Commercial Truck Driving Tips

One of the mainstays of the American economy is commercial truck driving, which serves to transport goods all across the nation quickly and efficiently. You might take this job for the paycheck or to see more of the country while driving. Either way, those are only a few of the perks of driving a commercial truck. They can even be used by everyday people looking to transport large objects and heavy cargo.

As one of the most cumbersome vehicles on the road, commercial trucks take up a lot of space and need to be driven with great care. You’re responsible for the safety of yourself and all the drivers around you when you’re on the highway in one of these rigs, so it’s important you drive carefully. Your local truck dealer is DeBary Truck Sales of Sanford, Florida, and we’ve provided our list of driving tips so you can safely get your rig from point A to point B without mishap! 

Acquire The Proper Licenses

First, and most importantly, you’ll need to get the appropriate licensing to drive your rig. You’ll need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to indicate to carriers and employers that you’re government-certified to drive commercial and semi trucks. You’ll have to take some knowledge and skills tests to obtain this.

Three types of CDL exist: class A, B and C. You’ll have to talk to your employer about which license you’ll need. Class A CDLs let you operate a semi-trailer or trailer with two or more axles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,000 pounds or more. Heavy truck drivers, dispatchers, couriers and bus drivers have this type of license.

Class B CDLs let you haul a trailer under 10,000 pounds GVWR, meaning you can operate large buses, dump trucks and straight or box trucks.

Class C CDLs allow you to drive a vehicle with 16 or more passengers

Maintain A Space Cushion

The space cushion is how much empty space you leave between your vehicle and the other vehicles around you. This means you’ll need to make sure you’re leaving sufficient gaps between the cars ahead of you, on either side of your trailer and behind you, as well as anything above or below you. Some places on your route will be much more narrow than others, like tollbooths, parking lots, tunnels and overpasses, so you’ll need to take extra care in these places.

Watch Your Blind Spots

By their very name, a blind spot sounds impossible to watch, but you can keep tabs on where they are and how much they obscure. The sheer length and breadth of your truck means that you’ll have significant blind spots to the rear and at either side of you. 

Don’t weave carelessly through traffic in your semi truck; you won’t be able to see the drivers you’re cutting off or potentially colliding with. If you pass a merge right sign, for example, you may block the vehicle to your left from seeing it so you’ll cause them to swerve when you suddenly try to change lanes. Be vigilant and make all maneuvers carefully, using your turn signals. You may even want to install more mirrors to allow you to better see what’s happening around you.

Ready to purchase a commercial truck or semi truck? Visit DeBary Truck Sales so our staff can help you find the vehicle you need. Our dealership is located in Sanford near Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Florida, as well as Atlanta, Georgia. We also provide service internationally to countries including Costa Rica, Panama and Puerto Rico!

Check out our inventory of commercial trucks for sale!