Distractions can have serious consequences for truck drivers. According to Fleet Owner, truckers may experience delays on the road if they are not paying attention. Members of law enforcement may pull over a trucker if they see signs that he or she is not watching the road. Truck drivers may lose time getting to their destination if law enforcement officials write them a ticket or ask for a roadside inspection. Truckers may also cause accidents if they do not react in time to adverse road conditions.
Fleet owners may be able to prevent distracted driving if they take certain steps.
Have a conversation with truckers
Sitting down with individual truckers is one step that fleet owners should take. People should ask their drivers about their working conditions. What are their main distractions on the road? What situations make them feel tempted to take their eyes off the road? Once they know what situations cause truckers to feel distracted, fleet owners can take steps to remove these distractions.
Regulate the way that truckers use technology
Fleet Owner says that people should encourage their drivers to avoid technological distractions on the road. If truckers need to use the GPS, they should program it before they start driving. If people need to reprogram this device, they should pull over.
Additionally, fleet owners should make sure that their drivers do not use other devices behind the wheel. Cellphones, for example, can be a large source of distractions. Truck drivers should turn off this device and keep it somewhere that they cannot reach from the driver’s seat.
If fleet owners help their drivers avoid distractions behind the wheel, they may be able to reduce the number of collisions caused by one of their truckers.
