We all know that accidents can occur anytime, whether it’s a vehicle accident or a fall. Whether you’re a skilled driver or practice the utmost care at your job, you can still have an accident at the workplace. As a truck driver, accidents and workplace injuries can be disastrous, especially when it’s a car accident involving other drivers. In fact, the trucking industry has one of the highest worker’s compensation claims rates.
When it comes to the trucking industry, all it takes is one accident to end your career—or your life potentially. So, if you don’t want to find yourself searching for personal injury lawyers, you’ll need to know how to avoid on-the-job injuries as a truck driver. In this article, we’ll examine how to prevent these work-related injuries so you can stay on the road.
Get the proper amount of sleep to protect yourself and others
The two most significant causes of accidents in the trucking business are lack of sleep and illness. As a truck driver, you may feel the need to drive over the required limit to reach your destination on schedule or to earn more money. However, this is one of the most dangerous things you can do as a truck driver. There’s no way that you can function as well as you need to when you lack sleep. Even with an energy supplement, your reflexes will be slower, and you’ll inevitably become drowsy. So, you need to take the correct number of breaks for the proper amount of time. In addition, if you’re feeling sleepy, you need to stop before you find yourself waking up amid a car accident.
In addition to simple drowsiness at the wheel, driving when you’re under the weather can be just as dangerous. If you’re sick, you’ll need to get enough rest to recover from your illness. If you need to see a doctor for an excuse, you should. When you’re dealing with an illness, drowsiness can hit at any time, and it can come on strongly. So, take the time to rest up when you’re sick. Remember, your life and the lives of other drivers are much more valuable than any cargo you’re hauling.
Remember to keep good posture while driving and stretch regularly
After you’ve been driving for several hours, it’s natural to start to slouch. However, it can take a heavy toll on your back when you do this for hours every day. There are a couple of ways to avoid these back problems from an improper sitting position. First, try to keep good posture as often as possible while you’re driving, even if you have to leave yourself a post-it note on the dashboard that says, “Remember to sit up straight.” The second way to help prevent work-related back problems is to take regular breaks to step out of the truck and stretch. Stretching will do wonders for your stiff muscles from driving for hours.
Keep up with proper maintenance on your truck to avoid injury related to truck malfunctions.