If you’re a commercial truck driver, the New Year is the perfect time to refresh your driving skills and learn some tips that will help keep you and everyone else safe. Your driving directly impacts other motorists, so it’s important to take care when you hit the roads.

Read on to discover some essential truck driving habits you should know.

Practise defensive driving

When you’re driving defensively, you are consistently on the lookout for potential hazards and changes in driving or road conditions. This is an effective way to reduce accidents, as you are consciously anticipating potentially dangerous situations and making safe, well-informed decisions to minimise the risk of harm.

Here’s some defensive driving habits that you should be aware of:

• Check for blind spots – truck drivers often struggle to see cars behind or even next to their vehicle. Accidents frequently occur as a direct consequence of blind spots, especially when drivers are changing lanes. Therefore, remember to look over your shoulders and out the windows when changing lanes – you should also leave plenty of room around your vehicle when merging.
• Don’t forget to signal – long stretches of road can make it tempting to complete lane changes and exit highways without signalling. However, you must avoid doing this as it can significantly increase your chances of collision.
• Slow down – this should be a natural response when you see obstructions on the road or experience bad weather and poor visibility. You’ll have extra time to respond to unexpected situations so accidents can be prevented or minimised.

Avoid distractions

For truck drivers, distracted driving can be a leading cause of crashes. This could range from focusing too much on eating lunch, staring at signs and billboards and texting while driving – when your eyes aren’t fully focused on the road, you could easily cause an accident. Therefore, you should try to minimise these behaviours to keep the cars around you safe.

Rest when you need to

Fatigued drivers pose a risk to everyone around them. Under the law, commercial truck drivers are obliged to take certain breaks when driving. However, you should also take additional breaks if you’re feeling particularly drowsy or under the weather. This can reduce accidents and ensure you remain alert and vigilant when you are on the road.

It’s very important to stay safe in your commercial vehicle. Here at Transcare, we view your safety as our biggest priority. That’s why we take pride in our professional truck repair services. You can rely on us to help you remain compliant with regulations and stay ahead of your competitors – from fleet management to lorry maintenance, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you.