Five Trucker Driving Tips to Share With Your Teens

Teen Driving Safety Tips

Teens that seem to have driving in local traffic can quickly find themselves in trouble when they cruise up a freeway ramp and the world suddenly zooms into high gear. Navigating traffic at high speeds requires faster thinking and a different application of driving skills than moseying around the neighborhood at 35 mph.

Teaching your teen how to share the road safely with commercial trucks can boost your teen's highway driving confidence and help him stay safe on the freeway. Impressing upon your teen the differences between trucks and cars -- bigger blind spots, longer stopping distances and less maneuverability -- will help him understand why it is important to take extra precautions when sharing the road with commercial trucks.

Trucker Tips for Teens

Use TruckerToTrucker.com's handy list of trucker tips for teen drivers to help your teen stay safe on the highway:

Ramp speed

• Increase speed as you drive up a freeway ramp so that you are approaching highway speed as you enter the freeway. Use your rearview and side mirrors to watch oncoming traffic. Adjust your speed to avoid pulling onto the freeway directly in front of a truck.

Changing lanes

• Trucks have bigger blind spots than cars. Generally, if you can't see the driver in the truck's side mirror; he can't see you. Always pass trucks on the left as blind spots prevent truckers from seeing what's coming up on their right. Always signal your intent to move into the truck's lane and don't move over until you see the truck's headlights in your rearview mirror. And make sure you don't drop speed when moving in front of a truck.

Cutting in

• Trucks cannot stop or slow down quickly. Never cut in front of a truck unexpectedly.

Exit speed

• Don't slow down until you reach the exit lane.

Let's stay safe and teach our teens to be courteous highway drivers. Visit TruckToTrucker.com for great deals on trucks and trucking equipment.