Today, the trucking industry has impacted the global economy because it plays a major role in the transportation of goods and materials. Although truck drivers are making everything possible by driving commercial vehicles across vast distances, but their job carries risk. While driving, they face significant challenges in ensuring safety on highways.
To end this risk, truck drivers as well as truck business owners need to establish a strong safety culture to reduce accidents and maintain operational efficiency.
Pioneer Trucking Solutions offers services to the trucking industry for NSC audit, IFTA registrations, IRP plate, safety and maintenance programs, drug testing and many more. Clients reach us to get the top class services related to the trucking industry. Our expertise always offers services that smooth your trucking business.
We also guide about safety and compliance. Adhering to a safety culture can save drivers from accidents and injuries. So to know which safety practice you need to follow in the trucking industry, keep reading.
Practices that Employers Should Follow
Being an employer in the trucking business, you need to follow certain things to ensure that you are running a business by maintaining a safety culture. You can implement certain practices as given below.
Implement Safety Procedures Based On NSC
The NSC auditors share certain guidelines that every employer should implement in its trucking business, to outline safe driving, loading, and unloading.
By implementing these comprehensive safety policies and procedures, you can ensure that your drivers are operating commercial vehicles intelligently & safely. These policies allow drivers to communicate with employers if they are stuck in any issue.
Employers need to review and update these safety procedures and policies regularly in order to execute them and match the current standards of the industry.
Give Training and Educate Drivers
Being an employer handling a fleet or trucking business, you must organize safety training sessions for drivers and other employees. This session will educate them about the latest regulatory changes, safety requirements, driving standards, and emergency equipment. To reduce accidents, employers should train all newly hired drivers and ensure that they have received professional training.
Installing First Aid and Safety Kits
A collision can happen anytime between a truck and other vehicles on highways. A driver’s life can be saved if there is a first aid kit and safety kits available inside the truck. Employers should ensure that trucks have a first aid kit before they leave the fleet to drive on highways.
This first aid kit should be up-to-date and contain essential medicine, adhesive bandages, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, antiseptic wipes and painkillers. Not only inside trucks, these kits should also be accessible to employees working inside the fleet.
Practices That Drivers Should Follow
Not only are employers responsible for safe driving, but drivers also play an important role in ensuring a safety culture. Below, you will come to know the best practices that drivers should adhere to to ensure safety.
Follow Traffic Laws
Being a citizen of your country and a trusted truck driver, it becomes the duty of every commercial vehicle operator to follow the traffic laws and regulations while transporting from one state to another.
Drivers should follow speed limits and traffic lights, and should maintain a safe distance from small vehicles to prevent accidents. Truck operators should be educated enough to understand local and state regulations. They should not ignore these state regulations as it can cause hefty fines and penalties.
Driving Without Distractions
Distraction while driving has remained a major cause of road accidents. And to prevent it, truck drivers should focus on their driving rather than talking on cell phones or using entertainment devices. They should never chat or watch videos while driving as it can distract them, resulting in accidents and injuries.
If a commercial vehicle operator feels hungry, they should park their truck aside and have their peaceful meal. Avoid eating and drinking while behind the wheel. They should plan their routes effectively and schedule timely breaks to check their phone notification or to attend emergency calls.
Proper Load Tie-Down Methods
Another practice that drivers need to follow for safety in trucking and to avoid accidents is to secure their cargo with proper tie-down methods. If unknowingly entered the road without securing cargo correctly, then it can lead the truck to fall off during transit, causing serious accidents and damage.
Overloading or unevenly distributed cargo can affect vehicle stability and handling. Ensuring that loads are properly secured and within the vehicle’s weight limits prevents dangerous shifts in weight and reduces the risk of losing control. Employing best practices for load management contributes significantly to road safety.
Final Thoughts!
Employers and Truck drivers while performing their duty in the fleet should follow the National Safety Code or NSC audit. Working together drivers and business owners can establish a trucking business that regulates safety culture and follows traffic laws.