- Keystrucker with “Keys to Safety”
For Winter Driving Tips…. CLICK HERE 
Space Management for the Semi-Truck
(Tailgaters Please Take Note)
Think you can stop that big truck in time to avoid a career or life ending accident? Lets look at how many feet you need to come to a stop while driving at 65 miles per hour. To avoid an accident a driver of a semi truck needs to be behind the lead vehicle one second for every 10 feet of his vehicle. If you are traveling 65 miles an hour you can travel 100 feet per second. Lets do the math then. In six and half seconds you travel approximately 650 feet. That means that at a speed of 65 you need to be behind that vehicle a little of the total length of two football fields or just over 200 yards. Yes that is a lot of space but wouldn’t you rather have too much than too little? And always double this distance in adverse road conditions such as in construction zones or rain slicked or icy roads. 
There is absolutely no reason or advantage to tailgating another vehicle. You might save a few seconds on a short load or more on a long haul but is the risk worth it? Your stress level is elevated and the chance of killing someone is highly elevated. If you can’t get your load there on time then communicate that with your dispatch or customer. Why should us other drivers have to pay the price for you not planning your trip properly or over-sleeping? 
Keeping a safe following distance allows you time to make proper decisions when you have a situation occur. If another motorist breaks down ahead of you, you will have the time to make an informed decision on how to avoid him. This is called space management. Managing the space you have available is very important to the trucker. I saw a sign on a shippers wall that was pretty simply put and it read S.P.A.C.E. Space Provides Adequate Chances/Choices for Escape. Staying back far enough to see ahead of the vehicle in front of you will also keep you informed of the conditions ahead and do
n’t you need all the information you can get about the road ahead?
In short, lets keep the roads safer and keep our jobs. I have heard of a few drivers who have had their CDL suspended for tailgating and were never able to obtain another job in the trucking industry, ever. Lets bring the real meaning of “professional” back to the title of “professional driver”.
Stay safe and prosper,
Jim
DISTARCTED DRIVING
Many accidents can be avoided by reducing or eliminating distractions.
What constitutes a distraction?
A distraction is anything and I do mean anything that takes your eyes off the road! Even a second, that’s right, just one single second can change someones life forever!
You rolling down the road behind another vehicle at a safe distance. You take your eyes off the road for what ever reason while the person in front of you is slowing down. You look up and BOOM you’ve hit them.
Don’t let this happen to you!
The car hit the pick up with such force, it rolled!
Pay Attention Drivers!
Practicing good safety habits is an essential part of a trucker’s daily routine. Here are some helpful safety tips to ensure the safety of all on the road!
Winter Braking:
As a team everything can get done better. When it comes to stopping or slowing safely on a snowy or rain slick highway, don’t use your jake brakes. This can encourage your trailer to come around you or your tractor to come off track to one side. The weight of the trailer, when unchecked, will take the path of least resistance when it comes up on a pressure point. Using the jakes leaves the trailer moving forward while your drive tires try to handle the job by themselves. However, by using your air brakes, all 18 wheels are now helping you stop your combination vehicle instead of just eight of them. That is an extra ten wheels you will have on your side instead of the tractor drives trying to do it by themselves.
Stay safe and stay focused on the road 
Jim
CLICK ON THE PIC >>>>>>
This page has the following sub pages.
5 Keys to safe driving, be it your family auto, or the big rigs of the road.
1. Aim high in Steering, See as far ahead as you can ( 3 blocks minimum in the city, 1/4mile on the highway). Sweep all the area in front of you, know what your future is!
2. Get the picture, in conjunction with the first key, know your complete surroundings. Pay attention to traffic ahead and stay out from behind large vehicles to know your future. Keep your following distances.
3. Keep your eyes moving. With this key, you will not find surprises in fron of you or behind. Also it gives you the opportunity not to be destracted. If you move your eyes from your left mirror to the right and back across your dash about every 2 seconds you will not be distracted, and help keep you alert and awake.
4. Leave yourself an Out! In conjunctin with the other keys, do not allow yourself to get boxed in in traffic. Do not travel in clusters or packs, be an all knowing and seeing swammy, and know where all vehicles are. There is space, you just have to see it, get in it, stay in it, and protect it.
5. Make sure they see you. Never assume other drivers know you are present ( also pedestrians). Be prepared to gain recognition (lights/horn), don’t be threatening, only informative. That with the other 4 keys, can make you a safe, and courteous driver, and still be “COOL!”
Most of all you can make all of your trips, even to the store and back as safe as is possible, not just lucky. This won’t garauntee you will not have an accident, but it gives you an opportunity to break bad habits, and form better ones, using the good sense driving you have always had.
Other upsides to this? Possible reduction of insurance rates. Lower fuel cost. Less wear on tires and most of all brakes, as well as lower overall maintenance cost.
On a 05 Chrysler Town and Country with 3.6liter V-6, rated in town at 17 mpg city (most usually are lucky if they get 14-15) 27 mpg highway ( most are doing well to maintain 21-22). I consistently get 24 mpg in town, and 31-32 highway. I have not spent more than normal maintenance and oil changes on it. I got more than 80,000 miles out of the front pads on the brakes, and I still have the origianl shoes on the rear!
Part of the key to this is once you learn it, you must consistantly use it for it to work! Check out the link below for yourself!
http://www.smith-system.com/
Thank you for posting that! Ts a great system everyone should memorize!
Traffic entering the highway:
When you notice another vehicle entering the highway on an entrance ramp the first thing that you think of is to change lanes. If it is another truck then this might be the best thing to do. Check your mirrors, signal your intention to give lots of warning, and if it’s clear begin to move over. A good rule of thumb for a lane change is when it’s clear, let your blinker blink 3 times, start changing on the 4th blink and get your cab over after the 7th blink. On the 8th thru the tenth blink, let your trailer straighten up and cancel your signal. I have actually known some drivers get ticketed for cancelling their signal too early out in california. However, if it’s a car coming off the entrance ramp, a slight speed adjustment might be a better option than changing lanes. The reason you might want to slow down or speed up rather than changing lanes is that the car entering the highway will more than likely race up next to you and enter your blind spot. So many people have no idea that this is a dangerous manuever but they do it anyway. If you come over on them, it’s your fault even if you don’t see them. So adjusting your speed for the four wheelers keeps you from being liable if there is some kind of contact between you and a car.
Remember, you have the right of way and that is your lane. Some companies teach the “live in your lane” method that says not to come out of it at all and there are arguments that this is the best way to avoid a lane change accident.
Use some common sense and stay safe out there..
Jim