Helping truckers means you’re helping yourself
Chances are you tend to buy items that reached the store or your front door by way of a large truck. Whether you call it a transport truck, tractor trailer or lorry, they deliver the goods you want. Without them, you would have a tough time getting what you wanted…or needed. And if you did get them, it would cost you a lot more than it does now to transport them to you. Now it’s up to the motoring public to help the trucks reach their destinations.
We often hear reports of how the truck rolled, or collided with other vehicles. What we don’t often hear is how it happened. Granted, like everything else in our society, not everyone is innocent. There are truck drivers who take risks and don’t help themselves or those around them reach their destinations safely. To be honest, that’s the few that make others look bad.
I’ve attended many commercial vehicle blitzes hosted by a variety of police services over the 
years and the typical numbers show roughly 30%-35% of the commercial vehicles have mechanical deficiencies, which means 65%-70% do not. This is from hundreds of vehicles inspected including small commercial vehicles and pickup trucks. For the most part, the drivers and companies look after their vehicles, which is what you would expect. So what causes many of these crashes? Drivers do, but it’s not necessarily the truck drivers who are at fault.
Each time you notice a truck driver doing something dangerous or illegal, there’s a good chance you will remember that. But how many good drivers do you notice? How many times have you noticed the truck driver driving safely with respect to those around them? You don’t because they blend into the traffic. Trust me; there are far more good truck drivers than bad ones, you just don’t notice them. Part of the issues that truck drivers have to constantly deal with is what other drivers around them do which can cause the truck drivers to crash, suddenly apply their brakes or swerve to cause a loss of control.
Almost every day when I travel our city streets, freeways and highways, I come across hundreds of trucks. I witness drivers of smaller vehicles cutting them off to move directly in front of them; and in some cases, they apply their brakes to slow down for a turn or lane change. What these drivers of the smaller, more maneuverable vehicles may not realize is that there are many blind areas around a large truck. Cutting the truck driver off and braking puts them and others at risk. The main reason is the driver of the truck can’t always see the brake lights of the vehicle directly in front of them when that happens. By the time they realize the driver has just hit their brakes, it could be too late for them to do the same.
Drivers of these large trucks have blind spots directly in front, both sides of the cab 
(more to the passenger side) and directly behind the trailer. I often see vehicles staying in these blind spots for a long period of time. There seems to be a blind trust with the drivers of vehicles. No one expects to get into a collision and they expect other drivers will be able to slow down in time. That’s not always the case.
Something all drivers should remember is that large trucks may have a full load in the trailer, but to the drivers around them, they have no idea. Cutting off a tractor trailer and hitting the brakes is asking for trouble. The driver of the truck will either have to hit their brakes or make a sudden swerve to avoid crashing into the vehicle ahead of them but could crash into vehicles passing them in the next lane or end up in the ditch or guardrail. All of this could be avoided if drivers around the truck gave the truck driver a little more respect…and space.
Prior to changing lanes in front of the truck, determine if there’s enough room to do that without causing the truck driver to slow down by braking. If not, wait until you can make that maneuver safely. Plan your route so you can change lanes early and avoid doing so at the last moment, causing you to brake in order to make the turn. Look well ahead to get the big picture to determine if you should change lanes early. Ensure you’re in a position that allows the driver of the truck a chance to see your vehicle. Hanging out in their blind spots for a long period of time makes it difficult for them as well. If you’re beside or behind the truck, ensure you can see the driver in their side mirror. Regardless, pass them safely to regain space around your vehicle.
Trucking can be tough enough without interference from impatient and unthinking drivers. Working together is something all drivers need to do, regardless of what type or size of vehicle we’re driving. Put the shoe on the other foot and ask yourself if you were the truck driver, what kind of road respect would you want?
**Have a quick listen to this podcast as it describes what else drivers can do to help truckers do their job.**
How true! It’s a dance out there. Play nice–don’t be stepping on each others’ toes.
I can’t tell you how often I see people hovering inside of transports blind spots. I hear about the fatalities between cars and transports, and I bet you that 95% of the time, it was the fault of the car that they got crushed by a transport, whether it was the transport’s fault that they crashed in the first place.
What do I mean? I mean that people in cars need to leave enough room to escape an out-of-control transport, and that means passing them as quickly as you can, and to not trap yourself beside one, in the event that they jackknife, or otherwise lose control.
It’s not worth stuffing yourself behind a transport that’s passing another; if you want to reserve your spot in the lineup, stay just behind and to the left of the transport on the right. Not only does it give the driver a clear view, you’re helping the driver by keeping other idiots from doing what you’re trying to avoid.
Be smart. Don’t get yourself killed by being impatient.
Yes very dangerous but they do it all the time small cars!!!
Excellent teachings and techniques as a road user
I recall Seeing a number of larger trucks that have a sticker on the back that read “IF YOU CAN’T SEE THE DRIVER IN THE MIRROR, THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE YOU.”
I will also look ahead for my exit, and if I do not have time to safely overtake the truck and merge into the exit, I will slow down and slip in a safe distance behind the truck. I\m never in that much of a hurry to need to take the chance of being tailgated by 40 tonnes of truck, trailer and cargo.
Love your posts, Scott. Even if I am not with YD anymore, this blog always reminds me of the tine I had with the company and the lessons I’ve learned from it.
I seriously dislike when I’m following a transport truck safely and well behind it and some other driver tailgates me in order to for me to go faster or get closer. But that bully driver ends up overtaking me and tailgates the truck… that becomes hilarious… until I’m the one driving a large van and have to deal with tailgaters doing that.
So frustrating sometimes…
Thanks Lex!
My worst fear in 45 years of driving a tractor trailer, is when approaching an intersection with 40 tonnes on the back, slowing down to stop safely and an idiot sees the safety gap in front of you, shoots in there, and stops! He has now halved your safety distance and forces you to now stand on the brakes so as not to hit him or anybody else! No wonder I have no hair left! Truckers have a very stressfull time on the road, especially in heavy traffic. Be kind to them, most times they will repay you by giving you a safe gap in front of them, as long as they are aware of you and it is safe to do so. It all comes down to respect for each other. Safe travels!
Very informative in my country truck drivers are taken to be the killers of the road. Only that the society doesn’t look the good deeds these highway heroes do. Respect behind the wheel will save lives let’s not be ignorant and pretend to be perfect than others, you scratch my back i scratch yours. Scott God bless you for trying too hard to make our roads safe. Road Death’s Are No Accidents