How Haulage Companies Can Keep Their Heavy Vehicles Safe on the Road

An important road safety report concerning heavy vehicles—the type most commonly used by haulage companies—released a few years ago showed that the rate of fatal accidents involving articulated trucks was down by 60 per cent. This means that despite the increased number of such vehicles on the road, the level of road safety seems to have improved. It is no secret, but the following are just some of the most crucial road safety tips you can implement to keep your fleet safe.

Have Your Drivers Undergo Stringent Defensive Driver Training

There are many aspects to defensive driving, and for haulage companies, the training does not start and end in the classroom or even in the practice field. To ensure that your drivers are thoroughly educated and trained with the latest information, techniques and strategies, transport operators must always be strides ahead as far as defensive training is concerned. You can bet that there will always be some motorist cutting in, or inclement weather suddenly materialising out of nowhere, and for a driver who is in charge of a heavy vehicle with multiple blind spots, not knowing the first thing about defensive manoeuvres can be the first ingredient for a road accident. Moreover, it is also up to management to make sure that their fleet of heavy vehicles are in tip-top condition: regular inspections and maintenance must be conducted even if the vehicles seem to be in good shape.

Teach Your Drivers to ‘Read’ the Road

• Reading’ the road simply means having the ability to judge corners, gradients and angles of the road ahead of you, so that you can proactively respond to big and small challenges in real time. Having this ability is immensely helpful and can greatly improve road safety for the heavy vehicles used by haulage companies. Naturally, knowing the roads for their curves, bends and various idiosyncrasies can only be learned from experience—something that only veteran drivers truly have. That’s why it’s up to your more seasoned drivers to educate the younger or newer ones about reading the road. Allocate a few weekends each month for the experienced drivers to teach the younger ones; this saves time and helps new drivers work more safely and effectively.

Know the Weather

It’s not enough to tell drivers to always be updated on the weather. Haulage companies should implement procedures or use advanced gadgets and equipment to enable their drivers to be as informed about the weather as possible. The weather can change in a matter of minutes or hours; what seemed like a sunny morning can suddenly turn into the dark skies of a flash thunderstorm. Your company should subscribe to a weather news service or simply use apps and software to provide real-time updates of the weather in the areas your vehicles may be operating. By keeping your drivers well-informed, you'll also empower them with the best tools to make good decisions on the road.

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services for matching haulage companies or drivers with jobs and to buy and sell road transport and haulage work in the domestic and international markets.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.