Night Driving

Although most driving takes place during daylight hours, more accidents occur at night, and most fatal accidents happen during the night. Professional drivers understand that it takes maximum defensive driving skills to drive safely at night. Adding rain to the mix multiplies the risk. The riskiest time for crashes is between 12 midnight and 6 a.m. because, despite fewer drivers, there are more accidents than at any other time of the day. Many professional drivers have routes or trips that begin or end in darkness. Safe night driving requires preparation, alertness, and a heavy dose of common sense.

• Poor Visibility – Naturally, there is very little natural light on the road at night.
  
  
• People Feel Sleepier During Darkness Than During Daytime – It is universal that one tends to feel sleepier at night.
• Silence Around Makes One Feel Drowsier – If you are driving alone late at night, chances are there will be fewer vehicles around. Silence on the road can make you feel more at ease and consequently sleepy.
• Roadway Lighting – Roadway lighting is often very poor. In rural areas, there is little or no overhead lighting, and in urban locations, the lighting may not only be poor but also confusing due to neon signs and other distractions. The most dependable lighting will come from your own vehicle.
• People Drink Mostly at Night – This is true globally. For some, it's a habit, while for others, it’s a party night.
• Car and Truck Lights from the Opposite Direction Disturb – Direct and sharp light from oncoming vehicles can hit the driver's eyes and lead to accidents due to temporary blindness.
• For Those Who Are Visually Impaired – For those with eyesight problems or night blindness, driving at night is a major challenge.

Tips for Safe Driving at Night.

1. Condition of Other Drivers: Late in the evening and during the early morning hours is when you are most likely to encounter fatigued or impaired drivers. Be alert for motorists driving aggressively or erratically during these times. Maintain a safe distance from these drivers and be prepared to stop. If a vehicle comes into your lane head-on, slow down and move your vehicle as far to the right as you can. Never take evasive action into an oncoming lane of traffic.
2. Reduce Your Speed: Fatigue, combined with less available light, reduces vision and reaction time. Reduce your speed when driving at night, especially on unfamiliar roads. Maintain a four-second interval when following the vehicle ahead as a space cushion.
3. Make Sure Your Headlights Are Properly Aimed: Check with your service provider or maintenance shop for the proper procedure. During your pre-trip and post-trip inspections, ensure that your lights are operational and clean.
   
   
4. Keep Your Headlights and Windshield Clean: Being able to see other cars and be seen by other drivers helps a lot! If it's bug season, stop and wipe them off at each break.​​​​​​
5. Don't Over Drive Your Headlights: Especially when driving on smaller roads without reflector strips, follow a four-second rule. Take note of where the far reach of your low beams is, then count four seconds. If you pass that original place in less than four seconds, you are going too fast. Two to three seconds may be an acceptable range for major highways with reflector strips. Remember that posted speed limits are for driving in daylight with dry road conditions.
6. Use High Beams Wisely: The use of high-beam headlights when there isn't oncoming traffic can extend the time you have to react to hazards. Never use your high beams just because the high beams of an oncoming car stay on. This will only increase the chances of a head-on crash.
7. Don't Look at Oncoming Headlights: Focus on the edges of oncoming traffic and bright objects, as staring directly into headlights can blind you for up to five seconds until your eyes adjust.
8. Wear Sunglasses During the Day: Wearing sunglasses on bright days helps keep your eyes more sensitive for driving in the dark.
9. If You're Tired, Get Off the Road and Sleep: If you feel sleepy, caffeine is never a substitute for sleep, nor is loud music or rolling down the windows. Pull over and rest, and stop every two hours for a break out of your vehicle even if you're not feeling sleepy. Don't set out on a trip tired.

10. Do Night Driving Glasses Really Work? It is a common misconception that yellow-tinted or yellow-polarized night driving glasses are beneficial for nighttime driving. The belief is that the yellow or amber color reduces glare and improves contrast. However, studies have shown that they impair visual performance and retard glare recovery.

The following are some tips for consideration to retain the good drivers you have: 

1. Review Your Company Policies and Procedures for Honesty with Your Drivers
   Ensure the policies are forthright and achievable by your drivers. The number one reason a driver leaves the employment of a motor carrier is that the driver feels the company has been dishonest with them.
2. Recognize Drivers as an Asset to the Company
   Drivers need to be recognized as a valued part of the company in all aspects of their operations and performance.
3. Involve Drivers in Company Operations
   Engage drivers regularly in operations such as equipment selection, accident review committees, policy and procedure issues, and customer service relationships. Develop a relationship with your drivers, know who they are, and show genuine concern for their welfare and longevity with the company. This relationship should be consistent from top management and ownership down.
4. Review Pay and Benefit Programs
   Ensure your pay and benefit programs are competitive in the industry.
5. Maintain Vehicles Systematically
   Keep your vehicles maintained with a systematic maintenance and inspection program that ensures a safe operating unit for your drivers.
6. Provide Ongoing Training
   It has been proven that drivers who receive training and are elevated in position are less likely to leave your company.
   
   
7. Adhere to Driver Hiring and Selection Standards
   Qualified, experienced drivers do not want to be associated with a company that hires substandard drivers.
8. Provide Comprehensive New Driver Orientation Training
   Drivers need to know the policies and procedures of the company prior to being placed into service. If drivers are informed of policies and procedures after being placed into service, they are likely to terminate, as they do not know what other policies and procedures they will be required to comply with later on.
9. Recognize Drivers for Their Achievements and Performance
   Provide recognition for safe driving, longevity, customer service, and other achievements. Drivers appreciate being acknowledged for their hard work.

I got a warning letter from the FMCSA regarding my CSA SMS scores... What do I do? 

A warning letter is your chance to improve your safety performance and compliance without further intervention from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Read the letter carefully, as it identifies your company’s specific safety performance and compliance problems based on Safety Measurement System (SMS) data. It also explains how to access your safety record and outlines the consequences if your company’s safety performance and compliance do not improve.

What happens next? 

You do not need to respond directly to the letter. The FMCSA will continue to monitor your safety performance and compliance through its Safety Measurement System (SMS) at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/. It is also important for you, as a motor carrier, to regularly check your SMS data. If your safety performance and compliance do not improve, the FMCSA may conduct additional interventions that could result in fines and/or suspension or revocation of your company’s operating authority. These interventions may include Offsite or Onsite Investigations.

Trucks With Dogs Returning From Outside US Need New Form. 

Drivers who travel with dogs to Mexico or Canada are required to say their pet is rabies free when re-entering the US, as of August,1st. 

Truckers who take their dogs back and forth between the United States and either Canada or Mexico will soon be required to complete a federal form that certifies their pets are at low risk of carrying rabies into the country. Starting August 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as part of a rabies prevention measure, will mandate that all dogs crossing into the U.S. be accompanied by the new Dog Import Form. Additionally, all dogs entering the U.S. after that date must have a microchip and be over 6 months of age.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 25-31 as the dates for this year’s Brake Safety Week.

Brake Safety Week is a commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection and regulatory compliance enforcement initiative, a brake-safety awareness and outreach opportunity, and a brake-related inspection and violation data-collection project.

Inspection and Enforcement
CVSA-certified inspectors will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections throughout the week, focusing on brake systems and components. Commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected.

For this year’s Brake Safety Week, inspectors will focus on the condition of brake linings and pads. Brake lining and pad issues may result in vehicle violations and could affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.

In addition, some jurisdictions have performance-based brake testers (PBBT) and will be using them during Brake Safety Week. A PBBT is a machine that assesses the braking performance of a vehicle.