A Truck Driver’s Perspective on Drivers Ed

Last summer, I did what any normal college student would do: I became a truck driver. Ever since I got my license when I was 16, nobody could stop me from being out on the road. I decided to go to truck driving school this last summer so I could make money doing what I love, but in the end, I learned a few valuable lessons about being a safe driver.

My trucking academy was five weeks long, and over the course of those five weeks, I learned how to drive a large semi-truck with a 53 foot trailer. After I graduated from truck driving school, I started thinking about how much of a terrible driver I used to be around semi-trucks. The truth is, nobody ever told me how important it is to drive safely around trucks in my own personal vehicle. In the state of Oregon, I was not required to take a drivers education course to get my class C driver’s license, so I never learned the importance of things like giving a truck enough room on the road or not passing a semi-truck on the right. Each year, there are around 4,600 fatal accidents involving semi-truck drivers, and about 182,000 people suffer injuries in crashes with large trucks and buses annually. I believe it would be beneficial to have a course that teaches people how to drive safely around semi-trucks. Knowing what I know now about the trucking industry, I believe more education could greatly reduce the accident statistics in the US.

Once I got my CDL, I got a job as a delivery driver for a certain beverage company. Every other day I remember having a close call with a driver who would turn too quickly out in front of me or camp out in my blind spot. I never realized what truckers have to deal with on a regular basis. With this new knowledge, I changed my own driving habits, and I have currently been trying to teach my friends and family to do the same.

Even with safe driving skills, I still ended up in a car accident that totaled my car. The culprit was texting and driving. The young man that rear ended me at 40 mph said he was trying to type in a location in his Google Maps when he failed to see my car stopped in front of him. He totaled both of our cars, but we both ended up being okay. This experience raised my awareness of the dangers of phone usage behind the wheel. It also made me think about how you can be the safest driver on the road, but it only takes one driver on their phone to ruin your life.

One of the interesting things about being a truck driver is that I have a pretty good view into the windows of surrounding vehicles. On the road, it was not abnormal to see drivers texting and driving. Though truck drivers are held to a higher standard, we are not immune to this problem either. During my first week of training at my summer job, my driver trainer succumbed to the temptation of texting while driving a fully loaded semi-truck at highway speeds. I questioned him about it, and he said that everyone used their phones while driving, including the bosses. The thought of truck drivers texting while driving is scary, and it made me think about how distracted driving is a systemic problem that seems to have no solution in sight.

Traditional campaigns caution against texting and driving, yet the problem of phones usage persists. Perhaps a shift in focus is needed. Rather than simply discouraging phone use, I believe it would be beneficial to encourage drivers to be mindful of one’s surroundings while behind the wheel. A lot of the time, boredom prompts people to pick up their phones at stoplights or at highway speeds. Instead of resisting this impulse, the emphasis could be on encouraging individuals to be present and observant. The world beyond the car window is full of all kinds of sights and experiences, but it can be so easy to scroll through your phone and miss out on what is around you. Teaching people to look upwards instead of downwards may help drivers resist the temptation to use their phones behind the wheel.

Personally experimenting with this approach, I found that redirecting attention to my surroundings not only stopped phone usage but also heightened my awareness of the community. As I sat at a stoplight, I diverted my attention to the buildings around me, and I discovered a “now hiring” sign that led to a job opportunity I might have otherwise missed.

With all of this said, I believe better driver education about semi-trucks could greatly reduce the number of fatal accidents in the US every year. Additionally, by promoting mindfulness and encouraging people to engage with their surroundings, we can hope to curb the impulse to reach for the phone while behind the wheel, making our roads safer for everyone.