Safety Tips for driving near 18-Wheelers
Apr 8, 2022 13:41:13 GMT -8
Joilet, Chris, and 3 more like this
Post by Lynx on Apr 8, 2022 13:41:13 GMT -8
Hey, everyone.
I don't normally do threads in GT but I think this is important, as it may help save lives. As someone who drove 18-wheelers for about 15 years, these come from personal experiences as well as common safety tips. If these can help save at least one life, then it is well-spent time for me to make this post.
NOTE: These tips are mostly for highway driving. Greater care should be taken on non-highway roads. Also, my examples are for places where driving is done on the right-hand side of the road.
1. Do not tailgate!
- You put yourself at extreme risk by tailgating. You can't see what's going on in front of the truck, so you'll have no idea if they to hit the brakes because of something going on in front of them. If you're tailgating, you are leaving yourself no room to react and you could find the front of your car under the trailer's bumper - which has, in some cases, pushed the tailgater's engine into the vehicle and crushing the front-seat occupants. Also, except for brand-new trailers, the trailer tires are probably recap tires. Those big tires you see on the highway are probably recaps that came off (truckers call them 'gators', if you happen to have a CB and are listening). When a recap blows off all that momentum of the tire is going to come at you, if you're behind a truck. If you don't have enough reaction time from being too close, you could end up dead. Your windshield will not stop it and the next thing in its path will be your face ... and I doubt that will stop it either. Lastly, the driver can't see you if you're tailgating, so they may not even know you're there - this is especially true in daytime on a cloudy day where shadows can't be seen. A recommended following distance is 2 truck-lengths. If you get closer than that, you should be passing them.
2. Passing.
- Don't dawdle. On a 2-lane highway (2 lanes each direction), you are blocking that trucker's "out" when you're beside them. They rely on that "out" as a means to avoid accidents, so don't take that away from them. When you pass, pass them as quickly, and legally, as possible. Also, while rare (but possible), a truck tire's sidewall may blow. This would be blown straight out, and if you're beside them, could cause serious injury or death. At the very least, it could total your vehicle. If I recall correctly, truck tires run around 100 psi. Compared to about 35 psi for a car tire, that's a lot more pressure - and car tires have been known to seriously injure people if they are next to it when it blows, so just imagine the damage a truck tire can do.
3. After passing.
- After you pass a truck, don't immediately get back over. If you do so, you are now taking that driver's frontal "out" (drivers rely on an "out" on all 4 sides of the truck to potentially avoid accidents). A good rule of thumb: wait until you see both of the truck's headlights (regardless if they are on or off) in your rearview mirror (sitting normally - don't lean forward to have the lights come into view early) before moving back over to get in front of them. This allows them some room so they can react if needed.
4. DON'T brake-check!
- If you're in front of a truck, don't brake-check them! This is defined as hitting your brakes for no reason - please don't confuse this if you actually have to brake. Your typical tractor-trailer has a GVW (Gross Vehicular Weight) of 80,000 pounds! That's 40 tons of vehicle and cargo. They cannot stop like a car or pickup truck. It takes, best-case and no brake locking, an average of the length of a football field to come to a complete stop at 55 mph. Areas that have higher speed limits, or in inclement weather conditions, this length is increased. If you don't need to hit your brakes, please don't do so - especially if a big rig is behind you. When I was a driver-trainer, question I asked every trainee was this: "Describe the vehicle you're operating." I'd mostly get things like "18-wheeler", "big rig", "tractor-trailer", etc. I'd shake my head and say: "No. The vehicle you are operating is like an 80,000 pound missile on wheels." That description tended to give them a better insight for the vehicle they're operating. So, please, keep that in mind. If you're in front of an 18-wheeler, that's an 80,000 pound missile on wheels behind you. If you brake-check them ... well, imagine getting rammed by an 80,000 pound missile if you don't leave them enough room to stop.
5. Giving a driver an "ok" to move into your lane
- If you're on the highway and in the passing lane (on a 2-lane highway), and a truck signals to move into the passing lane in front of you, some people flash their high beams to let the driver know there's room for them to move over. Do NOT do this if there is insufficient room (the 2 truck-length rule). Also, please don't use your high beams, especially at night. You can temporarily blind the driver and create a very unsafe condition. Instead, if you do this, turn your lights off/on a few times. If the driver sees it, they may (or may not) give you a "thank you" by flashing the trailer lights. Also, if you let a driver over, remember not to crowd them and keep your safe distance. If you're lucky, the driver may even flash you back over after they've moved back into the right lane and you've passed them. This is never a given, so please don't be discouraged if you don't get an "ok" to move over. Usually, only the veteran drivers will do this, but not all the time. After all, you don't have about 70 feet of vehicle passing them. WARNING: If you're not familiar with, or have never used, the flashing system to give a driver the ok to move in front of you - I recommend that you do NOT attempt it. Flashing improperly can cause accidents.
6. Non-highway: NEVER pass a truck on the right if right turn signal is on
- If you see a truck with its right turn signal on, do NOT try to pass that truck, even if there's room. Trucks require a wide turn radius to make the turn safely. It also puts you in their blind spot (the right mirror may now be looking at the side of their trailer and not the road if the truck is already angled to make the turn). Trying to pass a truck on its right side when they are making a right turn will most likely end badly for you.
Remember, truck drivers are just trying to do their job - delivering goods that you and I use. If you have it, it's most likely that a truck delivered it. Truck accidents are not only expensive, but the cargo they were carrying will probably also be lost - meaning lost cargo to delivery points, and it is could be the cargo that you and I may need.
If you have any questions in regards to driving around big rigs, feel free to ask them below - I'll do my best to answer based on my experience and knowledge as someone who drove big rigs before.
