It’s been said that the best way to learn is from your mistakes. This may be true, but it’s a dangerous and expensive way to learn how to avoid trucking accidents during your first few years as a driver. It’s better for your health, livelihood, and South Carolina rig insurance premiums if you learn from the mistakes of others.
Whether you’re a commercial or owner operator trucker, avoiding accidents requires methodical, focused, and deliberate driving. Below are four tips for staying safe while driving your rig in South Carolina.
Take Your Time When Backing Your Rig into a Delivery Area
Commercial or owner operator truck drivers should get out of their rig and scout the delivery area. Look for possible obstacles that will be in your blind spots. Take your time and back in slowly. Don’t be afraid of getting out and looking as many times as needed to safely back in. You should only trust your own eyes instead of those of any nearby person that wants to spot for you.
Be Methodical
This means following checklists, planning your trips, checking the weather, calling ahead to get directions to the customer’s delivery area and checking these against your map before driving in. Thorough planning is especially important. Failure to do so could mean driving your rig into areas with backed up congested traffic, or running out of fuel, or not finding a place to stop overnight. The trucker who is a methodical planner tends to have an excellent driving record and therefore pays very low South Carolina Rig Insurance premiums.
Know Your Rig’s Blind Spots
Be aware of the vehicles entering and leaving your blind spots. Signal well in advance before changing lanes and never attempt it when you’re unsure of the presence of other vehicles in your blind spot. Don’t assume that other motorists will know when they’re in your blind spot and will move out of the way.
Maintain Your Rig
Commercial or owner operator truck drivers should use a maintenance calendar and checklists to stay on top of the condition of their rigs. Don’t skip inspections, and when you find a problem, get it fixed. Don’t get into the habit of putting off repairs because you will eventually forget about them altogether until they cause an accident or breakdown. Accidents caused by poor maintenance are a common reason for South Carolina rig insurance claims.
If you require affordable South Carolina rig insurance, contact us at J.E.B. Insurance Services, LLC. We have been insuring both large and small trucks for 17 years.
