Truckers offer tips on safe driving around trucks

Nampa, Idaho, resident Ted Cash has been a long-haul trucker for 33 years and logged more than 2.5 million hours on the road without a collision.

But that doesn't mean he hasn't had some close calls. And often, Cash told the Utah media Thursday, those near-crashes were due to motorists not understanding how to properly share the road with big rigs.

"It happens every single day," he said of motorists crowding, tailgating and cutting in front of semi-trailers. "You need to give me my (space). I'm out here driving as safely as I know how to do."

Cash was in town to visit a North Salt Lake truck stop and spread the word about highway safety as part of the national Share the Road Safety Tour, sponsored by the American Trucking Association, the Utah Highway Patrol, AAA Utah and the Utah Trucking Association.

The C.R. England driver said there is a lack of information provided to the public about how to drive safely around trucks. Drivers' education classes and driver's license tests do not cover the basics Cash is trying to communicate to the public.

For example, a typical car should be at least 10 lengths ahead of a semi before changing into the lane in front of it, otherwise the trucker would not be able to stop in time if needed.

A motorist also should stay between 20 and 25 lengths behind a truck when following in the same lane. If not, the trucker very likely cannot see that vehicle.

Scenarios were demonstrated by Cash with a static demonstration of what truckers face on the nation's interstates every day.

"We need to get along (on the road) and we need to know how to do it safely," said AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough. "We definitely need to be more aware (of truckers), as much as we can, especially during the holiday weekend" when so many cars and trucks will be sharing the road.

And there will be more semis on the highways in the future. David Creer, executive director of the Utah Trucking Association, said the number of trucks on the road nationwide is expected to double in the next 20 years.

"In the old days, we relied on the railroad lines to move freight," he said. "Now, the freeway is the real freight corridor, just like the old rail lines."

Sgt. Bruce Clayton, a commercial vehicle enforcement officer with the Utah Highway Patrol, said some truck drivers also need to improve their etiquette on the road. But it is true, he said, that many motorists do not realize they need to give trucks a lot more room to operate than passenger vehicles.

"If we could put every member of the public in a truck for a day, there would be a lot better awareness," Clayton said.

Cash did just that to several members of the media, who volunteered to be his guinea pigs. Through a series of questions, he illustrated to the would-be drivers just how limited the sight lines are in a big rig. And when you're hauling 80,000 pounds, he noted, seeing is surviving.

Here are some tips for motorists when sharing the road with truckers:

-- Never cut in front of a truck.

-- Never linger alongside a truck. Cars can momentarily "disappear" from view due to blind spots.

-- Pass trucks quickly to increase visibility and reduce dangers associated with lingering beside a truck.

-- Only change lanes when you can see both of the truck's headlights in your rearview mirror.

-- If possible, pass a truck on the left, not on the right, because the truck's blind spot on the right runs the length of the trailer and extends out three lanes.

-- Keep a safety cushion around trucks. Try to leave a 10-car length gap when in front of a truck and 20-25 car lengths when behind a truck.

-- Check a truck's mirrors. If you are following a truck and you cannot see the driver's face in the truck's side mirrors, the truck driver cannot see you.

-- Allow trucks adequate space to maneuver. Trucks make wide turns at intersections and require additional lanes to turn.

E-mail: zman@desnews.com

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