You know what we think is a honk worthy cause? Trucker safety. Not only do we want you to be safe, but we would like for the safety of all drivers on our nation’s roads to be improved. We don’t want drivers to make an early trip to the golden highway in the sky, but unfortunately, truck driving is a dangerous profession.
According to the government’s workplace fatality census, truck driving was the most hazardous job last year, so stay educated on the dangers included with your occupation and take the measures that you can to become a safer driver. Let’s check out the leading causes of dangerous trucking to spread awareness.
The Dangers On Our Roads
Distracted Driving
We understand that cell phones have gotten way better over the years, and they can do a ton of cool stuff, making them be incredibly distracting. When you’re tweeting, posting, and snap chatting behind the wheel your eyes aren’t on the road and that’s extremely dangerous.
Put your phone down unless you’re safely parked. If you need to make a call use one of the many modern hands-free devices that are available. Other causes of distracted driving include reading while driving, eating, fixing your hair, rubber necking, messing with your radio or navigation system, and more.
Driving Tired
Trucking is an exhausting job, make sure that you get the rest that you need. Driving tired causes impaired reaction time, judgment, and vision. It can also cause decreased performance, vigilance, and increased aggression. It’s basically like driving drunk. Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep a night and if you’re tired take a break to get in a power nap.
Sometimes people don’t know that they aren’t well rested because they have sleep apnea, the silent killer. If you wake up feeling exhausted, with headaches, feeling confused, out of breath, or wake up due to coughing consider getting screened for sleep apnea, so you can take the steps towards correcting the issue to greatly improve your safety and quality of life.
Living An Unhealthy Lifestyle
You’ve probably seen some strange things around truck stops, including people with their bare stomachs hanging out of their shirts. That’s because truckers can gain so much weight so quickly that they grow out of their clothes before they notice. A poor diet and lack of exercise can quickly put you up the creek without a paddle.
Obesity can quickly lead to conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleep apnea. It can also increase your risk for strokes, heart attacks, gout, osteoarthritis, and more. Trucking involves a lot of sitting but you don’t have to let it destroy your health.
Pack your own meals or choose from some of the healthier fast food options. Grilled salads with avocado and hard boiled eggs are actually incredibly filling options these days. Just go easy on the dressing, cheese, and croutons. You could also try grilled chicken wraps or fish. Also, get rid of sugary soda for green tea or black coffee.
Do your best to move around a little. By taking the time to briskly walk around truck stops or your rig you will burn a sufficient amount of calories. There is also quite a bit of nifty strength training equipment you can take in your rig.
Stay Safe Out There
We know that this information is grim, but it’s important to spread awareness in order to make our roads a safer place. On a good note, the rate of trucker fatalities has been decreasing each year. By pulling together to drive safer and to practice healthier habits in the trucking industry we can continue to improve safety.
Please add your tips about trucker safety in the comment section below and visit ExpressTruckTax.com for more trucking blogs.
