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in time to keep from hitting you. A truck rear-ending a car is not a pretty sight.
The effects of inertia are enhanced on an upward or downward incline. When truckers hit a steep hill going up, it tends to slow us down. Oftentimes a car driver may notice a truck driving uphill with his or her hazard lights on. That indicates that we have dropped below 55 MPH and are incapable of accelerating ourselves back to that point. On a downward slope, our speed often increases. It is up to the truck driver to use his breaks and gearing to keep his speeds within safe zones. However, be aware that the semi-truck behind you may suddenly be much closer to you after it tops a hill. For a car driver with cruise control, the changes in speed made by a trucker on hilly or mountainous terrain my seem erratic. However, it is the nature of a large body to be acted on by forces such as gravity at more significant levels.

Probably the most important factor that other drivers should consider when they approach a semi on the highway is the truck driver's ability to see them. That is where most accidents occur. Due to the long, box-like nature of our trucks, we have large blind-spots for which there is almost no way to compensate. The cab of any truck is loaded with mirrors, yet we still cannot see every inch of where a car might be lurking around us. There are three hot spots you do not want to find yourself in when a truck decides to shift lanes or slow down: directly behind the truck and near the rear wheels on either the right or left side of the truck (especially the right side- that's the worst). If we can't see you, it is difficult for us to maneuver with you in mind. So, when passing a semi, don't dawdle. Accelerate past as us quickly as possible, even if it means you have to reset your cruise control. Try your best not to pass us on the right. For the most part, truckers keep to the right lane except to pass. Give us a chance to move into the right lane before you try to pass us there. It is very difficult for us to see a car on the other side of our truck. Never tail-gate a trucker. If something goes terribly wrong and you do not stop when we do, you will end up under the truck and this will probably kill you. Also, we have no idea you're back there, so don't bother using the tail-gaiting method to try to force us to speed up if you feel we're going to slow. It's entirely counter productive.
Understand that like all drivers, truckers are human beings. We do make mistakes. Unfortunately, the cost for our mistakes is much higher than the costs for a typical car driver's mistakes. The easier you as a fellow driver make a trucker's driving experience, the less likely is it that our mistakes will impact you. By understanding the key points I've outlined above, you can make the road a safer place for all of us.

Learn more about this author, Michael Oleary.
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