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Now that spring is quickly approaching, it’s essential to keep the best truck driver safety tips in mind when hitting the road. A change of season brings a change in driving conditions in many areas and regions, while the snow and ice may last a little longer in others. For this reason, it’s important to remain vigilant, ensure you always have the proper supplies with you when traveling, and stay on top of your semi-truck’s routine maintenance.
LubeZone Truck Lube Centers has eleven locations throughout California, Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. We make it easy and convenient to get the preventative maintenance you need to drive safely, including D.O.T. inspections, tire checks, full-service oil changes, tractor and trailer grease, oil analysis, and more. Make a LubeZone Truck Lube Center location near you part of your spring driving routine and stop on by today.
Keep reading to learn 5 truck driver safety tips for spring.
Truck Driver Safety Tips to Prepare for Your Route
Before your next job, go through this checklist to make sure you and your truck are prepared for spring driving conditions. Keep in mind that climates, temperatures, and precipitation is likely to vary between regions, especially in the early spring.
1) Carry the Right Items in Your Truck
It’s likely that you already have an “emergency bag” in your semi, filled with things you might need in an urgent situations. Now is the perfect time to take an inventory of those items and swap out Winter tools for spring essentials. It’s also important to keep the year-round gear you could need at any time.
Make sure you still have flares and warning triangles or visibility kits so you can alert others of your presence if you have to pull over in case of an emergency. It’s also important to make sure you have a stash of water, non-perishable food, and an extra blanket in case you get stuck in an area that hasn’t quite started to de-frost yet.
Keep a reflective vest in case you need to get out and examine part of your truck, a portable cellphone charger or power bank, and a fully stocked first aid kit.
2) Make Sure Your Truck Is in Top Shape
Semi-trucks need oil changes fairly frequently, so be sure to make sure your truck is ready to go before your next trip. Now is also the perfect time to ensure that your tires have the proper tread since spring can bring wet driving conditions with lots of rain.
Additionally, it’s time to upgrade or refresh parts and components such as lights, windshield wipers, and fluids. It’s likely that over the winter your truck took somewhat of a beating from snow, ice, and salt on the road.
It’s time to change out your wiper blades, make sure you have plenty of wiper fluid, and ensure that all of your lights are still in good working order. Check your tire pressure, since a change in temperature can impact the air in your tires.
If you’re in the area, stop by a LubeZone Truck Lube Center. We offer tire checks at each of our locations so you can see how you’re doing on air pressure. As the temperatures increase, you’ll also want to get an A/C tune up which we can also happily provide.
3) Be Aware of Different Road Conditions
Long haul truckers see it all, often in just one trip alone. If you’re driving coast to coast, or border to border, you’re going to encounter a wide range of driving conditions. One state may be hot and arid, while another is still below freezing with a chance of snow. You need to be ready to face it all, especially in early spring.
Take this into account when planning your route as far as both time and the particular roads you’ll travel. Look ahead at weather apps to see what it’s like in the cities you’ll be driving through so you’ll know how to prepare. Stay current on weather conditions so you’ll know if there’s a snowstorm in one of the colder states and be ready to expect delays.
Similarly, warmer states tend to pick up as far as consumer travel come spring. School breaks, open entertainment and attractions, and more all contribute to there being more cars on the road that can cause traffic jams, increase accidents, and more.
4) Roads Recovering from Winter
The biggest headache all drivers face as it transitions from Winter to Spring is potholes. Potholes are caused when water seeps into cracks in the pavement, such as when it rains or snows. When that water freezes, it contracts, and the expansion results in even bigger cracks and holes.
While many cities and counties seek to address this road damage come spring, it can be a timely process, and drivers are bound to hit more than a few of these holes in the meantime.
This increases the risk of tire blowouts on the road, can take a toll on your suspension, and more. Additionally, it can cause other drivers to unexpectedly swerve or lose control of their vehicles. Being aware of potholes whenever possible is the best truck driver safety tip to avoid damage from the conditions.
5) Be Aware of Other Drivers
In even the best conditions, non-commercial drivers are something to always be aware of on the road. Passenger cars are more likely to speed, swerve in and out of traffic, and aggressively attempt to pass a semi-truck than other trucks. All truckers know, keeping an eye on your mirrors to spot these drivers is an absolute must.
Now that the weather is changing it’s even more imperative to watch out for risky drivers. Non-commercial drivers may be more unprepared for the change in season compared to professional semi-truck drivers. This means their tires may not be in the best condition, they may have lights out or be challenging to spot in poor conditions, and they may be less aware of the risks that potholes or even wet, slick roads pose.
One of the best truck driver safety tips is always to take a defensive driving approach when on the road. While taking caution is always key, be even more aware of passenger cars and SUVs making aggressive passes and lane changes as they gain confidence in the more mild weather.
Visit LubeZone Truck Lube Center Today
Whether your home base is in the area of our service centers, or you’re passing through while on the job, visit a LubeZone Truck Lube Center near you today to get your semi-truck ready for Spring. We’re here to meet your needs, with extended service hours and no appointment ever necessary. In fact, we can get you in and out the door for a full-service oil change in just 30-to-40 minutes so you can hit the pavement and keep on trucking. When you get preventative service at LubeZone, you’ll notice that FAST IS BACK!
Also, be sure to sign up for LubeZone Rewards before your next service. It’s not a point system, like other service centers offer. Instead, put REAL CASH BACK in your pocket because we know that money matters.
Visit LubeZone Truck Lube Center today and keep our Spring truck driver safety tips in mind this upco