Be Attitudes
We have been hearing about truck stop fatalities over the past couple of years. There may be a correlation with the 14 hour rule and electronic monitoring. We don’t know. What we do know is that these accidents are preventable. That makes them even sadder. The rules are here to stay. There is no rule in the world that should make you unsafe. The great Coach Wooden would always tell his players “be quick, don’t hurry”. Coach Wooden was right.
At first glance, Coach Wooden’s quote is confusing. We need to see the difference between being quick and hurrying. Think of being quick as being efficient. You have to pull through the fuel island for lack of parking be quick, have a plan. Get what you need and get going Hurrying is like going the store with no idea what you want and walking fast, while deciding what to get. The 14 hour rule should encourage us to “be quick, don’t hurry”.
We need to develop the beatitudes of truck stops. Be visible. Be careful. Be courteous. Be aware. Truckers tend to wear darker clothing. If you are going to wear something dark, put something reflective over it. Understand that if you are not in a truck’s headlights the driver may not see you. Be careful, and when crossing the lot assume that the trucker does not see you. When you are driving in a truck stop, go slowly. Too often we see drivers going through the gears. It is a parking lot not a highway. Going fast in a parking lot might save you a minute and it could cost a life. Be aware that pedestrians can come from anywhere. They might be cutting between parked trucks or behind you on the fuel island. Following the beatitudes in the parking lot or on the highway will make you a safer driver.
It takes about 3 minutes to pull into a truck stop and park a truck in a parking space. Too often we see drivers pull up to or through the fuel island and stop. Often at night parking is just not available and I can see it then. If you must do this get in and out of the store as quick as you can. There was at least one fatality last year when a driver backed out of a fuel island and killed a fellow driver. We might guess that the driver would have pulled forward through the island and that he was blocked by another truck. Remember that your biggest blind spot is directly behind your truck. This driver did not know that there was someone walking behind the trailer. If the pedestrian knew the truck might back up, it was too late. We don’t know. He can’t answer. He’s dead.