Become a Better Truck Driver!

Improving the skills of truck drivers is a surefire way to reduce the number of accidents on our roads, as well as minimise the risk of drivers and other road users being killed or seriously injured. We encourage all truck drivers to take the quick and easy self-test on the next page. The test will enable you to better pinpoint the areas on which to focus to enhance your professional skills and improve or refresh your approach to driving.

Although many of the accidents involving trucks on South Africa’s roads are not caused by professional truck drivers, following a defensive mode of driving and adopting a positive attitude goes a long way towards helping drivers to avoid accidents – even when they are not at fault – and stay alive.

The first step for drivers to take to ensure they become more professional is to ensure that their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, that it is correctly loaded, and that it is safe to operate on the road.

There is a host of information in this year’s handbook that can help to boost your knowledge. Check out page 136 to find out more about understanding permissible maximum combination mass and page 137 for information about correctly determining commercial vehicle payloads. On
page 60 we investigate drivers’ perceptions of fatigue,
while on page 68, Charleen Clarke discusses tyre management.

When ensuring the safety aspects of your vehicle, a professional pre-trip inspection of the vehicle is an absolute necessity. This inspection will immediately highlight any fault that must then be rectified before the trip is started. On page 42, Vic Oliver explains what to look for, and how regular 30-minute vehicle inspections will not only increase your safety on the road, but also lower maintenance costs and reduce unnecessary and costly roadside breakdowns, allowing you to be more productive and efficient in your professional role.

Always remember that as a driver, you have the legal right to refuse to take a vehicle on the road if any safety-critical item is faulty. Drivers should, therefore, not be bullied by a manager who tells them to “drive the unsafe vehicle today and we will fix it tomorrow”.

To assist truck drivers to improve their skills, FOCUS has designed a self-test that can be done within a few minutes.

The test is strictly private and there is no need for it to be shared with anyone else, so drivers can be honest with themselves, and a negative answer to any of the questions can indicate where driving skills need to be improved.

It’s time to take the test!

The self-test on the next page offers an overview of some of the most important aspects of the truck driving profession. So, don’t hesitate to check how well your skills stack up!  

Self-Test

Test your driving skills and attitude by answering the following 25 questions. Do you: