Commonly I’m asked if trucks are safe to drive. As a truck driver, I’ve had some great and not-so-great experiences over the years.
Driving trucks is one of the most dangerous industries in the world. Due to the constant focus, heavy loads and harsh deadlines that truck drivers are required to handle, crashes do happen regularly. Interestingly, many truckies have stated that it’s not the trucks themselves but the car drivers who put themselves into harm’s way.
And I concur. Truck driving can be dangerous and exciting at the same time, which is why each year thousands of people become full-time heavy haulage truck drivers.
Throughout my career I’ve seen many people quit and in this article, I’ll explain why trucks often aren’t safe to drive.
The dangers of truck driving
There will be many hazards that you come across as a truck driver. These include:
- Drivers slowing down suddenly while having a very little gap between yourself and the car in front. This happens very often and is one of the leading courses of crashes.
- Cowboy truckies cornering too fast. I’ve seen this all too common where they try to make up crucial seconds by going around country roads way too fast.
- Unsecured loads. Even if you drive a pantech or curtain-sider, you do need to tie down your load effectively. Unsecured loads are a hazard not just to car drives but other trucks too.
- Blind spots. There are numerous blind spots on a truck which most car drivers are unaware of. The passenger door of a truck is the most prime example.
- Excessive speeding. I’ve mentioned this prior but speed is an important factor in some crashes. While trucks today feature speed limiters, rogue truckies often have these disabled in the dark of the night.
- Drug use. Yes – truck drivers are often caught with drugs in their system. This is either party drugs they took a few days ago or drugs to help them stay awake at the wheel.
- The sedentary lifestyle. This one isn’t so well known, but the long days of sitting down in one position can cause a big beer-gut as well as spinal issues. This is why I stretch often at every truck stop that I visit.
Improving the industry
So then, how can truckies get better? Well, the industry has moved towards effective licensing, training and monitoring. This includes weight bridge and logbook checks at stations as well as random inspections at truck stops.