Beginner Tips for Defensive Driving Training in Heavy Commercial Vehicles

Beginner Tips for Defensive Driving Training in Heavy Commercial Vehicles

27 November 2017
 Categories: , Blog


As a commercial vehicle driver, you should anticipate incidents that might be out of your control. For instance, adverse driving conditions such as poor lighting, road condition, and harsh weather coupled with wrong actions of other road users can lead to accidents. Heavy truck training helps you to prevent such crashes. Therefore, drivers need to take precaution to avoid collisions even if they are not legally responsible. Such a move not only saves lives, but it also averts damage to property. Here are useful facts that beginners must know about defensive driving training in heavy commercial vehicles.

Low-Risk Driving

As much as driving is plagued by all sorts of risks, professional drivers must exhibit low-risk driving behaviour at all times concerning other road users and by being alert. Heavy commercial truck training takes you through the three critical aspects of low risk driving including observation, road positioning and speed management.

Observation requires a driver to scan through the driving environment. Notably, the drivers should look at the road surface, the distance between vehicles, and motorists on the left and right sides of their trucks. Mirrors and instruments can guide the driver to make an informed decision and remain risk-free.

Road positioning calls for a driver to position their vehicle by reducing the distance from potential accidents. A shrewd driver must maintain a crash avoidance space by adjusting the speed of the vehicle and positioning the truck accordingly.

Lastly, speed management is the maintenance of legal speed limits at different sections of the road, which allows a driver to bring the vehicle to a complete stop within a given distance.

Adverse Driving Conditions

Some driving conditions such as reduced visibility and reduced traction increase the likelihood of road accidents. A defensive driver must know when to get off the road and park the vehicle safely until the conditions improve. On ice, snow or slippery terrain, the driver must be cautious when braking and accelerating to avoid skidding. When slowing down, the driver should always apply emergency flashers so that other motorists will know of the intention to slow down.

Handling Emergencies

Defensive driving training equips drivers with the knowledge and skills to manage emergencies like wheel fire, sudden engine failure or electrical malfunction. In the course, drivers are taught how to inspect heavy commercial vehicles before getting on the road. For example, the drivers should also have all emergency equipment such as a toolbox, fire extinguisher and warning devices. Basic training on the use of fire fighting equipment is also critical in managing fire incidents.

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If you are interested in discovering the benefits of embarking on the journey of lifelong learning, you are in the right place. My name is Scott and this is my education and development blog. I will be discussing many topics such as the best schools, trade development courses and personal skills classes for you. I was a latecomer to the world of learning. However, when my boss sent me away for additional training, I had a fabulous time and learnt a lot of new stuff which helped me to build my confidence. Since then, I have focused on learning all I can.

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