Objects in the road
 

What are the schools/companies teaching drivers about avoiding objects (gators, ladders, deer, etc) in your path?

You handle a situation like that much as you would in a car. If you can safely avoid the object, do so...if not...slow down as much as possible to minimize the potential for damage to the vehicle.

If you can move over on the shoulder of the road safely, do so. If you can't, and cannot move left to avoid an object....then your only other option is to slow down, and even stop if necessary....and putting on your flashers to warn others.

Avoid the object only if you can safely do so. There was a news story just a few weeks ago where a driver decided to go off road to avoid something. The rig went up the bank of an overpass and became airborne before landing in a swamp on the other side.

Now imagine that same truck landing on a school instead of in a swamp. :shock:

Always have a plan - and consider that the known may be less damaging than the unknown.

Just keep in mind this tidbit that most drivers (car and truck alike) seem to be ignorant of:

If you are maintaining proper following distance, objects in the road will not be a surprise to you because you will have plenty of time to see it and make your moves accordingly.

Of course, at night you can't see *** anyways, but that still doesn't give license to tailgate.

As the others said, if you can safely avoid the object do that. Remember you're in a truck though and if it is a deer or something, and you can't safely avoid it, just hit the damn thing. (Obviously slow down/stop if you can) Damage will be less than rolling it in the ditch.

The only circumstance I would avoid the object at nearly all costs is if hitting it would result in someone dying (i.e a car with a person in it for instance).

Though, I don't worry too much about that since I leave plenty of room between me and the next vehicle. I always try to take note of my surroundings as I go, and think "Okay will this shoulder support me if I need to leave the road?" Some of the country roads I drive on have sharp drop offs and the truck would likely roll if it left the road, so I try to be extra alert.

Re: Objects in the road
 

Not much to teach or tell here ...it's pretty straight forward don't hit it if you can safely avoid it ,and if you must hit it do so at a reduced speed and hit it in the best way you can to minimize damage ....You can't teach COMMON sense 101.... :wink:

Just to other day we were talking about this at work, one of our senior line drivers stated that he has hit 32 deer in his driving career.

I've come close a couple times. One time I thought for sure I tagged the deer but when I got to my next stop I looked and didn't see any marks on the front of the truck so I think the deer may have escaped with inches of his life.

I have hit a TON of pheasants though. Things come out of no where! One even broke my wind sheild...

I wrote this post because some drivers dont seem to use "Common Sense". I have never hired a rookie, yet I often get rookie excuses from some drivers. "I swerved to miss a deer" "I had to get hard on the brakes, so the load shifted" I say if its not human, hit it. I dont want my truck rolled because of a deer, or a gator or something not life threatening.

Everyone says this. Schnieder said this to me. If its not human and you cant avoid it hit it. So in OKlahoma city OK I was running at night and something fell off the back of one of those rednecks trucks, I hit it. Then had to fight to get them to take it off my DAC. It sounds good in theory, however in practice many owners look down just as hard on you hitting the object as they do if you swerve.
"what do you mean you hit that object in the road........ you were following too close or you were over driving your head lamps". Dang if you do, dang if you dont