Thursday, May 23, 2013

That feeling of Safety!

I wanted to write a post about safe trucks and trucks/truck companies that I personally trust when I see their logos rolling down the freeway.  Whenever I see these trucks, they have established a certain trust factor with me that makes me believe their drivers are safe, reliable and courteous.

The fact that I notice these companies and their good behavior on the road made me think they deserve some recognition, even if it's only among the readers of this humble truck blog :)

Disclaimer:  Before I start posting pictures in this post, I want to say that this post is based solely on personal experience and observations, it is not based on any surveys or statistics of any kind ... 

First of all, just because a trucking company is not depicted in this post does *not* mean they are not safe and reliable.  There are plenty of other trucks out there that are just that!

Secondly, I know there are plenty of safe independent drivers and unmarked trucks out there whose company names I don't know. Also, I reside in Southern California and there are probably a lot of logistics companies I have never seen that operate in other parts of the country. Again --- they are probably safe and reliable, but if I haven't seen them, I won't know to post about them. 


[End disclaimer]

So .... onward with my post and to my point.

I commute a lot. Every single day I'm out there on the freeway. I see a lot of driver behavior, 18-wheelers included.  I'm very impressed actually.  As much traffic as we have coming through the freeways every day, in general, most drivers are very safe and very good. And thankfully so, otherwise we would spend a lot more time sitting in traffic than we already do.

Truck drivers in general know to drive safely and are very courteous, even in situations where I myself might have blown a fuse. However, I have also seen some very unsafe truck drivers, which scares me, just because of the size and weight of their vehicle.  No matter what, if a person gets in a fender bender with a big rig, just due to the sheer nature of its size, it will most likely end badly and be very costly, so unstable trucks/truck drivers scares the crap out of me. I usually step on the gas and dart past them as fast as I can.
Accidents happen to the best of drivers once in awhile, but I do believe that when you are responsible for a vehicle the size of an 18-wheeler, you are definitely required to be even more careful and levelheaded than most drivers.

As a rule, most trucking companies seem to be conscious about hiring safe drivers.  I've had friends apply to some of these companies and been denied due to some ding in their driving record.  Obviously I sympathize with my friends who didn't get the job, but I applaud the logistics companies for sticking to their safety rules and regulations. Their name and reputation is at stake, they want to ensure that the men and women behind the wheel of their trucks with their logo will do their company justice by representing them well across the country.

So .... below are some companies that I've taken notice of and I feel that their trucks are safe to be around whenever I see them in motion.  Again, this is based only on what I see around here, I *know* there are more safe drivers out there than the handful I will post below.

Thanks to ALL of our safe truck drivers for your effort in keeping the freeways accident free.


Swift Transportation - always reliably safe


Schneider National




C.R.England




Knight Transportation



Mayflower Moving Lines




Stevens Transport


 United Van Lines
 

Walmart Transportation


AND ---- for showing utmost self control, driving around with gigantic burgers and crispy french fries on the side of your truck all day long must make a person constantly hungry ....
McDonalds and Carl's JR trucks especially, as their truck ads are particularly tempting!

So kudos to food truckers for safe delivery!








4 comments:

Anonymous said...

One time riding shotgun home from the Zoo, I saw a red Peterbilt going 55ish down the road with it's passenger tire SMOKING luckily we took the exit and the truck went straight but something happened to it for sure.

Paccar Winch Guy said...

I don't know about saftey, but Stevens Transport ALWAYS has the best looking KW's on the road. They are always clean and shiney black.

Paccar Winch Guy said...

I don't know about saftey, but Stevens Transport ALWAYS has the best looking KW's on the road. They are super clean and shiny black.

Cathley Brown said...

Such wonderful advice for being safe when operating a truck! I appreciate you sharing. The value of truck safety is enormous. Trucks are in charge of transporting massive amounts of the resources and commodities that help commerce and sustain the economy. In order to protect the safety of the drivers, other drivers, and pedestrians, these vehicles must be driven properly and safely. Through a reduction in fuel use and emissions, truck safety also contributes to environmental protection. Contact Boom & Bucket for qualified guidance on the subject.