Truck drivers must have more training and drive with much greater care than the typical motorist. The consequences if they do not: roadway crashes that lead to serious injuries and potential fatalities.
Proper training of truck drivers is a necessity because even a task as seemingly simple as a left or right turn requires crucial safety steps and leads to potential complications. A properly trained truck driver is your ally on the road. Their actions and road knowledge help avoid scenarios that include horrific crashes and personal injury. But what if that driver is inexperienced and not ready?
Unfamiliar with roads, incorrect turns
Before a truck driver obtains a license and certification, he or she must receive proper training. An essential part of a truck driver’s education is attending a commercial driving school. However, some of these schools may make promises they cannot keep and rush drivers through the courses. Much of that education occurs in the classroom and not behind the wheel.
After completing background checks of drivers, some trucking companies require the newbies to ride with experienced drivers to learn the additional intricacies of the road. However, other companies may resort to the opposite approach, hiring drivers fresh out of school and sending them on the road almost immediately. This can be a major mistake.
Among the challenges and potential mistakes made by an inexperienced driver may include:
- Failing to adjust to the interruptions of traffic flow, potentially caused by congestion or an earlier motor vehicle accident. A new driver may not know how to cope with this scenario, potentially causing an additional collision.
- Driving too fast for roadway conditions.
- Uncertainty in dealing with roadway problems such as debris in the road, non-functioning traffic lights and even a deflated tire.
- Unfamiliarity with the roadway.
- Turning incorrectly or too sharply, leading to the trailer overturning.
- Failing to understand the fatigue factor. Truck drivers often have unrealistic deadlines, leading to long hours on the road and drowsy driving. It is not just the inexperienced drivers who succumb to this.
In order to ensure road safety and a good fleet, truck driving companies must hire and properly train their drivers. This is no time to make shortcuts through inadequate and incomplete training. They just cannot rush an inexperienced driver out on the road because results could have everlasting effects.
