My name is Ed, I am a 37 year old father of 3. I have been employed as a truck driver for the past 17 years. The subject i am writing about today is wether or not a “General Knowledge” cdl test should be given to all licensed drivers as a condition of the priviledge of driving. In the 17 years i have been driving i have noticed several very clear common occurances.
There are always and will always be the dangerous drivers out there. Both in trucks and four-wheelers. But i have spoken to several hundred Truck drivers about one very common problem and we all agree. We believe that if a General Knowledge test.
Such as the test required for any Commercial Drivers License (CDL) was required of all drivers across the board. Then many accidents, incidents, and fatalities could be avoided. It is no secret that accidents with trucks are among the highest mortality rate of all accidents. I feel that if the public as a whole where more informed of what it takes to operate a piece of equipment such as a truck.
That some of the decisions that are made would be more well informed. Such as, immediate stopping or fast breaking in front of a truck, which can cause serious concequence considering trucks simply can not stop quickly. Also following a truck so close that the driver of the car cannot see the mirrors on the truck, this means the truck driver has no idea you are behind him. There is honestly a never-ending list of situations truck drivers are put in on a daily basis.
But i do acknowledge it is not all drivers of non-commercial vehicles that is the problem. What i do know is this. I have spoken to several drivers of non-commercial vehicles both within my family and complete strangers. The thing that always comes out in this discussion is ” I had no idea it was so hard to stop a truck”. And i have also had several people tell me that they, in-fact would like to see more information about driving/sharing the road with trucjks.
So many people are intimidated by them, they drive in fear of what may happen. All the while keeping themselves right next to a truck on the highway and increasing thier probability of an incident. My thoughts on this subject are. If you inform people of the dangerousness of some of the things they do around a truck. Not all, but a large percentage of them will think twice before doing it.
The general knowledge test is one of several tests taken by CDL drivers in this country. It is not a difficult test, however it does give you a General idea of what it involves to control a truck in alot of different situations. So my question to you is this. Do you think it is worth a look by the government? It would most definitely save lives, it would raise awareness on a federal level that this is a serious problem. Just the insurance alone would be great incentive! Until next time- drive safely, drive carefully, and respectfully share the road out there! we all want to make it home alive!
