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Commercial Trucking: 7 Winter Driving Safety Tips

When wintertime arrives, commercial trucking becomes quite challenging for its drivers. When you factor in icy and snowy roads, long driving hours, and other drivers, the chances of getting into an accident increase. That’s where commercial trucking insurance in Ontario comes into play for truck drivers.

To help you navigate the road in winter conditions, here are seven winter driving safety tips.

1. Prepare your winter driving kit

Before you start on your winter road journey, you need to prepare yourself and your vehicle with the right equipment and supplies. Think of it as your winter driving kit and never leave home without it!

Here’s a list of recommended supplies and items that your winter driving kit should include:

  • A blanket. Opt for a twin or double size. It should be easy to fold and store. A large-size blanket can get bulky.
  • Burner cell phone and charger. Burner cell phones are great to have in emergencies, as you prepay the minutes and there’s no contract involved.
  • Flashlight and batteries. Having a flashlight is ideal for dark areas in case you get stuck in a remote location.
  • Extra clothes. Pack clothing items that you can layer on top of each other, such as a T-shirt, sweater, long johns, socks, winter boots, gloves, underwear, hat, and rain gear.
  • First-aid kit. It’s great to have some band-aids and cleansing wipes for small nicks and cuts.
  • De-icer and windshield scraper with a brush. Use this to remove snow and ice from your front and rear windscreens.
  • High-visibility jacket. You can throw this on if you get stuck and need to pull over in a busy area.
  • Jumper cables. Because of the freezing temperature, jumper cables are great to have just in case your truck won’t start.
  • Non-perishable food and bottled water. This emergency stock of food and water is great to have when you’re driving long distances and stuck in traffic.
  • A shovel and a bag of salt. To avoid getting stuck, you can shovel the snow if you stop at a road stop or motel, and sprinkle some salt in the surrounding area to prevent people from slipping.
  • Tire chains or traction mats. If you know that ice conditions are up ahead, tire chains and traction mats can be placed on the tires of your vehicles to provide increased traction on icy roads.
  • Washer fluid. Having extra washer fluid can loosen ice and snow from your vehicle’s windshield, making it easier to clear them out.
  • Extra half tank of gas. You never know if you have to take an alternate route and may not encounter a gas station on your route.

Once you’ve prepared your winter driving kit, let’s turn our focus on getting your truck ready for winter roads.

2. Inspect your truck

Preparing your vehicle for winter is essential in preventing accidents and ensuring your commercial trucking insurance in Ontario stays intact. If you neglect to inspect your truck and get into an accident, your insurance policy may increase exponentially.

So, before hitting the road during wintertime, you could hire a mechanic to perform an inspection on your truck or, if you’re a DIY expert, you should inspect the following:

  • Antifreeze levels
  • Battery
  • Defrosters
  • Engine oil
  • Exhaust pipe
  • Front, side, and backlights
  • Tire wear, balance, and pressure
  • Wiper blades

If you plan to continue daily or weekly inspections on your truck, consider downloading a vehicle inspection app on your cell phone to avoid carrying a pile of papers with a walk-around check.

3. Know the road conditions

Once you embark on your winter journey, it’s important to stay up to date with road and weather conditions and frequently pay close attention on your destination’s changing conditions.

Also, keep in mind that winter weather conditions change constantly, so be sure to check highway conditions for closed routes through live radio updates, GPS systems, or calling your base. When you’re not familiar with the area you’re driving to, call your base and they can advise you on alternative routes.

4. Drive defensively

In winter conditions, roads and highways are different from when you’re driving during the summer. So, it’s important to have commercial trucking insurance in Ontario and practice defensive driving during the winter.

Part of defensive driving is to consciously be aware of the dangers linked with driving in icy conditions. At-fault accidents are usually caused by speeding, so slow down.

Even though you may be driving at the legal speed limit, snow-covered or icy conditions alter the road’s surface and speeding can be dangerous. Thus, take your time and do not hurry. If you’re on a deadline, radio your base and let them know that the estimated time of arrival will be delayed due to inclement weather.

5. Maintain a safe distance

Along with defensive driving, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicles in front of you and around you is important in preventing an accident. When there is low visibility due to stormy weather, and you’re able to see the vehicle’s tail lights in front of you, slow down because you’re probably following too closely. Brake slowly and use your anti-locking braking systems (ABS) when needed.

6. Clean your tail lights

While you’re driving your truck during the winter, it’s easy to forget that snow builds up on your tail lights. If you stayed overnight at a road stop or motel, before getting back on the road, be sure to check your tail lights and clean off any accumulated ice or snow. This will help with staying visible to other drivers on the road, and will prevent any accidents from happening.

7. Review your commercial trucking insurance policy

Before winter officially arrives, it’s a good idea to review your commercial trucking insurance in Ontario. Check to see that your policy is up to date, and your vehicles have the correct rental and damage coverage. In case you get involved in an accident with your commercial truck, your coverage can immediately help cover the costs of the damage and repairs.

Contact James Campbell Insurance Today

For more information about the commercial trucking insurance in Ontario coverage that we offer, give us a call at James Campbell Insurance at 1-833-459-1065 or contact us here. Our team of experts is here to help you get suitable commercial trucking insurance at affordable rates.