Consider this situation:
You are just minutes away from making your load on time. It’s late in the evening and raining, making it considerably hard to see. To your dismay, you notice that the exit for your stop is coming up in a few moments. You could make the exit by merging immediately, but it will require you to cut off the driver on your right.
Do you make the merge? It could be risky, but what about your load? Don’t you have an obligation to keep the supply chain moving in a timely manner?
Truckers face these kinds of ethical questions all the time. Most questions like these need to be made in a split-second with little time for weighing your options.
To help you be prepared to make difficult decisions on your freight journey, here are a few ethical trucker essentials.
Driving Safe—Even When Others Aren’t
Every trucker knows the frustration of having your 5-ton rig cut off by a sedan with a Rudolph nose.
No matter how discourteous the public can be, it is a trucker’s duty to keep other drivers, and themselves, safe.
Some even refer to truckers as the “knights of the road” for their civility and respect, even in the face of being cut off by the most aloof of mini-vans.
To be an ethical trucker is to be an advocate for the safety of all drivers. Truckers share the road, give their fellow motorists space, and stay vigilant for signs of neglect in other drivers.
Trucker Etiquette
Spoken or unspoken, there are rules that truckers live by.
When a 6-year-old bends their arm in a pumping motion, it is required by trucker code and the universe to let a long, resonant honk loose, for example.
There are other pieces of etiquette that are interesting though. Here are a few we picked up from some prominent trucking sites.
- Dim your headlights when parking at truck stops in the evening.
Truckers are always running on different schedules, so you just never know who’s resting.
- Don’t hold up the fuel line.
When a driver is on a tight schedule, it can be incredibly frustrating to find that another trucker has left their truck at the fuel island.
- If you get the chance, pay your trucking expertise forward.
If you see a rookie struggling to back up their shiny rig, offer to help out. Chances are you’ve had another trucker do the same for you.
These are just a few of the standards of an expansive trucking rule book, not including good hygiene, CB terminology, respectful formations when traveling in fleets, etc.
If you’ve got other trucker manners to share, reply to this email and give us some words to drive by!
Punctuality
Finally, being on time is the golden rule of trucking.
Being on time not only demonstrates your ability as a proficient trucker, but punctuality shows your commitment to the supply chain as a whole. Each trucker helps to keep the supply chain moving efficiently, and when tardiness occurs, small kinks can lead to huge delays.
Here’s a few ways you can take a few extra steps to do your part in keeping things punctual:
- Use Apps to Avoid Traffic
You should never have to approach a route blindly.
Most mapping apps have traffic visibility to help you anticipate congestion and avoid it, often saving you hours at a time.
- Start with a Checklist
Every driver knows that nothing slows a route down like unexpected maintenance.
Preventative maintenance is one of the most effective practices you can adopt to save time and money. A great place to start is compiling a checklist of fundamental vitals for your truck’s health, including tire pressure, oil levels, fuel, etc.
- Rest Up
Driving drowsy costs you. If you aren’t alert when driving, you are prone to making more mistakes in route planning and execution, costing additional time to your route.
Being a good trucker is simple on paper: be safe, be punctual, and be sure to mind your manners. Of course, these habits can be tricky in practice, but the weight of an industry is on your shoulders.
Trucking comes with great pride, with great pride comes great responsibility.
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