many motorists treat trucks as just another vehicle on the road which is a mistake. Large trucks can't slow down as rapidly as cars. Trucks also have huge blind spots and require lots of road space for maneuvering. In short, as a car driver, you have to treat them differently than you would another car because they are radically different from ordinary cars. Here are three tips for driving safely around large trucks.

Give Them Lots of Space

There are several reasons for this. First, they have large blind spots immediately behind them and
…show more content…
This is caused by their large surface area. Some trucks have even been blown over by strong winds.

If you have ever seen large strips of rubber on the road, these came from truck tires. Tire blowouts are common and can cause the truck driver to swerve when regaining control.

Don't Pass Them on the Right When They Are Making a Right Turn

Trucks with long trailers need lots of room. This is why they make very wide turns. Pay attention to their turn signal lights. If it indicates a right turn, don't try to pass on his right side no matter how much space is there. Trucks often swing left before turning right so that their trailer will clear the right curb. Don't let this fool you into thinking he is turning left. Trying to squeeze by on the right side during their turn is a common truck/car crash scenario.

Don't Cut Them Off

It is harder to cut off a car in traffic than a truck because the car has better visibility and more nimble braking. Most cars inadvertently cut off trucks because they treat them as they would other cars. You can avoid this by waiting until you can see the cab of the truck in your rear-view mirror before pulling in front of it. Signal your intention for three seconds before making your

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Driving above the speed is not only dangerous but also something that has to be handled nation wide. Deaths have risen in recent years because of drivers who carelessly don't look at their speed limits or the speed they are driving at. It is not only important for one's life but for other people's lives, their families, their vehicles. People don't seem to understand they are putting so much more at risk than just themselves. Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day.…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rail Road Crossings can pose a serious danger to those driving in vehicles that don't listen or pay attention to rail-way crossings. It is a simple law of physics that tells us that if a train and vehicle collide, the vehicle is going to lose every time. There are many things that I learned I should do to help keep myself and my passengers safe when driving around trains. First, you should always slow down when you come to a railroad crossing.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are also warning signs that start before you get to the railroad crossing, this is to ensure that you know you are approaching a railroad crossing so that you are prepared to stop if you have to. According to the railroad crossing lesson, bus drivers and truck drivers are required to stop at all railroad crossings in order to ensure the safety of their passengers/materials they are carrying, so if you are behind a truck or bus and approaching a railroad crossing, be prepared to stop.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At approximately 8:45 a.m., Mr. Rossignol and the plaintiff were driving their respective vehicles in the northbound lanes of I-294/94/80 and just west of the Illinois/Indiana state line. At that location, traffic in the northbound lanes of the highway is actually traveling west. The interstate at that location has four lanes in each direction and the northbound and southbound are divided by a median with a vertical concrete barrier. Mr. Rossignol was driving in the second lane from the median barrier.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Railroad crossings are all over America, in small towns, big cities and being smart and aware when around railroad crossings is the most important thing to remaining safe. Trains are large, heavy and can’t steer, they must follow the track they are on and in an emergency, the only thing a conductor can do is apply the brakes and wait for the train to stop. It can take up to a mile or more for a train to come to a complete stop.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    hat do you really know about tire alignment? Being out of it, it means your tires are hitting the road at unfavorable angles. Ideally you want them to be perfectly perpendicular to the road surface. Having a vehicle out of alignment causes uneven and rapid wear... costing you more money.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Driving Defensively

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    You should lock your doors and wear your seatbelt to protect you from being thrown out of the vehicle in the case of an accident. Incorporating all of this into your driving will put you in a much better position to be able to deal with the bad driving of other people.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    However, the commercial or owner operator truck driver must also do her part to prevent this horrific accident. Here are five suggestions: Inspect Your Rear Underride Guard for Damage or Corrosion The rear underride guard must resist tremendous forces…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Truck Safety

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Truck safety is complex but with potential injuries and death increasing, truck safety is also a paramount concern of our nation 's largest delivery system. A Closer Look at Truck Safety In the United States, there are nearly ten million people in trucking-related jobs with over 2 million tractor trailers hitting the roadways each year logging in almost 450 billion miles annually. Trucks account for 70 percent of freight transported in the United States with several trillion dollars of cargo being delivered in North America year in and year out. OSHA reports that an average of 475,000 large trucks are involved in accidents each year causing over 5,000 deaths and 142,000 injuries with a quarter belonging to the drivers of the trucks. Truck operators are only responsible for 30 percent or less of the accidents.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Differentials are a more crucial part of a vehicle, they have gone back over a hundred years. Henry Ford was not the person to invent the first vehicle; Henry Ford perfected the assembly line. Out of all different wheel drives, all-wheel drive is the safest and most effective use of the differential. The French made an explanation that the very first vehicle was made in the 1860s, based on their point of view.…

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Marcondes Trentini Speech Trucking is a very dangerous job and the professional driver often take for granted, I personally have lost some good friends to fatal accidents. The drivers award is a very difficult competition to win. I must to say there are some very thick skin professional drivers working here for Burris. Being a good driver is just not enough to score driver of the year. One must sacrifice a lot on a personal level, One must have discipline and Strong work ethics.…

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Truck Vs Truck Essay

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Trucks will have many technology options from OnStar to cruise control and assisted back up sensors and monitors. But although those are nice things to have and are helpful for everyday life to help humans become a better driver it can also distract us form being able to pay attention to our blind spots or get us unfocused on our speed and what is up ahead. Or it can be the smallest thing that takes up a quiet bit of space and can leave other important electronics out of the equation. For as a car is already smaller but can manage some technology advancements and allow for multiple electronics such as OnStar on the merrier and a GPS on a screen were other functions can be used so combining duties of electronics to one single unit can free up…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Driving trucks safely requires skill and professionalism that some truck drivers lack. Here are three fundamental reasons for the dangers of semi-trucks: They Are Massive One semi-truck can weigh as much as twenty-five cars. This means they require more braking distance to slow down or stop than the average car. It also…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There can also be more serious consequences to staring — for example, take rubbernecking, or slowing down to stare at traffic accidents. This common behavior not only leads to traffic tie-ups, it may cause up to 10 percent of accidents that occur in the opposite direction on the highway This morning I had an early appointment 30 minutes from my apartment in New Jersey. I gave myself an hour to get there, because traffic can be a little crazy. I wasn't too worried though, I was heading west, away from New York City.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If you want to extend the life of your tires as long as you possible can, you need to make sure that you avoid the things that hurt your tires the most. Here are the four things that you should avoid if you want your tires to last as long as possible. #1 Hitting Curbs Try the best you can to avoid hitting the curb when you pull into and out of parking spots. Hitting the curb readily can cause long-term trauma and wear to your tires, which will result in a shorter lifespan overall.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays