Regardless of what size truck you drive for your job – there are certain safety precautions that every truck driver should be aware of and abide by. Let’s face it, driving a delivery truck or maybe something even larger requires all the more focus, attention, and experience in order to be as safe as possible on the highways and byways of America. After all, our economy depends on our drivers and injured drivers aren’t able to work. 

Most Important Safety Tips

We’d like to point out a few safety tips for drivers that we feel are the most important for your day to day job.  Our economy depends on drivers being safe, and that’s why at Paradiso Insurance we focus on safety and well-being for each and every one of our customers and their teams.

Proper safety precautions for any truck driver:

1. Always be aware of your blind spots, especially when driving on the highway. We recommend checking and re-checking every time before changing lanes or merging.
2. Always take it slow when going through roadwork zones. This will allow you more response time should you need it.
3. Always strive to load cargo in an efficient and timely manner.
4. When loading cargo, make sure the larger, heavier boxes are stacked toward the floor of your truck and leave your lighter packages stacked on top of them. During travel, boxes have a tendency to shift around.
5. Always reduce your speed on any type of curve- remember all the weight that you’re carrying and the force behind it.
6. Any type of inclement weather will always require you to slow down and be more cautious. Snow, sleet, ice, rain, fog – are all things that can make driving conditions difficult. 
7. Always use the three points of contact rule when entering or exiting your truck. This will ensure that you always have three points where you are holding on to the truck and will reduce the chances of slipping and falling.

The Takeaway

We hope the above safety tips will help you ensure that you make all of your deliveries safely and in a timely manner, without risking anyone’s well-being.  Let’s go back to number 3 again for just another second. While some may question that tip, I urge you to think about it further.  If the truck is packed in a strategic manner, it will save your team time and deliveries won’t be behind schedule.  When workers do get behind schedule, they have a tendency to speed, thus making the roads less safe as well as putting others in more danger. At Paradiso Insurance, we value our FedEx and Amazon Independent Contractors and will always take the time to remind you about important safety tips for your employees. Together we can reduce claims and help keep premiums low. For more safety information or for questions on your workers’ compensation coverage, give our team a call at 860-453-0116 or send us a message here and we’d be happy to help!