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TxDOT gives tips on how to safely share the road with large trucks

3 years 1 month 3 weeks ago Wednesday, February 03 2021 Feb 3, 2021 February 03, 2021 11:37 AM February 03, 2021 in News - Local

The Texas Department of Transportation’s latest initiative focuses on safe driving practices when sharing the road with large trucks.

TxDOT spokesperson Octavio Saenz says last fiscal year, there were 843 commercial vehicle crushes in the tri-county area, which includes the Rio Grande Valley.

"An 80,000-pound loaded tractor-trailer going 65 miles an hour can take as much as the length of a football field to come to a complete stop,” Saenz said.

Molly Bazan, owner of One Stop CDL Driver Training in McAllen, says if people are cutting off truck drivers in front just to merge onto the next lane, that’s an accident bound to happen. Bazan say she sees common mistakes from drivers while teaching her students on the road.

“That can cost us our life, we have families as well waiting for us at home,” Bazan said. “Get in your car, get in your vehicle with time so that you're not rushing to where you need to go and you're not cutting off truckers which have a duty to deliver their loads."

Here are some tips to follow when sharing the road with large trucks:

  • When passing a truck, wait until you can see both truck headlights in your review mirror before pulling back in front of it
  • Avoid squeezing into the wide space a truck leaves when turning right because the truck driver may not be able to see you
  • Avoid driving in the four blind spots
  • If you can’t see the truck driver's side mirror, the truck driver can't see you
  • Don’t tailgate behind a truck

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