The ins and outs of safely navigating laden trucks around corners
If you are active on social media, you may have seen videos of some really serious and horrifically scary accidents that involve commercial trucks.
The resulting deaths and injuries and the economic implications and downtime for fleet owners can be devastating.
The managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, said, “Trucks are prone to these kinds of crashes as drivers have to contend with both a high centre of gravity and centrifugal forces that cause the truck to ‘lean’ in a curve or turn.”
He then defined four scenarios that are particularly dangerous.
Speed and cornering
In 45 percent of truck accidents, speed is the cause. “When negotiating a corner, drivers need to use height, load and angle or configuration of the corner to decide what speed is required to safely navigate the corner,” Herbert said.
Incorrect loading
The high centre of gravity requires the load to be secured. “If the load shifts during cornering the loss of balance increases rollover risk. Tankers can also be at increased risk when partially full as the sloshing of the liquid can upset the balance, particularly when cornering,” he said.
Abrupt or oversteering
“The high centre of gravity will cause a truck to roll over if the driver abruptly steers around an obstacle. Drivers should also be cautious of oversteering in certain situations, such as when traction decreases. When traction is regained but oversteering continues, lateral force increases along with the risk of rollover,” said Herbert.
Driver error
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) suggests that 78 percent of tanker rollovers are due to driver error.
This, said Herbert, is because of “speeding in bad weather conditions, distracted driving, driving while on medication or while fatigued and various other dangerous driving habits.”
It is thus critical that drivers receive professional instruction. Regular programmes to emphasise and cultivate an awareness about all the risks involve, will also limit these accidents.
“MasterDrive’s employs a uniquely engineered truck that allows drivers to feel what an actual rollover feels like without going all the way over. It is an invaluable opportunity to understand a rollover without the financial implications,” concluded Herbert.
Source: MotorPress
