Winter is upon us and more drivers are having to take to the roads during inclement weather conditions. Conditions will vary this season from mild to severe and roads will become increasingly treacherous as the weather gets worse. It is important for you to know how to handle your car on the road during this type of weather.
Whether you're dealing with torrential rain, freezing rain, ice, or snow, there are some rules that apply across the board. By taking the time to educate yourself on how to drive safely in bad weather, you are protecting yourself and the other drivers on the road.
As part of every truck inspection, you have to dig deep into the inner workings of each truck to catch problems that would have gone unnoticed during a less thorough inspection. It's understandable that you might not want to go so deep every time. The cost of paying inspectors is significant, so you have to determine the best way to perform thorough inspections without giving them unnecessary responsibilities. At the same time, you wouldn't want your inspections to be so cursory that they fail to catch important repairs.
When a driver of a semi-truck experiences problems with one of the tires on their rig or trailer, an immediate assessment of the tire should be undertaken by the driver. To do this, the driver must pull safely to side of the highway in a designate turn off or exit, deploying caution cones as necessary to warn other traffic of the stopped vehicle, and inspect the problematic tire to determine to cause of the issue.
Getting On the Road - Once your vehicle is stocked and ready to brave the winter roads there are a few things you need to do every time you get in your vehicle. Visibility is vital to your safety and the safety of the other drivers on the road. If you are in an area with heavy snow, clean your car off every time.
Knowing When to Replace Your Trucks
Be Cautious and Alert - While you may be the picture of perfection when it comes to driving in bad weather, you cannot account for the other drivers on the road. It is also impossible to anticipate everything as you go. To be safe you want to remember that space and time are key.
Make sure that when on the road, you leave plenty of space between you and other drivers. Don't be in a hurry. Speeding cars and bad conditions cause more accidents than anything else, and keep in mind that speeding in bad weather may mean that you are going too fast even if you are 15 mph below the speed limit.
Your trucks will last much longer if they have good people driving them. There's a difference between hiring people who have resumes that read like they're good truck drivers and bringing in people who are actually good at driving trucks. You should hire the people that read like good candidates and then train them in the ways your company does business. Your training protocols have to be thorough and revisited on a regular basis. Older training protocols need to be improved over time to address the current concerns of the industry.
Whether you're dealing with torrential rain, freezing rain, ice, or snow, there are some rules that apply across the board. By taking the time to educate yourself on how to drive safely in bad weather, you are protecting yourself and the other drivers on the road.
As part of every truck inspection, you have to dig deep into the inner workings of each truck to catch problems that would have gone unnoticed during a less thorough inspection. It's understandable that you might not want to go so deep every time. The cost of paying inspectors is significant, so you have to determine the best way to perform thorough inspections without giving them unnecessary responsibilities. At the same time, you wouldn't want your inspections to be so cursory that they fail to catch important repairs.
When a driver of a semi-truck experiences problems with one of the tires on their rig or trailer, an immediate assessment of the tire should be undertaken by the driver. To do this, the driver must pull safely to side of the highway in a designate turn off or exit, deploying caution cones as necessary to warn other traffic of the stopped vehicle, and inspect the problematic tire to determine to cause of the issue.
Getting On the Road - Once your vehicle is stocked and ready to brave the winter roads there are a few things you need to do every time you get in your vehicle. Visibility is vital to your safety and the safety of the other drivers on the road. If you are in an area with heavy snow, clean your car off every time.
Knowing When to Replace Your Trucks
Be Cautious and Alert - While you may be the picture of perfection when it comes to driving in bad weather, you cannot account for the other drivers on the road. It is also impossible to anticipate everything as you go. To be safe you want to remember that space and time are key.
Make sure that when on the road, you leave plenty of space between you and other drivers. Don't be in a hurry. Speeding cars and bad conditions cause more accidents than anything else, and keep in mind that speeding in bad weather may mean that you are going too fast even if you are 15 mph below the speed limit.
Your trucks will last much longer if they have good people driving them. There's a difference between hiring people who have resumes that read like they're good truck drivers and bringing in people who are actually good at driving trucks. You should hire the people that read like good candidates and then train them in the ways your company does business. Your training protocols have to be thorough and revisited on a regular basis. Older training protocols need to be improved over time to address the current concerns of the industry.
About the Author:
At the time the California Air Resource Board's diesel emissions regulations first came out, Michael Schwartz, now President of FleetServ, started getting calls from panicked Fleet Managers looking for straight-forward information and compliance assistance. While FleetServ (formerly known as ACT Compliance) was originally formed to meet this need, over time it has evolved into much more.