The Road is Part of the Job
If you work in this industry, you understand how much of our time is spent on the road. We drive from
home or hotels to jobsites, from one project to another, in personal vehicles and company trucks, often
towing trailers or transporting heavy equipment.
Many of those miles are traveled early in the morning or late at night. We may be tired after a long
workday, stressed by the pressures of work and home, distracted, frustrated, or simply in a hurry to get
where we are going.
And we are not alone. We share the road with thousands of other drivers dealing with many of those same
challenges.
With the amount of time we spend behind the wheel, it is easy to forget that driving may be one of the
most hazardous things we do every day.
We cannot control every driver or every condition we encounter, but we can control our preparation,
our equipment, our decisions, and our behavior behind the wheel.
We can all do our part to make the roads—and ourselves—safer by following these basic practices:
Perform a pre-trip inspection. Check tires, lights, brakes, mirrors, fluids, hitches, chains, mudflaps, ramps, and other exterior components before moving.
Verify load securement. Make sure tools, materials, trailers, and heavy equipment are properly secured before entering the roadway.
Always wear your seat belt. Require every passenger to do the same.
Put the phone away. Do not text, email, search, or handle your phone while driving.
Manage fatigue. If you are too tired to drive safely, stop. A schedule is never more important than arriving safely.
Slow down. Adjust your speed for traffic, weather, road conditions, construction zones, and the weight of your vehicle or trailer.
Maintain adequate following distance. Trucks, trailers, and loaded vehicles require considerably more stopping distance.
Drive defensively. Expect other drivers to make mistakes and always leave yourself an escape route.
Avoid rushing. Leave enough time to reach your destination without speeding or taking unnecessary risks.
Stay focused emotionally. Stress, frustration, anger, and problems at work or home can be just as distracting as a phone.
Use extra caution when towing. Allow additional room for turning, braking, merging, and changing lanes.
Inspect equipment during stops. Recheck tires, tie-downs, chains, hitches, ramps, and exterior components during long trips.
Use a spotter when backing whenever practical. If you lose sight of the spotter, stop immediately.
Plan your route. Consider bridge heights, weight restrictions, construction, weather, fuel stops, and safe areas to pull over.
Never drive impaired. Alcohol, drugs, certain medications, and extreme fatigue can all affect your ability to drive safely.
Do not ignore unusual sounds or vibrations. Pull over in a safe location and inspect the vehicleor trailer.
Give large trucks room. Avoid lingering in blind spots and never cut closely in front ofcommercial vehicles.
Be especially alert at dawn, dusk, and nighttime. Visibility decreases while fatigue andwildlife hazards increase.
Stop when conditions become unsafe. Severe weather, mechanical problems, or fatigue are legitimate reasons to get off the road.
