How to Share the Road with Truckers Transporting Oversized Equipment

You’ve undoubtedly seen flatbed trucks on the roads hauling heavy-duty construction equipment, tons of building materials or other cargo that looks a little too large for the truck. In fact, if the load is wider than 8’6″ or taller than 15’, the Texas Department of Transportation classifies it as an oversized load.

Although you need to be careful when you see any semi truck out on the road, special consideration needs to be taken when there’s an oversized load. This post will cover oversized equipment and trucking practices in Houston, TX that help keep you, the trucker and every other driver safe.

Stay back

Tailgating a vehicle is never a good idea. A collision is almost guaranteed if the driver ahead of you slams on the brakes. The general rule is to leave one car length for every 10 miles per hour you’re driving behind a pedestrian vehicle. So, if you’re going 70 miles per hour, you should leave seven car lengths between your car and theirs.

That rule changes drastically when you’re traveling behind a truck with an oversized load. We recommend leaving at least 20 car lengths between your car and the truck. This space helps keep you and other drivers safe.

Know the blind spots

Every vehicle has a blind spot—an area where other vehicles disappear from the mirrors. The bigger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot. One of our best tips for how to share the road with truckers in Houston, TX is to keep these blind spots in mind.

To stay out of the blind spots, don’t linger along either side of the truck. As another rule, if you can’t see the driver’s face in the mirror, they can’t see you.

Be careful while passing

Many drivers get frustrated while driving behind an oversized load, so they do their best to pass them on the highway. Pass the truck quickly when you make your move. When you need to move back in front of the truck, be sure you can see the truck’s headlights before doing so. Waiting to move back into the truck’s lane will give the driver more time to slow down, if necessary.

Avoid distractions

One final thing to keep in mind when it comes to oversized equipment and trucking practices in Houston, TX is to pay attention at all times! Distractions like talking on your cell phone or eating while driving is always a bad decision, but it’s worse when you’re driving near an oversized load.

Accidentally swerving into a truck’s lane causes them to slam on the brakes, which is a problem when there are a few tons of cargo on board. For your safety and the safety of others on the road, keep your hands on the wheel at 10 and 2 o’clock.

We’re the team for your trucking needs!

The next time you need to deliver anything—regardless of its size—be sure to call Pro Delivery LLC. Whether it’s long-haul flatbed trucking or quick hot shot trucking, we offer free quotes for our trucking services. Call us today to get a quote or to learn more about how to share the road with truckers in Houston, TX.

Categorised in: Wide Load Shipping

This post was written by Writer