Weekly safety meetings at my workplace show us images of questionable pre-trip checks, give us news about previous incidents, explain their causes, and how to avoid them. They also provide information on DOT inspections and their outcomes, as well as the main reasons drivers were first examined. The association between a driver’s experience and accidents is shown by one particularly intriguing statistic they publish quarterly and yearly. I was surprised when I initially heard the stats!
Driving Accidents
As was anticipated, newly approved or licenced drivers were responsible for the majority of backing incidents and those that happened in truck stops and rest areas. However, the minimal amount of moving infractions or accidents that rookie drivers made when travelling at high speeds on the road astonished me. With six months to two years of experience, mishaps, including rollovers, jackknifes, and collisions with moving cars, were more likely to happen.
Wait… WHAT?
Does driving experience affect how likely someone is to get in an accident? How is this possible?
When I questioned a Safety Rep about this, she said that CDL holders, both in training and student drivers, are very cautious. She drew an image of a novice driver “white knuckling” the wheel as their eyes darted from mirror to mirror and their foreheads began to sweat. Relatable, in my opinion. Whenever a “large frightening truck” passed me on the left, I would hug the shoulder line.
Talking on the phone, adjusting the radio, or eating while driving is less common among new drivers, particularly during training. When approaching exits and other ramps, they often drive more slowly since they are still getting used to the Interstate and US highway networks. Many people commute at night to avoid congested areas and make parking more convenient when businesses close during the day.
The driver’s handbook still contains advice for new drivers, such as “Brake before a bend, not during,” and “Descend a hill in the same gear in which you climbed it.” It is a common misconception among new drivers that you “cannot” downshift while driving downhill slopes. A novice driver is likelier to miss a gear, get caught in neutral, and lose control even if one can downshift. A novice driver should not do anything because of this. Due to their fear of falling, inexperienced drivers are less inclined to descend a slope in a higher gear.
Drivers with greater experience are more inclined to downshift during descent and race downhill at faster speeds, increasing the risk of overheating the brakes and starting fires. They are overconfident in their talents rather than driving because they lack driving skills. They lose their dread of the road and grow complacent.
Backing Accidents
Backing mishaps show the opposing picture. Drivers with greater driving experience are more likely to GOAL (Get Out And Look) than newer drivers. I completely get this. I felt completely inadequate while attempting to observe my trailer or even that of other drivers since, as a rookie driver, I could not grasp the angles and reactions of the trailer. Unless I paused every few steps to assess the effects of the action, GOAL-ing did not necessarily benefit me.
I was puzzled and annoyed as I tried to determine how long I should hold the wheel. To practise the angles and moves, friends and videos advised using a toy tractor-trailer, but I found it ineffective. Only practice helped me. I practised backing for numerous hours at truckstops throughout my breaks. I finally understood it after what seemed like an eternity, and you will too.
The level of fear also differs between novice and seasoned drivers. While experienced drivers do not worry about other drivers or customers, new drivers do. New drivers get anxious while pulling into a door when other cars are waiting and honking their horns, dogs are barking in the yard, and people are wandering about. Their heart rate increases as they race to avoid being hit by other people. To gain time, they are less likely to GOAL at this stage. Those with driving experience will just ignore them or honk their horns in retaliation; without caring what other drivers may think, they GOAL and do the required amount of pull-ups.
More confidence and danger come with experience.
When rookie driver is involved in an accident, they become considerably more vigilant to avoid them in the future. On the other hand, those with no minor collisions or scrapes up front may grow overconfident, resulting in a serious accident.
A driver is starting to learn backing and time management by the time they reach the sixth month mark. With dispatch, a connection is developing, and work stress levels are starting to decrease. The driver is becoming familiar with the Interstate system and compiling a list of their preferred truck stops and rest areas. Lane control is not a problem, and the traffic lanes do not look as congested as they were in the past. Moving has become a lot simpler, and everything is great. The driver has likely visited several clients and passed through the terminals and drop yards multiple times. Now the motorist feels more at ease.
But here is the dangerous part.
At this point, drivers begin eating while driving, using their phones more often, and driving more quickly than usual. Faster on exit ramps, quicker going around bends, and faster going downhill. The ease of “knowing” one’s truck might result in a lack of interest in doing regular vehicle inspections. The outcome? A careless and inattentive driver was operating a potentially dangerous 75-foot-long, 80,000-pound death machine.
A snowstorm that last winter would have horrified the motorist is now merely a bother. Winds that would have previously stopped the driver’s vehicle are slowing the speedometer. But what if the truck was driven by a novice with less than a year of experience? What if, when strong winds began to blow when his caravan was empty, he adopted the “I know this route like the back of my hand” mentality? What if he stopped checking weather apps and simply kept going?
Always Respect The Road
YouTube has footage of the winter backups on I-94 in Michigan and I-80 in Wyoming. They are depressing. While it is a popular misunderstanding among drivers that only snow and ice may be dangerous, a video shows how a truck toppled and collided with a police vehicle that was stopped by the side of the road. Thankfully, the policeman was not inside the car!
I am aware of drivers who object to seeing these movies. However, I believe it is crucial to understand precisely what might occur with even a little error in judgement. Our choices, actions, and inaction have an impact on our own lives as well as that of others around us. If you have a catastrophic accident, you may, at worst, pass away and kill other people. Some could argue that jail time for vehicular homicide would be harsher. This remark is not too dramatic. Consider carefully if you have what it takes to be out here, to bear the responsibility for strangers on the road, and pursue a career as a truck driver.
Create a routine for everything you do, including pre-trip inspections and document scanning, to ensure you never forget. Spend one minute each day observing the poor choices made by others. Learn from their errors by watching a few accident videos or looking at images of “trucking failures.” I do not say this with a scornful, “Oh my God, what was he thinking?” attitude, but rather with, “How the Hell do I refrain from doing that?”
One wrong step, one minute spent driving beyond the threshold of tiredness, or one hurried second might result in your death. Always drive defensively and shut down for any safety concerns.
Good Luck, and Drive Safely Always!
