Generally, driving is tough, stressful, and even risky.
You don’t know what to expect when you’re out on the road. You must trust your skill and judgment and hope that other drivers do the same.
The risk level also increases with the size of your vehicle. For instance, the chances of breaking traffic rules or endangering others are higher when you’re driving a truck than a car.
Large vehicles come with challenges that are specific to them, such as:
- Weight
- Poor visibility due to the height
- Maneuvering difficulty due to size
- Difficulty with emergency stops
Why Delivery trucks?
Trucks are typically a safety concern on the roads because of their unique challenges. It takes a skilled and disciplined driver to lower these risks and improve safety.
Except when it comes to delivery trucks, there are other risk factors specific to the delivery sector.
Here are some of the challenges that delivery truck drivers face:
- Deliveries are generally timed, which affects the amount of work drivers do and how much they’re paid.
- Some companies like Amazon have tough score systems that pressure drivers, affecting their judgment on the road.
- The delivery system means sudden and frequent stops, which can affect traffic, especially if there are no obvious parking spots.
- Finding suitable parking for trucks is a huge challenge for drivers
- Drivers often struggle with unfamiliar locations. The confusion and need to work fast add to the risks.
Knowing the challenges you’re likely to face as a delivery driver increases your awareness and helps you create safe driving solutions.
Tips for safely Driving a Delivery Truck
It’s not impossible to safely drive a delivery truck. Despite the unique conditions, maintaining certain safety measures makes all the difference.
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Inspect Your Vehicle
It’s general practice for delivery companies to carry out regular inspections, repairs, and certifications. But that doesn’t mean everything automatically functions perfectly until the next checkup.
As the person driving the vehicle daily, trust your judgment. If something doesn’t feel right, alert the people in charge.
Carry out simple checks before driving off, like making sure the breaks work, the lights and wipers are good, the wheels are in great condition, etc.
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Stay Alert
Staying alert behind the wheel is crucial for everyone’s safety. Remember that your truck affects how you view other vehicles on the road, especially cars and motorbikes. Focus on your surroundings and watch out for blind spots.
Always keep the road rules in mind, and while you’re needed to follow special instructions from your carrier, it’s up to you to judge whether it’s safe to apply them or not. Besides traffic rules, you should never follow other instructions blindly.
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Avoid Bad Weather
Companies don’t appreciate bad reviews, so they often want to please their customers. In delivery work, that means getting products to their destinations within a specified duration.
However, there are situations out of anyone’s control, like bad weather. This affects timely delivery, and companies should understand that, but do they?
As a delivery driver, you shouldn’t fight through bad weather as that means poor visibility and bad road conditions. Prioritizing safety is worth getting fined for.
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Maintain Moderate Speed
When making frequent stops or searching for better routes, you may be tempted to go faster to make up time. The thing is, speed and trucks make a bad combination. You’ll have a hard time controlling the vehicle and, worse, seeing smaller vehicles and pedestrians ahead and on the sides.
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Plan Your Routes
Delivery drivers regularly struggle with fulfilling orders because of ineffective route planning. When the driver is lost or can’t find alternative roads away from traffic, they delay order fulfillment.
These challenges place unnecessary pressure on the driver, which can have negative consequences on the road.
It’s important that drivers have good route planning software, which allows them to map out their paths and stops effectively.
Google Maps is a simple and free route planning app. But there are more solid options on the market.
Conclusion
Accidents involving motor vehicles have been on a general decline now, except for trucks. Truck accidents are on a steady rise. You throw in the complications of deliveries, and the potential for severe physical injuries increases.
In the event of a crash, however, we suggest reporting the incident, seeking medical assistance, and contacting a car accident attorney to take care of the legal issues.
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