Commercial Truck Driving Tips

For your business, the right medium-duty truck can make or break how you access clients, transport goods, and more. They’ll be versatile and you’ll probably use them more often than you thought you would when you first bought one. But driving these trucks isn’t as simple as hopping in the driver’s seat and assuming you’ll figure it out along the way. You’ll want to make sure you know everything you need to know about commercial driving before trying it out for the first time.

Tri-County Truck & Equipment has provided some tips to help you out, so when you stop by our Pompano Beach location, you’ll be ready to drive off the lot with your own commercial truck. We proudly serve Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Boca Raton, Florida.

Proper Licenses

Commercial truck drivers often need specialized licenses. If you asked the average commuter what kind of license they carry, they would probably tell you a Class C license. This is the standard for all drivers of motorized road vehicles. It’s not enough to drive a commercial vehicle. At the very least, you’ll need to get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). This clears you to drive commercial vehicles.

The next step is to figure out what kind of CDL you need. Class A CDLs allow you to drive a vehicle over 26,000 pounds. These are often semi-truck drivers. Class B CDLs certify you to drive a vehicle that falls between 10,000 pounds and 26,000 pounds. If you buy one of our fleet trucks, this is probably what you’ll end up getting. The final option is a Class C CDL, which allows you to drive a vehicle capable of holding 16 or more passengers (like a bus). Before we even start talking about buying and driving trucks, you need to have the right certification in order.

Space Cushion

Your space cushion is the areas around you that you’ll want to be aware of: what’s directly in front of, to either side of, and behind you, as well as everything over you and under you. It’s a more in-depth way of saying you need to be aware of your surroundings, especially since some things will pass in and out of your vision. Know where other vehicles are, whether you have a shoulder near you, if you don’t have the ground clearance for a driveway, or if an overpass or bridge isn’t tall enough for your vehicle. Knowing these things can help you drive more safely and confidently.

Blind Spots

Let’s go back to things passing in and out of your line of sight. The blind spots on your truck are going to be a lot bigger than you may be used to. Depending on how big your medium-duty truck is, there can be multiple cars near you that you won’t be able to see. This is pretty much their own poor decision until it comes time to merge between lanes. As ill-advised as it is for them to avoid loitering in your blind spot, it’s your responsibility to keep other people on the road safe. Try to keep an eye on your side mirrors so you know when another vehicle is coming up on you and entering your blind spot, so you can give them a chance to pass you.

If you do need to merge, signal well in advance to let other drivers know to get out of the way. Don’t forget that your truck may have blocked a “merge right” sign from another driver’s view. Giving other commuters some time to speed up, slow down, or merge into another lane is the best way you can keep everyone safe.

With these tips, you should have an idea of what to expect when you get behind the wheel of a commercial truck. You’ll probably learn even more as you gain experience, so spend some time practicing your driving before you hit the road on your first job, even after you’ve earned your CDL.

When you’re ready to look at some commercial trucks for sale, stop by Tri-County Truck & Equipment to see what we have available right now. We proudly serve Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Boca Raton, Florida, as well as the Tri-Counties region of Palm, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.