Safety Tips for Truckers During Distracted Driving Awareness Month
This April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a time to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and how to avoid distractions on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed over 3,000 people in 2023, with the leading cause for distraction being cell phones. While distracted driving can be dangerous in any vehicle, it’s especially dangerous for truck drivers operating large semis, which can cause a lot more damage and injuries in the case of an accident.
In this blog, we’re discussing what constitutes distracted driving, why truckers are particularly vulnerable to it, and how you can ensure you’re keeping the roads safe.
What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is performing any sort of action while driving that takes your full attention off of the road. This could be something as blatant as digging through your glove box while on the road, or something accidental like daydreaming at the wheel. The three types of distracted driving are as follows:
Visual Distraction: Any distraction that takes your eyes off the road. This could be looking over at a GPS system in your vehicle, or reading a text notification on your phone.
Manual Distraction: A distraction that takes your hand/hands off the wheel. This is something like eating while driving, taking a call on your cell phone, or changing the music on your car’s stereo.
Cognitive Distraction: Any thoughts that take your primary focus away from driving. For truckers, this could be something like concentrating on where you’re planning on stopping for the night or the tasks you need to accomplish once you’re parked
Why are Truckers More Susceptible to Distracted Driving?
The risks of distracted driving are heighted for professional truck drivers. Here are a few top reasons why truckers are susceptible to distracted driving behaviors:
Long Hours on the Road: Driving for long periods of time on mostly uninterrupted highways can make it easy to turn to distractions that take focus away from the road.
Impacted Sleep Quality: It’s harder to get the recommended amount of quality sleep while in the cab of a semitruck. Driving while tired can greatly impact concentration – learn how you can get better sleep in your truck in our blog.
Independence on the Road: Independence is great thing for most truck drivers, but being responsible for finding a new place to park each night, finding time to eat, sleep, shower, and keeping up with your logs provides a lot of additional reasons to be distracted that most passenger vehicle drivers won’t need to worry about.
In-Cab Technology: Electronic logs, GPS systems, dispatch communications, and headsets are all required for the job, but they can all cause distractions that take your focus off of the road if you’re not careful.
What Are the Legal Consequences of Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving isn’t just dangerous — it’s costly. Any kind of distracted driving can cause accidents that can lead to severe penalties for a driver’s CSA scores, fines, a license suspension, and/or termination depending on the severity. However, the most severe penalties that come as a direct result of distracted driving are from handheld device use. If you’re caught using a handheld device in your truck, regardless of whether or not it has caused a safety hazard on the road, here are some potential penalties you might face according to the FMCSA:
- Fines up to $2,750 for the driver using the device
- Fines up to $11,000 for the company if they’re requiring the driver use the device for communications
- Multiple violations can result in a temporary CDL suspension or a permanent disqualification
How Can You Prevent Distracted Driving?
It’s virtually impossible to remove all distractions from your truck, the entire time you’re driving. However, working to minimize any unnecessary distractions is the key to staying safe. Here are a few tips to make sure you keep your focus while you’re driving:
Put the Phone Away: Instead of leaving your phone on the passenger seat or in your pocket where you can reach it, leave it in your cab, the glove box, or anywhere else you can’t easily grab it until your break.
Minimize Hands-Free Device Use: If you need to use a hands-free device, make sure you’re only utilizing it when absolutely necessary. When you are using it, ensure you’re on a safe stretch of road and make it a point to pay extra attention to any surrounding vehicles.
Keep Necessary Items in Reach: Keep things like important documents, water, and snacks within an easy reach distance so you don’t need to take your focus off of the road when grabbing any items.
Set Up Devices Before Driving: Before you hit the road, make sure your music, GPS, and any other technology is set up and ready to go. This will keep you from having to divert your attention to adjusting any settings while you’re driving.
Ask Your Passenger for Help: If you’re driving with a passenger, have them help you with any adjustments to your music/GPS, or answer any important texts or calls for you.
As a professional driver, staying focused behind the wheel isn’t just about avoiding penalties — it’s about making the road safer for everyone. At Melton, we train our drivers to operate in the safest ways possible during our 8-day pre-hire orientation and 3 week over the road training period. If you’re interested in a trucking job with us, learn more about the flatbed driving jobs we offer here.