Night-Driving Tips for Truckers
Most long-haul truckers end up spending a lot of time on the road, and sometimes they have to drive into the evening and night for various reasons. Maybe you’re trying to hit a deadline, you haven’t quite made it to your next stop due to a delay or maybe the sun has set earlier than you anticipated. Whatever it is, it’s important to follow good safety practices when driving at night to keep yourself and other drivers safe.
Draco Isuzu Truck Center in San Diego is your SoCal truck dealer, so we’ve drawn up this list of safe driving tips for truckers who have to keep going at night for whatever reason.
1. Don’t Drive Tired
Numerous studies have shown that driving on upwards of 18 hours with no sleep can be as dangerous as driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit of 0.08. That’s some pretty serious fatigue!
While it might seem better to just chug an energy drink and push through, the truth is that you need to stop driving when you catch yourself yawning and losing focus behind the wheel. A tired driver is a driver that is much more likely to get into an accident that could bring real harm to themselves or someone else.
New drivers may be especially prone to finding themselves driving while exhausted because they don’t know their limits yet. Learn to recognize the signs of fatigue and pull over to rest, no matter how behind you are or what your boss says. It’s better to get there late than not at all.
2. Keep Your Windshield Clean
A dirty windshield makes it much harder to see the way ahead, and this difficulty only compounds in darkness. The glare from oncoming lights hitting a streaky and bug-splattered windshield can be blinding and disorienting, and you could find yourself veering off-course without meaning to.
Make sure that you keep both sides of the windshield clean and streak-free using glass wipes, those windshield-cleaning buckets and wipers at gas stations or a spray cleaner and paper towels.
3. Don’t Look at Oncoming Traffic
Speaking of those cars coming at you from the other direction, you’re going to blind yourself if you stare directly at those headlights, especially when people have their brights on for no good reason. Keep your eyes to the right and down or always keep them moving so you don’t glue yourself to that glare.
We hope these tips help you stay safe while driving your truck. Looking to purchase a new vehicle? Visit our San Diego, CA, dealership location to check out our full stock of new and used trucks for sale. We can also assist you with financing options. Draco Isuzu Truck Center proudly serves all of San Diego County, CA.