Driving a big truck safely must be a priority.
I spent the first two weeks in an 18 wheeler with a trainer. We left Elizabethtown KY one Monday morning on my first trip out to Wichita Falls TX. We spent the day driving out through Memphis TN, across Arkansas, finally arriving at a truck stop on the west side of Little Rock AR. The next morning we finished up our trip to Wichita Falls. We left Texas and traveled to Pennsylvania and back to Kentucky. After my two weeks with this trainer, I made my way to the terminal in Indianapolis IN, where I was took my own truck out for one week by myself.
My blog post ‘My first load as a truck driver‘ tells the story of that trip. It is when I got back to Indianapolis that the story got even “better”. When I arrived back in Indianapolis, I got to go to a hotel with my bobtail truck (no trailer) As I got to the hotel, it was dark and raining and there was not very much parking left in the parking lot. As I made my way around the parking lot, I pulled straight into a parking space, but I found that my truck stuck out way to far. So, what do I do? I saw another truck parked parallel and I thought to myself, “I can do that.” Me! A truck driver of all of three weeks! The driver who just got an overweight ticket in Illinois! Yep, I can do this. I backed out, drove around until I found a space I THOUGHT was big enough for my truck. I set up on the BLIND side (Yes, I know) and began to back in. Rear wheels first…..good. Start cutting the wheel to get the front end in and……..BAM!!! Somehow, I missed the candy-apple red Mercury Cougar sitting right where my steer tires are now trying to occupy.
Needless to say, big truck steer tires and Mercury Cougar bumpers do not like to occupy the same space at the same time. I totally crushed that car! Did I mention that I have only been driving for three weeks? After calling the police, we found the owner, filled out all the paperwork and went about our way.
What can you learn from my experience?
Later, I asked my company “How much damage was done to that car?” My dispatcher said, “Anything over $1000 we don’t even ask.” “The question is what did you learn from this?” What did I learn? I just ran over a car with an 18 wheeler! So, being the cynical person that I am I said, “I learned that I can pretty much park my truck anywhere I want.”
What did I learn? G.O.A.L. Get Out And Look! . That is a motto that has been around for as long as I have been driving a big rig. It’s a pretty good motto to live by if you are or plan to be a truck driver. Many times drivers, for some reason, find it hard to get out and look at their surroundings or to ask for help. They don’t want to be thought of as a rookie.
Well, problem is….some of you ARE rookies, and that’s O.K. We all had to start somewhere and everyone of us started as a rookie. After 19 years of driving a truck, I find that truck drivers today are not as ready to help as they once were so the Get Out And Look mantra has never been so viable. Just because you may be a new driver, that does not mean you have to be a bad driver. You have a choice to make: you can do it your way, or you can do it the right way.
THE RIGHT WAY:
- RELAX. Whey you get in a hurry, you will make a mistake. Watch this video and learn what not to do
- G.O.A.L. This is the best thing for a truck driver to live by. You can prevent most accidents if you will get out and look at your surroundings. See what is beside you as well as behind you. Many times you will have to back in on the blind side, in the dark, in the rain and you will not be able to see. You can try to get it just so you don’t look like a rookie or you can get out and look and do this thing right.
- Know your surroundings. You must know what is around your truck at all times, especially when you get off the highway. Backing your truck is one of the “best” times for slow moving accidents.
- Ask For Help. If you wait, help may not come. I have found that drivers have become the kind of people that will no longer go out of their way to help, but they will help if they are asked.
Together we can make the U.S. Highways a safer place to work, one driver at a time. Be safe out there. Don’t forget to like my Facebook page and share this post with your trucking friends with the links below.
