Check out these safety tips for trucking at night.
Truckers know that driving at night is much different than driving during the day, and requires a whole new set of skills and knowledge. Check out this list of safety tips for driving your truck at night to ensure that you keep yourself and others on the road safe during your overnight drives.
Keep a Checklist
Before you start your engine, it’s a great habit to establish a checklist that will help keep you safe while you’re out on the road at night. It’s a list of preliminary tasks to complete so that you’ll be able to focus on the road. Start by making sure that your windshield is clear— try using newspaper to remove any residue that could cause a dangerous glare. Do the same with your mirrors. Next, during twilight hours, try dimming the lights in your dashboard. The brightness of the lights inside the cab could cause reflections and visual difficulty.
Adjust Your Headlights
For safe driving at night, your headlights need to be correctly aimed. When your headlights go unchecked, it’s often that you’ll find that they are pointed unevenly, or lower, or higher than necessary. During your adjustment, you should also be careful not to point them directly into oncoming traffic, which would cause a safety hazard for other drivers. If necessary, consult your vehicle’s manual before attempting to adjust your lights.
Don’t Look into the Light
Be careful when driving at night not to look directly into the lights of traffic as it approaches you. Throughout your career as a truck driver, you will spend much more time on the road than most drivers. This amount of driving, in itself, can put a strain on your eyes. However, nighttime driving can be even more strenuous on the eyes and make sure that you also avoid bright light is beneficial to maintaining your safety. Instead, develop the habit of looking down and to the right when oncoming traffic approaches. Be careful to keep the edge of your lane and the painted white line in your line of vision.
Get Enough Rest
It’s important as a long-distance driver, regardless of the time of day, that you get enough rest before heading back out on the road. Try to best to block out all distractions when you’re trying to sleep. You could even try using a white noise machine or earplugs. Cutting back on spicy foods, caffeine, and nicotine before bed will also help you get a more restful night’s sleep.
Avoid the Distractions
Refrain from distracted driving on the road. Do your part to ensure that you aren’t answering texts, checking social media, or reaching for other miscellaneous items while you’re driving. Wait until you take a break at a rest stop or when you reach your destination to check your phone.
For All Your Trucking Needs
Evan Transportation provides trucking and transportation services for clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. All of our drivers and staff are offered competitive salaries, benefits, and are guaranteed to be home every day. Interested in finding out more? Visit us online or give us a call at 443-673-3365. For even more information, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+.