Len Dubois Trucking and our fleet of professional drivers are committed to safety. If you would like to learn more about safe driving practices please join us on Facebook & Twitter!
Professional truck drivers take a lot of care when they’re on the roads to help keep other motorists safe. A large part of the problem that many truck drivers face each day is a lack of education of motorists on the road. One very dangerous condition that four wheelers put themselves in all the time is driving in a truck’s blind spots.
Semi-trucks are extremely large vehicles, generally 72 feet long, thus creating large blind spots. Unlike cars, semi-truck drivers cannot simply look over their shoulder to check their blind spots. They have to rely on their side mirrors, but even these don’t offer a full view of what is around the truck.
It is up to the general public, the other motorists, the four wheelers, if you will, to avoid driving in a trucks blind spots.
The Front Blind Spot
The front blind spot is created by the hood of the truck. Normally four wheelers don’t like to sit in front of a truck, or have a truck driving that close behind them, but what often happens is four wheelers sneak in this blind spot to change lanes. Don’t. You should never cut a truck off. If you’ve come from a truck’s blind spot the driver may not have enough time to react to your quick lane change.
The Side Blind Spots
The side blind spots are similar to those you have to deal with in your personal vehicle except they are much larger. When you are traveling beside a truck a good rule of thumb to remember is that if you can’t see the driver in the side mirror, the driver can’t see you. Staying in these side blind spots is a common occurrence that can cause accidents, or at the very least, scare the heck out of you when the truck starts moving into your lane because they have to do a lane change. They are not being reckless; in fact the reckless driver is you, the person sitting in that blind spot. When passing a truck either pass them, or don’t. Driving alongside the trailer increases your risk of creating an accident.
The Rear Blind Spot
This blind spot should be pretty self explanatory, but many drivers have seen the aftermath of a four wheeler traveling too close to a semi-truck. Driving too closely behind a semi-truck presents two problems. One, the driver can’t see you and two, your view of the roadway ahead is greatly reduced. If the truck driver has to make an emergency stop, your ability to stop safely is greatly reduced.
Please avoid our drivers’ blind spots. They are professionals who work on and share the roadways. They have undergone training and have years of experience driving safely. They want everyone arrive at their destination safely and that means that you, the four wheeler, should take some time to educate yourself on proper driving habits, specifically when traveling around semi-trucks.
