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Past Issues

August 2005

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DRIVERperspective

The public's opinion of truck drivers in South Africa is, generally speaking, a very poor one. This negative viewpoint is even shared by a few people who are actually involved in the transport sector. The general consensus is that truck drivers are scum, the lowlife of society, losers who can't get a better job. I would like someone to say that to me and I will prove them wrong - as will 99.9% of my trucking colleagues.

What we all need to work towards is to get the general public to change their perceptions of truck drivers. I therefore urge all those who read this article to pass it on to their non-trucking friends and ask them to think carefully about the things mentioned here - and then to encourage those friends to play the 'response' game as outlined at the end of this article.

Most motorists get agitated when driving behind a truck as they consider it a mere hindrance to their speedy passage. What they need to realise is that there is a big difference in driving a small five metre car with an incredible amount of zip and acceleration, compared to a 22m long truck weighing 56 tons. While I am the first to admit that not all truck drivers obey the rules of the road, the general public definitely needs to be more considerate towards truck drivers. 

I will go through a few of the scenarios motorists should consider the next time they encounter a 'problematic truck'. 

Braking times and distances
Motorists know what it takes - in time and distance - to safely stop a 1 ton vehicle. They have no clue, however, how much time and distance is needed to stop a vehicle 56 times heavier? This alone tells of the vast difference of trucks compared to the average passenger vehicle.

Motorists get annoyed when travelling at 120 km/h on the highway and another car pulls in front of them. They panic, swerve, hoot, flash lights etc. A truck, however, needs a much greater following distance from the vehicle in front of it than does a car - a fact most motorists are ignorant of as evidenced by the number of cars overtaking trucks and pulling in front of them forcing them to often brake harshly. It's all about the motorist's impatience and aggressive driving.

Given this leaning towards aggressiveness, I reckon the average motorist would crack behind the wheel of a big truck? They simply don't have the patience! What's ironic here is that the truck driver has to take evasive action far more frequently than the motorist to prevent accidents - often because of bad driving by the motorist. 

Don’t cut in front! A big rig can weigh up to 56 tons and takes the length of a football field to stop. Don’t force a big rig to sudden steps - they could cause a jacknife

Weight issue
Here's a simple fact: Trucks take longer to slow down and to accelerate than do cars, simply because of the fact that they carry big loads. To get the vehicle to move efficiently, many more gears than that found in cars have to be engaged. In most cases, there are 16 forward gears and in some vehicles, as many as 18 gears - and a truck driver goes through the first few gears in a very short space of time over a short distance, particularly when carrying a heavy load.

Also, the level of concentration needed to drive a fully loaded truck is far higher than that needed to pilot a passenger vehicle. On steep hills, downhill or uphill, trucks can labour and speeds are reduced. If the motorist knew why this is so, perhaps he would be more understanding of our limitations on the road. For example, truck drivers can't rely solely on the service brakes of their vehicles. If a retarder is not fitted (most modern trucks have these fitted), lower gears have to be selected on steep descents to 'hold' the truck and prevent a runaway. It's more often than not a slow process going up and down steep gradients but what are we supposed to do? Speed up for the motorist and risk our lives and those of our fellow road users through irresponsible driving? Motorists are generally unaware of the patience and level of expertise required by those of us who drive large trucks.

Town driving and turning
I wonder how many people who pay daily visits to their supermarkets and cafes realise how the products they buy actually got there? Well, remember that truck you swore at because it took up two lanes to turn at the intersection? That's the one that was carrying your foodstuffs, groceries or whatever.

To get to those delivery points - especially through suburban traffic - is not easy for truck drivers, what with having to put up with impatient motorists who give no consideration to the driver having to, for example, use two lanes while turning at the intersection that leads to the supermarket. How many car drivers battle to turn through an intersection without cutting the barrier lines? Yet they expect a 22m truck to do it!

I've lost count of the number of times cars cut in front of the truck even though the truck driver has indicated he is turning? It's really common sense. Just - give the truck two lanes to turn! What is so difficult about that? It's all about CONSIDERATION!

