Safety Rules for Protecting Truck Drivers While on the Road

Truck drivers are instrumental in transporting merchandise cross-country from one area to another. Without them, the economy would virtually come to a stop. The high number of truckers on the road makes safety a primary issue, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA strives to keep them as safe as possible by implementing safety rules and regulations. All truckers need to consider road safety as a job requirement, and avoid situations that put safety in question. One of the primary reasons for semi accidents is driver fatigue.

The wages of a driver translates into deadlines and quotas, so many tend to stay behind the wheel too long without rest. Law regulates the hours of driving time and the hours of rest required for a trucker. Drivers are required to keep logbooks with back up receipts as a means of enforcement. Some truckers circumvent or falsify the records because the faster they move cargo the more money they make. However, most of them realize the importance of safety on the job. In order to overcome fatigue some drivers use prescription drugs, over the counter medications or other types of stimulants to stay awake.

Instead of avoiding the problem, drugs compound the problem decreasing safety, so laws require motor carrier companies to randomly drug test their employees. A distracted driver is dangerous to everyone on the road. Sending a text or internet surfing, watching DVDs, or attempting to operate a laptop while driving, causes many accidents. Although truckers spend many hours in their rigs, they should not become comfortable enough to entertain themselves in this manner. Vehicle maintenance is high on the list of controllable causes of accidents.

Fluids, hoses and tires need checked every time the vehicle stops to fuel. Tires need examined closely due to the time spent on the road along with the changing weather conditions a tractor-trailer can encounter during one delivery. Brakes are another controllable reason for accidents caused by mechanical failure. Trucks have to rely heavily on their braking system, especially in mountainous terrain. Slowing a truck with a full load, going down a steep incline puts extensive stress on the system. Truckers know that driving a big rig is much different than driving a car with a bigger chance of causing injury or death in an accident.

Unsafe truck driving practices should not exist. A semi cannot react as quickly as a car in any situation. It takes longer to increase and decrease speed and takes more room at intersections to make a turn. The trucks blind spot is larger than the one on a car and speeding increases the already lengthy reaction time. A load of shifting weight exaggerates the movements of a truck, so extra caution needs observed when hauling shifting cargo. Every action that puts a car at risk of an accident also puts a truck at risk with possibly tragic results.

As with any motor vehicle on a public roadway, the person driving a semi must always be aware of other motorists that are inattentive or reckless. Watching out for other unsafe drivers can often prevent accidents. Those who transport cargo, whether local or long distance are responsible for evenly distributing the weight as much as possible and safely securing their load. The use of tie downs straps and tarps help obtain this goal.

Drivers need to make a concerted effort to get sufficient rest, eat right, and get physical exercise to maintain a level of physical fitness that assists in staying mentally alert. In an accident, truck drivers are at risk of serious injury or death, so seat belts should be in use and a fire extinguisher kept in the cab of the truck. Driving tractor-trailers takes skill and carries a huge responsibility with it, so no one should ever consider it a routine job. Regular use of safety precautions tops the list for doing it successfully.

When a large truck crashes with a passenger-sized automobile, the results are often catastrophic. Even a minor impact from a semi truck accident will result in a huge impact on a passenger vehicle. Huge impact equals serious, sometimes permanent, injuries. Maryland injury lawyers will make sure that you and your family gets the reimbursement that you deserve. If you've been injured by a tractor trailer, call a Maryland truck accident attorney today.

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The Different Factors One Should Consider While Buying Trucks

If you are looking to buy a new truck you will be considering the many aspects to be considered. If you analyze all these aspects beforehand you will surely get an excellent truck fulfilling all your requirements. You will find various types of trucks for sale. You have to be very careful about in your choice. The different aspects you should consider before buying trucks are -

Size or Market Segment

Mostly the trucks come under either the full-size or compact category. Compact one could be considered a relative term in the present time. Most of the full-size trucks can be obtained in the heavy-duty guise.

Cab Designs

Each manufacturer generally has its snazzy name for their trucks. But, the body styles basically for trucks are regular cab, crew cab and extended cab. The regular cabs possess two doors and seat between 2 and 3 adults. The extended cabs are compact and provide mostly additional storage space. Full-size versions have the capacity to seat 3 extra passengers. Rear clamshell doors provide easiness for getting cargo and people in and out at back of the extended cabs. But a few have smaller, front-hinged doors. The crew cabs possess 4 full sized doors as well as comfortable seats for between 5 and 6 passengers.

