The 5 keys to overtaking a truck safely

Acting with anticipation, decisiveness and confidence are some of the keys when it comes to overtaking correctly and safely on the road. If the vehicle being overtaken is a truck, things get a little more complicated, but you need to be clear about it.

You’ve surely heard about the Duotráiler project these days, a plan to put larger trucks on the road, exceeding 30 metres in length. And you’ve surely wondered how difficult it would be to overtake a truck like that on the road. Relax, trucks like that won’t travel on two-way roads. But a truck doesn’t need to reach that length for many drivers to “freeze” when overtaking one. Overtaking a truck safely is not a problem if you act the way you should when overtaking any other vehicle: with anticipation, decisiveness and confidence.

But because of their special characteristics, there are a few keys to bear in mind when overtaking a truck. Keep in mind that a rigid truck measures up to 12 metres, and articulated trucks with trailers exceed 16 metres, a length almost equivalent to four compact cars parked one behind the other. Add to that the difficulty of the volume the truck occupies on the road, which makes it hard to see what is happening ahead.

Here are the 5 keys you should keep in mind when overtaking a truck.

1. Prepare the overtake. This requires anticipation. Don’t get too close to the vehicle you’re overtaking, so as not to reduce visibility, and leave enough space when moving into the other lane. And don’t forget to check your mirrors to make sure no driver behind you has tried to overtake you first.

2. Once you’ve chosen the moment, act decisively. If possible, try to reach your highest speed not while you are actually overtaking, but before changing lanes. Downshift as necessary so the engine is ready and responds vigorously.

3. Be ready to start again. If for any reason you have the slightest doubt that you won’t be able to complete the manoeuvre safely (your car doesn’t respond as you expected, oncoming traffic appears that you hadn’t anticipated, the road narrows as you begin to drive alongside the truck), don’t continue. Abort the overtake and get back behind the truck to wait for a better opportunity.

4. The overtake should be as quick as possible. Knowing your vehicle and how it responds in each situation (whether you are travelling loaded or unloaded, for example) is essential. A car with low power will need more time, but in any case the key is to spend as little time as possible in the opposite lane.

5. Once you’ve passed the truck, don’t return to your lane straight away. Use your rear-view mirror and wait – always putting safety first, if oncoming traffic allows – until you can see the whole front of the overtaken vehicle, then return to your lane smoothly and gradually, without jerking the steering wheel.

Needless to say, although we haven’t mentioned it in any of these five steps, as with any overtaking manoeuvre, it is mandatory to use your indicators, both to signal your intention to start the manoeuvre and while it is in progress, and also to return to your lane.

The future: trucks that “see” for you

Researchers and experts in traffic and safety continue to develop solutions to make overtaking trucks safer. In this respect, the idea of Samsung is particularly striking: using the rear of the truck as if it were a huge screen on which to display images. You can see how it works in the following video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=6GNGfse9ZK8

With cameras that capture what is happening in front of the truck, and thanks to flexible OLED screens technology, the rear doors of the truck could incorporate these screens, on which the truck driver’s view ahead would be projected. In this way, the vehicle about to overtake could see not only whether there is oncoming traffic, but also whether another vehicle is travelling ahead of the truck that could prevent it from returning safely to its lane after the manoeuvre.

Related information:

-10 tips for travelling safely by car this summer