Winter Driving Safety for Fleet HGVs
When bad weather hits over the course of winter, it is important for everyone on the road to do what they can to ensure they, and those around them, remain safe on the roads. When your business relies heavily on a fleet of HGV Lorries, ensuring the safety of your staff and vehicles is, even more, crucial. With a few precautions followed alongside the use of our HGV tracking systems, you can rest assured that your business is in safe hands.
We have put together some of the best advice on how to handle bad weather when driving an HGV lorry, for a series of winter conditions.
Rain
Mike sure your staff have been licence checked to ensure they are safe on the road in bad conditions.
l Stopping distances increase significantly in heavy rain, so reduce speed, keep your distance and stay focused
l Avoid driving through deep water, as it can flood your engine
l If you do need to drive through flooding, go slowly, in a low gear and keep your rev count high. Test your brakes upon making it through, to ensure they are still safe to drive with
Snow & Ice
l Be prepared for adverse weather conditions. Ensure you have your snow pack ready to go before setting off. This should comprise of de-icer, anti-freeze, scraper, shovel, jump leads, grit, warm clothes, food, drink, blankets, torch and a mobile phone that is fully charged
l Consider snow chains or winter tyres for really heavy and prolonged snow
l Remember to clean the top of your cab, windscreen, side windows, side mirrors, lights and any cameras, before setting off
l Unfreeze wipers before setting off, too!
l Stopping distance is dramatically increased during snow and ice, by up to ten times. Take due care and caution when driving
l To make the most of your grip, use your gears, steering and brake smoothly
l If you skid, do not brake, simply take your foot off the accelerator calmly and straighten up. Similarly, if you start to spin, take your foot off the gas and steer into the spin to straighten up.
l Check tyres have at least 5mm tread depth before setting off
Fog
l Use dipped headlights until visibility gets to below 100m, which is when you will need to switch on your fog lights
l Keep speed down, especially in patchy fog, to minimise the risk of traffic pile-ups
Wind
l Take care when driving an HGV in high winds, particularly when there are breaks in trees, or you are exposed across bridges; heavy vehicles being blown across the motorway is very dangerous
While it is important to trust your employees to drive as safely as possible, there can and always will be accidents and incidents. One of the best ways to ensure their safety is by installing an HGV tracking system from Phantom. Not only does it log exactly where your drivers are, but it records important driving data that can reduce fuel costs and make jobs much more efficient.
For more information on protecting your staff and business with an HGV tracking system from Phantom, or if you require details about any of our other fleet tracking services, please contact us and we will be happy to help.