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2.2 Basic Control of Your Vehicle

To drive a vehicle safely, you must be able to control its speed and direction. Safe operation of a commercial vehicle requires skills in:

• Accelerating
• Steering
• Shifting gears
• Braking

Fasten your safety belt when on the road. Apply the parking brake when you leave your vehicle.

Do not roll back when you start. You may hit someone behind you. Partly engage the clutch before you take your right foot off the brake. Put on the parking brake whenever necessary to keep from rolling back. Release the parking brake only when you have applied enough engine power to keep from rolling back. On a tractor-trailer equipped with a trailer brake hand valve, the hand valve can be applied to keep from rolling back.

Accelerating

Speed up smoothly and gradually so the vehicle does not jerk. Rough acceleration can cause mechanical damage. When pulling a trailer, rough acceleration can damage the coupling.

Speed up very gradually when traction is poor, as in rain or snow. If you use too much power, the drive wheels may spin. You could lose control. If the drive wheels begin to spin, take your foot off the accelerator

Steering

Hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands. Your hands should be on opposite sides of the wheel. If you hit a curb or a pothole (chuckhole), the wheel could pull away from your hands unless you have a firm hold.

Backing Safely

Because you cannot see everything behind your vehicle, backing is always dangerous. Avoid backing whenever you can. Park so you will be able to pull forward when you leave. When you have to back, follow these safety rules:

• Look at your path - Look at your line of travel before you begin. Get out and walk around the vehicle. Check your clearance to the sides and overhead in and near the path your vehicle will take.
• Back slowly - Always back as slowly as possible. Use the lowest reverse gear so you can more easily correct any steering errors. You also can stop quickly if necessary.
• Back and turn toward driverʼs side - Back to the driverʼs side so you can see better. Backing toward the right side is very dangerous because you cannot see as well. If you back and turn toward the driverʼs side, you can watch the rear of your vehicle by looking out the side window. Use driver-side backing—even if it means going around the block to put your vehicle in this position. The added safety is worth it.
• Use a helper - Use a helper when you can. There are blind spots you cannot see. The helper should stand near the back of your vehicle where you can see the helper. Before you begin backing, work out a set of hand signals that you both understand. The most important signal to agree on is a signal for "stop". If you lose sight of your helper, you should stop immediately and get out of the truck to look.

Figure 2-8

When backing a car, straight truck or bus, turn the top of the steering wheel toward the direction you want to go. When backing a trailer, turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction. Once the trailer starts to turn, you must turn the wheel the other way to follow the trailer (see figure 2-8).

Backing With a Trailer

When you back with a trailer, try to position your vehicle so you can back in a straight line. If you must back on a curved path, back to the driverʼs side so you can see.

• Back slowly - This will let you make corrections before you get too far off course.
• Use the mirrors - The mirrors will help you see whether the trailer is drifting to one side or the other.
• Correct drift immediately - As soon as you see the trailer getting off the proper path, correct it by turning the top of the steering wheel in the direction of the drift.
• Pull forward - When backing a trailer, make pull-ups to reposition your vehicle as needed.