I hope this info has been helpful. Please, stay safe when driving around big rigs and don't let road rage control your actions. Remember that a truck driver will have a better chance of escaping injury than you will if you're involved in an accident with one.
I don't normally do threads in GT but I think this is important, as it may help save lives. As someone who drove 18-wheelers for about 15 years, these come from personal experiences as well as common safety tips. If these can help save at least one life, then it is well-spent time for me to make this post.
NOTE: These tips are mostly for highway driving. Greater care should be taken on non-highway roads. Also, my examples are for places where driving is done on the right-hand side of the road.
1. Do not tailgate!
- You put yourself at extreme risk by tailgating. You can't see what's going on in front of the truck, so you'll have no idea if they to hit the brakes because of something going on in front of them. If you're tailgating, you are leaving yourself no room to react and you could find the front of your car under the trailer's bumper - which has, in some cases, pushed the tailgater's engine into the vehicle and crushing the front-seat occupants. Also, except for brand-new trailers, the trailer tires are probably recap tires. Those big tires you see on the highway are probably recaps that came off (truckers call them 'gators', if you happen to have a CB and are listening). When a recap blows off all that momentum of the tire is going to come at you, if you're behind a truck. If you don't have enough reaction time from being too close, you could end up dead. Your windshield will not stop it and the next thing in its path will be your face ... and I doubt that will stop it either. Lastly, the driver can't see you if you're tailgating, so they may not even know you're there - this is especially true in daytime on a cloudy day where shadows can't be seen. A recommended following distance is 2 truck-lengths. If you get closer than that, you should be passing them.
2. Passing.
- Don't dawdle. On a 2-lane highway (2 lanes each direction), you are blocking that trucker's "out" when you're beside them. They rely on that "out" as a means to avoid accidents, so don't take that away from them. When you pass, pass them as quickly, and legally, as possible. Also, while rare (but possible), a truck tire's sidewall may blow. This would be blown straight out, and if you're beside them, could cause serious injury or death. At the very least, it could total your vehicle. If I recall correctly, truck tires run around 100 psi. Compared to about 35 psi for a car tire, that's a lot more pressure - and car tires have been known to seriously injure people if they are next to it when it blows, so just imagine the damage a truck tire can do.
3. After passing.
- After you pass a truck, don't immediately get back over. If you do so, you are now taking that driver's frontal "out" (drivers rely on an "out" on all 4 sides of the truck to potentially avoid accidents). A good rule of thumb: wait until you see both of the truck's headlights (regardless if they are on or off) in your rearview mirror (sitting normally - don't lean forward to have the lights come into view early) before moving back over to get in front of them. This allows them some room so they can react if needed.
4. DON'T brake-check!
- If you're in front of a truck, don't brake-check them! This is defined as hitting your brakes for no reason - please don't confuse this if you actually have to brake. Your typical tractor-trailer has a GVW (Gross Vehicular Weight) of 80,000 pounds! That's 40 tons of vehicle and cargo. They cannot stop like a car or pickup truck. It takes, best-case and no brake locking, an average of the length of a football field to come to a complete stop at 55 mph. Areas that have higher speed limits, or in inclement weather conditions, this length is increased. If you don't need to hit your brakes, please don't do so - especially if a big rig is behind you. When I was a driver-trainer, question I asked every trainee was this: "Describe the vehicle you're operating." I'd mostly get things like "18-wheeler", "big rig", "tractor-trailer", etc. I'd shake my head and say: "No. The vehicle you are operating is like an 80,000 pound missile on wheels." That description tended to give them a better insight for the vehicle they're operating. So, please, keep that in mind. If you're in front of an 18-wheeler, that's an 80,000 pound missile on wheels behind you. If you brake-check them ... well, imagine getting rammed by an 80,000 pound missile if you don't leave them enough room to stop.
5. Giving a driver an "ok" to move into your lane
- If you're on the highway and in the passing lane (on a 2-lane highway), and a truck signals to move into the passing lane in front of you, some people flash their high beams to let the driver know there's room for them to move over. Do NOT do this if there is insufficient room (the 2 truck-length rule). Also, please don't use your high beams, especially at night. You can temporarily blind the driver and create a very unsafe condition. Instead, if you do this, turn your lights off/on a few times. If the driver sees it, they may (or may not) give you a "thank you" by flashing the trailer lights. Also, if you let a driver over, remember not to crowd them and keep your safe distance. If you're lucky, the driver may even flash you back over after they've moved back into the right lane and you've passed them. This is never a given, so please don't be discouraged if you don't get an "ok" to move over. Usually, only the veteran drivers will do this, but not all the time. After all, you don't have about 70 feet of vehicle passing them. WARNING: If you're not familiar with, or have never used, the flashing system to give a driver the ok to move in front of you - I recommend that you do NOT attempt it. Flashing improperly can cause accidents.
6. Non-highway: NEVER pass a truck on the right if right turn signal is on
- If you see a truck with its right turn signal on, do NOT try to pass that truck, even if there's room. Trucks require a wide turn radius to make the turn safely. It also puts you in their blind spot (the right mirror may now be looking at the side of their trailer and not the road if the truck is already angled to make the turn). Trying to pass a truck on its right side when they are making a right turn will most likely end badly for you.
Remember, truck drivers are just trying to do their job - delivering goods that you and I use. If you have it, it's most likely that a truck delivered it. Truck accidents are not only expensive, but the cargo they were carrying will probably also be lost - meaning lost cargo to delivery points, and it is could be the cargo that you and I may need.
If you have any questions in regards to driving around big rigs, feel free to ask them below - I'll do my best to answer based on my experience and knowledge as someone who drove big rigs before.
I hope this info has been helpful. Please, stay safe when driving around big rigs and don't let road rage control your actions. Remember that a truck driver will have a better chance of escaping injury than you will if you're involved in an accident with one.
