What you Need to Know to Prepare for Winter Driving
As the weather starts to turn colder, commercial truck drivers and trucking companies should begin preparing their employees and vehicles now in order to prepare for winter driving. Winter driving brings a unique set of hazards so being prepared will help to ensure a safe winter season for everyone.
Here are a few ways that you can start preparing for winter driving now:
Get a maintenance check on your vehicles.
Ensuring that your vehicles are well maintained is critical to driver safety at any time of year. But in winter conditions where braking may take longer or the cold could interfere with mechanical operations, it is even more vital.
Before the winter weather gets here, have your vehicles inspected and ensure that any necessary service or repairs are conducted.
Equip your vehicles with winter tires.
Most people are aware that winter tires give you better traction on snowy or icy roads. What you may not realize however is that they also give you better traction on dry roads once the temperature dips below 7 degrees Celsius.
Winter tires are made from a softer rubber than all season tires. This means that where all season tires start to harden and lose their grip on the road in colder temperatures, winter tires stay soft enough to “stick” to the road.
Review winter driving safety protocol with your drivers.
Especially if you have newer drivers or drivers who may not be accustomed to driving during Canadian winters, take some time now to review winter driving safety protocols with them. Reduced visibility and traction for example require that they give themselves more space in between other vehicles and drive at a slower speed.
You may also want to talk to them about simple things like checking the weather reports or ensuring they have the right safety equipment in the vehicle cab with them.
Enroll your drivers in a winter driving course.
Finally, because there is just no replacement for experience, you should consider enrolling your drivers in a winter driving course like the one offered at Trukademy. In our winter driving course, your drivers will not only get high quality classroom instruction, but they will also get the hands on, in vehicle training they’ll need to feel confident behind the wheel during winter weather.
Contact Trukademy today!
If you would like to enroll yourself or your drivers in our winter driving course, contact Trukademy today.
