Tips to Drive Truck Down Hill In Snow

The professional truck drivers have the much-needed smarts for making good decisions and knowing when the conditions aren’t safe and it’s time to get off the road. What truly separates the professional drivers from the rest of the pack is their knowledge and implementation of proper, preventative safety skills for driving in poor conditions.

Driving in snow and on ice, especially in bad weather conditions is risky due to more ‘stop time’ needed, poor traction, poor visibility and the increased unpredictability of other drivers on the road. A truck driver’s job becomes increasingly full of challenges while handling load and trailer in bad winter weather conditions. From the reference point of view, you can consult truck driving jobs in Brisbane.

SAFE WINTER TRUCKING SAFETY TIPS:

1 Slow down – Mostly the fault accidents happen due to driving on high speeds. Driving at the speed limit might be legal, but sometimes it is too fast for icy road conditions or snow-covered areas. DO NOT HURRY. Take as much time as you want and drive carefully. Speed kills. This is the first and foremost rule for any winter trucking safety tips list. You can consider truck driver jobs Brisbane for more information about trucking jobs and safety tips.

2 Don’t travel as part of a pack – Traffic typically moves in ‘packs’ on the highways. Thereby, you need to find a safe way to get away from the pack with the objective of maximizing the distance around your vehicle. Try to keep a safe buffer zone around your truck. You must leave plenty of space or gap between the vehicle in front of your truck and your vehicle.

3 Don’t follow the backlights of the vehicle ahead – Whenever the snow is heavy, the visibility gets low, and checking the tail lights of the vehicle moving ahead of your vehicle means you are following it too closely.

4. Safe driving distance - At all times, you need to keep a safe driving distance, and especially during the bad weathers. If the driver of the vehicle moving in front of your vehicle makes a mistake, then there’s more probability that you may repeat the same.

5 Using good and solid judgments — If the weather is so severe that you need to get off the road, then you must do it. Just find a safe place to get off the road and wait until the conditions become safe. If you’re looking for truck driving jobs, you can refer driver jobs Brisbane for more.

6 Avoid stopping on the shoulder of the road –– When driving in winters, especially in the low visibility conditions, the ‘blinding snow’ can mistake your position for being on the road for other vehicles and consequently they might slam into the back of your truck.

7 Avoid being a hero – You need to know that it is very dangerous to be out while the road conditions are severe. Do not feel like you will be letting someone down by not meeting a scheduled appointment.

8 Braking – Some of the drivers like to use the Jake brake in less than perfect weather conditions while some don’t. Mark another rule: DO NOT ENGAGE THE JAKE BRAKE ON ICY ROADS. Basically, try avoiding the overuse of your foot brake, until and unless the complete unit is absolutely ‘straight’ on the road. Because if you don’t, then there are chances that the trailer might slide and spin you out of your position. The truck might slow down but the trailer doesn’t, and this especially happens when the trailer is empty.

9 Good quality lug tires - Always keep the fuel tanks topped up. Also, keep good quality lug tires having proper tire pressure as these are essential for a safer winter driving.

10 Keep the trailer lights always clean — If you stop at some place, then clear the lights off of ice and snow. If not done so, then this might lead to poor visibility. Especially, the LED lights accumulate crud and snow. Keep everything clean, so that you can be easily seen.