10 Bad Habits That Can Turn Your Driving Career Into a Wreck
There are some habits that can creep up on you as a professional truck driver that can really get you into trouble.
It can happen to experienced drivers, rookie drivers and all of those in between.
The unnerving part is that often, the driver doesn’t even notice these things as being problematic.
Here are 10 habits that can gradually turn a good solid driver into a rolling headache, and most importantly, how to fix the situation.
10 Bad Driver Habits
1. Getting Too Comfy With the Routine
When you’ve run the same lanes for years, it can be so easy to start driving on autopilot. That’s when things can get downright dangerous. Stay alert always, even on roads you think you could drive blindfolded.
2. Ignoring Those Little Noises
A squeak, a vibration, a weird rattle — they never fix themselves. Good drivers listen to those noises in their trucks and not just ‘hope’ they’ll go away.
3. Tailgating
Four-wheelers stop fast. Your truck doesn’t. Drivers who tailgate are rolling the dice. That’s an accident waiting to happen.
4. Driving When You’re ‘Mad’
Crappy day? Ignorant dispatcher yelling at you? Slow loading at your last pick up? Get over it. Fast. Driving when angry is downright dangerous.
5. Rushing Your Pre-Trips
A quickie 5 minute pre-trip is a good way to end up on the side of the highway with your hazards on asking yourself why you didn’t catch it earlier.
6. Using Your Head, More Than The Weather Apps
Forecasts can be wrong. What you see out the windshield is reality. If the weather looks nasty, drive accordingly and get off the road if necessary to a safe haven.
7. Taking Corners Nice and Easy
High loads + tight turns = flipped trailers. And boy, can that ruin your day. Slow down taking a corner. I can promise you no one will be impressed if you roll a load to save 30 seconds on a delivery.
8. Thinking “It’ll Hold For Just One More Trip”
Whether it’s a frayed strap, a worn tire, or brakes that “feel weird,” this mindset is how small problems become bigger ones.
9. Skipping Breaks Cause You Feel Just Fine
Being tired doesn’t tap you on the shoulder…. it sneaks up on your. It can seriously affect your reaction time. Taking a break for even just 10 minutes can save you a ton of regret later on down the road.
10. Letting Your Ego Drive the Truck
We’ve all seen the macho style driving: racing through traffic lights, passing everything that moves, hammer down as much as possible. This is not skill. This is the ego doing the driving. Keep your head on straight and leave the ego at home.