Engine and Fuel Economy

The compact trucks come in 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-cylinder engines and offer a variety for different buyers. Several full-sized trucks come in 6-cylinder engines on the base models. But mostly trucks make use of V8 or V10 engines which return marginal fuel-economy figures at best. The heavy-duty full-sized trucks have diesel engines which give lots of towing power as well as better mileage.

Safety

Mostly trucks give basic safety equipment such as seatbelts and front airbags for all passengers. Stability control and side curtain airbags are commonplace now on the full sized models. Few compact models have poor performance in the crash tests. People should be careful of the rear jump seats which aren't made to offer protection to anybody in case of a crash.

Drivetrain

Mostly all the trucks give both automatic and manual transmissions, plus two- and four-wheel drive. Several vehicles also give traction-aiding devices such as locking differentials, limited-slip or electronic traction control.

Versatility of Interior Seats

Mostly trucks could be equipped with bucket seats or 3-person front bench. The crew or extended cabs give the option to fold the complete rear seat up, or one half at least. Some latest full-sized trucks permit you folding the front-passenger seat flat and this gives a table like, handy surface.

Towing Ability

The compact trucks have the ability of towing from 3,000 to 7,000 pounds. It depends on the way they are equipped. The regular full-sized trucks have the ability of towing 12,000 pounds with particular suspension and engine configurations, though most range from 8,000 to 10,000 pound capacities. The heavy-duty full-sizers have the capability of hauling 24,000 pounds if they are equipped with fifth-wheel connection. One should properly analyze the axle ratios, which really matter in fuel economy and towing capacity.

The truck sales figures depend on these aspects. One should make a choice that completely suites his liking and requirement.

The article focuses on the different aspects which people should consider while sell my truck. The factors such as engine and fuel economy, safety, drivetrain, towing ability etc. are discussed in detail.

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Important Safety Advice to Observe While Working in a Bucket Truck!

Working at a job that requires performing tasks at great heights is one of the more risky types of employment. Of course, someone must do these jobs due to their great importance. Most people depend upon utilities such as electricity, telephone, cable and internet connections for their homes and businesses. The signals of these industries are frequently transmitted via overhead lines and cables.

With the aid of the bucket truck, the jobs of aerial workers have become much easier and safer. The trucks that are manufactured today for this profession are equipped with insulation to protect employees from live cables while working as well as many other safety features. Despite these added protections, the risk of falling from a bucket or being electrocuted by a live line is still possible if employees do not follow the required safety guidelines when working in a bucket truck.

Following are some of the important safety guidelines mandated by OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) that people employed doing this type of work need to closely follow to avoid such risks:

Only educated personnel should operate or ride in the lift.
Do not remove the safety belt or attach it to a nearby bar, building, or fixtures while performing work from a bucket.
Employees must always stand securely on the floor of the basket and should never sit or climb on the side or use any mechanism to extend the working height of the bucket.
A personal protective device in the form of a belt must be used and a line connected to the boom or bucket when performing any tasks from an aerial lift to provide secondary protection in case of a fall.
The weight of the employee and their equipment should not exceed the boom and bucket capacity limits established by the manufacturer to prevent injury to the workers and/or damage to the equipment.
Before the boom is set in an inclined position, the operator should make sure that the brake is engaged, wheel chocks are installed, and outriggers are deployed on a firm area along with their metal pads.
The bucket truck should never be relocated when the boom is raised in a position with employees in the basket, except for supplies that are specifically created for this type of undertaking.
For articulating boom and extendable boom platforms equipped with both basket-level and ground-level controls, the employee located in the bucket should take charge of controlling the aerial lift. The ground-level controls should not be used unless consent has been received from the worker inside the lift or in case of an emergency.
The design of the truck should never be altered or modified in any way as this may reduce the truck's overall safety.Performing a job inside a basket while 30 to 40 feet in the air is certainly a dangerous job; but it can be made less risky by following proper safety practices. It is important to observe these helpful safety guidelines while working from a bucket truck as it could mean the difference between life and death!

Christopher M. Hunter is an expert in commercial specialty trucks. Click here to find out more about Bucket Truck Sales.

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