When it comes to driving a truck, you’ll find that it actually drives different than your little sedan. You’ll feel the difference as soon as you have to climb up into the cab instead of crawling down into the front seat. But the difference is so much more than just that.
Driving a truck, especially if it’s from a commercial truck rental company, can be a new experience. Understanding your way around a truck and knowing the differences can help smooth the transition as a new driver.
You’re Hogging the Road
A bigger vehicle takes a little more skill to keep under control, for a couple reasons. First of all, you take up more space in the road, which can take some getting used to. The turning radius is wider and you need to be more careful checking your mirrors because your blind spot gets even harder to see.
Slower Acceleration and Deceleration
Also, your truck weighs a ton (or three tons) more than your car, which makes it less responsive. Give cars in front of you more room because it takes much longer to slow down — you’d hate to be involved in a minor fender bender, or an even worse rear-ender. Truck rental companies will have minimal sympathy for a driver that damages a car because they weren’t driving carefully.
In addition to that, the engine wasn’t built to accelerate fast. It was built to haul heavy loads. So, when you’re in stop and go traffic, make sure to be conservative on the accelerator and plan ahead when you’re going to brake.
Suspension
Trucks aren’t built the same way as cars — they sit on entirely different frames. One huge difference is the suspension. Truck suspensions are not built to take tight turns at high speeds like cars. To avoid rollovers, slow down especially around turns.
When driving your rental pickup truck use extra caution. Get to know the feel of the vehicle and stay safe.
Sources:
https://www.smart-trucking.com/truck-driver-skills.html
https://schneiderjobs.com/slice-of-orange/driver/6-truck-driving-tips-from-experienced-truckers
