Driving a semi-truck isn’t quite the same as driving a car—if you’re interested in a career as a trucker, it’s important to know the differences.
If you are interested in pursuing a career on the road, one of the biggest questions that you have is probably whether or not you can handle driving a truck. Particularly if you have no commercial driving experience, it can be intimidating to switch over. What are some of the key differences between driving a semi-truck vs driving a car?
Parallel Parking Is Harder
Many drivers dread parallel parking, and it’s even more challenging to do when driving a semi-truck vs driving a car. The long trailer, heavy load, and larger vehicle can all make it tough to quickly get parked and get to work. In addition to parallel parking being more challenging, turning a truck is also much harder than turning a passenger vehicle.
You Can Only Drive So Fast
Did you know that trucks on the highway stay within a certain speed range for a reason other than speed limits? Truck engines have a maximum speed that is typically much lower than the maximum speed for a car. Additionally, when driving a semi-truck vs driving a car you also need to consider how much weight the truck is hauling. The heavier a truck is, the more time it will take to stop.
Special Licensing Is Required
To drive a semi-truck, you must have a commercial drivers license or CDL. These require specialized training and testing to make sure that you can safely maneuver a vehicle the size of a semi. In order to receive yours, you will take numerous classes and tests, and go through screening to make sure that you are fit to receive one. A CDL will cover semi-trucks, buses, and 18-wheelers.
Blind Spots Are Tricky
Checking your blind spots is critical whether you are driving your own sedan or a semi-truck. However, as a truck driver, you will have larger blind spots and need to use more mirrors and larger mirrors to combat the problem.
Avoid the Dangers of Truck Overloading with Evan Transportation
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