Are Commercial Trucks More Complicated to Drive than Cars?

 

A:

Yes. The average big rig has an immensely complicated bunch of gears the driver must be able to handle (usually about 10 forward and 2 reverse gears). Some readers may avoid manual transmission cars because of their extra complexity. Yet five-speed car transmissions have nothing on the complexity of big rig controls.

The difficulty involved in driving a big rig requires focus and a good knowledge of the truck's control mechanisms. Aside from the gears, there are usually a host of other levers, buttons, and other controls that help the truck perform the task for which it was engineered. Dump trucks have special hydraulic lifts. Gravel trucks have them too. Cement mixers have specific controls governing the speed of their rotation. Fire trucks have all kinds of intricate mechanisms controlling ladders, hoses, and so on.

Pasadena trucking accident lawyers know that regulations require commercial truckers to carry valid commercial drivers licenses. To obtain such licenses, drivers usually have to go through commercial truck driving training school to learn about the complexity of the machines they'll be driving. But not all truckers hold valid commercial drivers licenses when they get behind the wheels of those huge commercial trucks. And even those that do hold valid commercial drivers licenses don't always familiarize themselves with all the controls of the specific trucks they'll be driving.

So, a word to the wise from our Pasadena trucking accident lawyers: be careful out there on our Texas roads. And don't take chances with commercial trucks. Some professional truck drivers are among the very best drivers out there. But you can never be absolutely certain that the particular trucker in your vicinity has fully familiarized himself with his truck's controls. Driver errors can cause truck wrecks. So be alert, and drive safe.

 

 

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