Driving an HGV poses high responsibility on you, due to your lorry’s size and weight, which in case of any accident may lead to grave consequences. That’s why as a driver you should do anything possible to avoid risky driving, and to deliver your loads safely. Read about the road safety for HGV drivers, and be prepared for any situations on the road.
#1 Prepare your lorry – do safety checks daily
As a HGV driver you may think checking your lorry right before setting off is not your duty, as you may be employed by someone. It’s your responsibility to check the lorry for safety every day when you’re the only one driving it. If you don’t know what a daily walkaround is, you surely must use the service of HGV Training Centre.
In short, it’s the checklist available at the website of the British government, stating you should check mirrors and glass, Windscreen wipers, steering, all indicators, tyres and wheels fixing, and many more. The daily walkaround should take about 15 minutes, and it’s required to keep the record of the daily checks.
Remember that a bight in a service station doesn’t mean the daily check is unnecessary, as there are lots of people stealing lorry parts for fun or for profits.
#2 Safety is priority
Driving an HGV, you may feel powerful, or too powerful from time to time. Being inside a big car or lorry, may give drivers the impression of being irresistible, and while lots of lorries are almost untouched when an accident happens, personal cars and their drivers may suffer from serious injuries or even die.
That means obeying the speed limits and other regulations is not an option, but the priority and obligation. The excuses about the lack of time for the delivery of the goods are not accepted. After all, wouldn’t it be better to deliver the goods in an untouched car?
#3 Hands on the steering wheel
Don’t get distracted by the notifications on your social media, as checking them requires you to take your hands off the steering wheel, and what’s worse, it takes your attention away from driving.
If you like killing the time talking to friends via your mobile phone, make sure you’re using “hands-free” setup, to keep our attention on the highest level all the time.
#4 Plan the route
There is nothing more risky for HGV drivers than using a GPS system, and trusting in it 100%, without listening to your intuition, logics, and your observations.
Planning a route beforehand will not only increase your efficiency, and lower the costs, but it will also reduce the risk of driving into the city centre, with a limit for lorries.