K53
What does the K53 system mean to people once they have passed their driver's licence test? Most motorists feel that's the beginning and end of things. They don't have to worry about the rules of the road or about such mundane things as extending courtesy towards other road users. Well, here's a short list of things they should carry over from the K53 test. I list these in the hope that it may just change the attitudes of motorists:

• Blind spots. Blind spots are a hazard to all motorists be it in big or small vehicles. Motorists must be aware that there are many more - and bigger - blind spots in trucks than cars and they should not get angry when they tuck in behind trucks and the drivers can't see them. We've all seen the stickers on some trucks: "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you." Heed that for it is so true and could save your life. 

• Following distance. Make sure you keep your following distance and more importantly, once you've overtaken a truck, open up the gap between your 'behind'' and the truck behind you. Every time you cut 'short' in front of a truck, the driver has to take evasive action to re-adjust his following distance. Trucks need that following distance to brake effectively so don't "quickly cut in front of them" - it could cost you your life. I know that motorists get agitated and frustrated if someone cuts them off or reduces their following distance. Thus the rising incidents of road rage. So please - let's get motorists to put themselves in the truck driver's shoes, bearing in mind that they have so much more to do to evade any potential problem created.

• Judge speeds. This point is linked to all of the above but one must add the issue of 'length of vehicle' as well. Many motorists don't realise how long trucks are - 22m in some cases - and often misjudge the speed they are travelling at while overtaking the trucks. To avoid an accident, the truck driver usually has to take evasive action to ensure the small motorist gets back into line before a serious head-on occurs. 

Hazmat
This is a term commonly used for hazardous materials - although most now refer to this arena of trucking as 'Dangerous Goods'. The trucks that transport these substances - some of them highly dangerous - are driven by highly qualified drivers. I bring in this area of transport as it is an extremely dangerous job and if the general public continue to act as inconsiderately as they do towards truckers, something bad is going to happen. I dread the day that a real 'big one' occurs between a passenger vehicle and say, a fuel tanker and it is my firm belief that the general truck driver on the road has been playing an instrumental role in keeping such accident statistics down. My plea is for the general motorist to do the same. 

If only the public would realise that the general truck driver is normally under much more pressure than the general motorist because of all the deadlines and continual pushing from despatch managers. He is working under unfavourable conditions, at higher concentration levels than most office workers and is generally pushed harder in this industry than most others. He's a good guy doing a strenuous job and gets little thanks or regard for what he does.

They are just normal people who generally enjoy their work and all they ask is for a little more respect from the general public. Just like you, they have families to go home to and have the same family values. What makes it difficult for them is that they are highly aware of the negative perceptions held towards them. We know that the public think there are too many trucks on the roads and yet without those trucks, the lives of the average man-in-the-street would alter dramatically - as would the nature of commerce and industry which depends on the trucks to get manufactured goods and products to where they are needed.

What would make such a difference to truck drivers is if the general motorist exhibited the following points:

• Foresight

• Consideration

• Patience

• Awareness

• Courtesy

To kick off the process - and once again I urge our trucking friends to pass these on to your non-trucking friends - I put forward some suggestions of what the general motorist could and should do while travelling. It won't cost anything and could even be used as a game by the kids to ward off boredom while travelling long journeys. Try the following - and you can do it to both car and truck drivers.

• Thank the driver of the vehicle after you pass it if he/she has moved over. Do this by using the hazard lights. See what response you get..

• Let a truck or motorist into the road in front of you, in other words give him/her the right of way. See what response you get.

• Greet your fellow drivers and see what happens.

There are other things like signalling to each other on the road to say hi or alerting each other of potential hazards. The aim of the game is to see what response you get and I can almost assure you that the response you will get from the truck drivers will be infinitely better and friendlier than you'll get from the general motorist. Do this and you will soon see that they are normal, friendly people doing a job for their families, just like everyone else. 

The second request is based on something that is done overseas on a regular basis to improve the working conditions of, and attitudes towards staff. This one is not directed at the general public. Rather, it is directed at the CEOs and directors of big transport companies. I challenge each and every one of you to spend one week on the road - just ONE week. You don't have to drive the rig. Just spend that time with your driver, consider his working conditions and ask yourself: "Where can I improve his working conditions and thus the state of my company?"

You will find the answers in that week, I assure you. It starts at the "bottom" of your company but is driven from the "top". Please try that and let us know what you think. 

Editors' Comment: We invite any CEO who goes this route, to please write to FleetWatch and give us feedback on what you found out there. And take a camera with you for that week. We know many eyes are going to be opened - wide!