Truck drivers have one of the most demanding, dangerous — and vital — jobs in America. As hurricane season begins this year, these jobs are about to get more dangerous. To ensure you’re safe on the road during a severe thunderstorm or hurricane, we’re sharing critical safety tips for truck drivers and logistics specialists to prevent package damage and burglaries.
1. Perform a Vehicle Inspection before Leaving the Truck Load
Safety always starts with a pre-trip inspection. Our trucking safety tip to transportation coordinators is to ensure that each vehicle is in proper working condition before it leaves the truck yard during a storm. For a refresher, check out Schneider’s Ultimate Pre-Trip Inspection Guide.
2. Pull Your Truck Over When It Becomes too Windy
There is no calm before the storm. Even before a hurricane hits, there’s heavy rain and strong winds. Strong winds can pull and even flip a tractor trailer. They can even damage a parked trailer. If you’re driving with dry vans or reefers on a windy day, a beneficial safety tip for truck drivers is to pull over when it’s safe to stop.
3. Watch the Weather & Road Conditions
Hurricanes can change course quickly. Truck drivers should continuously check the U.S. Department of Transportation road conditions and closings throughout the duration of a storm. If there is a state of emergency in a certain area, a safety tip for truck drivers is to travel a different route or delay shipment to that area.
4. Avoid Flooded Roads
The high clearance and heavy weight of your truck may give you an edge over passenger cars on flooded roads, but if road pavement and small bridges can be ripped apart by flooded roads, so can your trailer. Not to mention, there could be deep holes, debris and power lines on the road beneath the water. Our safety tip for experts in the trucking industry is to adjust routes to avoid severe flooding. On the other hand, it may be a smart idea to stop your vehicle and visit a rest stop until the storm is over.
5. Be Prepared for Delays or Route Changes
Weather is unpredictable. Even a slight shift in the storm’s course can make a big impact on your truck route and safety. And there’s no telling how long the impact could last. Your best course of action: be patient, keep an eye on the weather, and be prepared for schedule delays and changes.
6. Remain Aware of Your Surroundings & Road Conditions
Be alert to the road ahead and your surroundings, for your safety and those around you. You’re on the road days and weeks on end. During severe weather, the demands and conditions for truck drivers is only greater. The most valuable trucking safety tips we want to iterate to drivers is to get rest and take continuous breaks throughout the day.
7. Slow Down on Corners & Ramps
Truck drivers have loads of responsibility — the first and foremost is to follow trucking safety tips and regulations. Storm or no storm: slow down, especially on corners and ramps. No load is worth your life or the life of others on the road.
The safety of truck drivers is very important to the staff at AMAROK. While we relentlessly protect our customers’ properties from coast to coast with solar-powered perimeter security that can weather any storm, we want to ensure truck drivers and logistics technicians are safe while driving on the road.
This will help prevent issues such as damage to shipments and cargo theft. If you need an electric security fence and video surveillance solution for your commercial truck yard, facility, or property, contact AMAROK today.
