If you work in a mountainous region and are in the delivery or hauling business, you know how treacherous your job can be sometimes. When it comes to making deliveries or hauling items in the snow, ice or sleet, a number of things can go wrong – from collisions to stalls. Stalls alone can be a nuisance, especially if a client is complaining about a late delivery. So, if you are looking for a flatbed trailer for sale to start your own business, it is critical that you keep a few things in mind when it comes to driving on a mountain road. Here are the top five mountain road truck driving tips.
- Make sure that you have your brakes inspected regularly – especially in the winter. When it comes down to it, a semi truck going down an incline on a mountain can be a literal disaster if the brakes fail. A truck’s brakes are vastly different than any other vehicle’s brakes and they are more complex. In the winter, this is especially important, because you don’t want the brakes to lock up and cause the truck to go out of control.
- Make sure to pay attention to your temperature gauge when you are going up a steep incline. Even in the wintertime, a truck can start to become too hot and can overheat. This can be a dangerous situation, especially when there is ice on the road. In the summertime, your truck has an even higher chance of overheating, so you want to make sure to pay extra special attention to any signs of overheating. Some of these signs include strange smells and smoke. If your temperature is too high, simply pull off the road safely and wait.
- Make sure to take extra precautions when stopping or pulling off to the side of the road or off an exit. On a mountain road, this maneuver can be especially dangerous. So, it is important that you not only pay close attention to your rear view and side view mirror, but you also want to peer over your shoulder too. If you have camera views, be sure to carefully monitor them, so that you can exit or pull over with extreme caution.
- Make sure to never veer too close to the center line. On small, winding mountain roads, it may be easy to do so, but it is important that you don’t. What can happen is that you can clip other drivers if you slide or hydroplane. A small clipping won’t cause too much damage to the truck, but it could cause the other driver to lose control of his or her vehicle.
- Make sure to eat plenty of food and get plenty of liquids. On a mountain road, you need to be in tip top shape. If you become drowsy and tied, it could be a recipe for a disaster. Also, you want to make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before, because if you are fatigued, it could be unsafe for you to drive a truck.