Driving through heavy rain is difficult for normal driving tasks, and it is all the more challenging and fraught with risk when you’re a haulage driver carrying return loads. As data from various statistics indicate, the presence of rain and its direct consequences can expose drivers to dangerous situations. Thankfully, here are some effective ways to minimise, if not eliminate, such risks.
Back Away when you See Floodwater
In a perfect world, the presence of floodwater should send you an unambiguous message, telling you to avoid it. But haulage drivers trying to make a delivery and even those who are just getting back to their depot carrying return loads often decide to take the risk and just drive through hell and high water. But we can’t emphasise enough that you really should not drive through floodwater, especially if you are either unsure of the depth or if it seems deep enough to choke out your vehicle’s engine. More importantly, do not attempt to drive through fast-moving water, as you only need to consider the many amateur videos of trucks and cars being swept away as compelling evidence of the folly of trying to defy nature. The best thing is to back away and try to find high ground. However, if you think the floodwater is easily manageable (the car in front of you managed to actually emerge on the other side), drive steadily and slowly to avoid losing control, then test your brakes immediately after emerging from the water.
Mentally and Mechanically Prepare
Preparing for your scheduled trip, both mentally and physically, is crucial in ensuring a relatively safe journey. We say ‘relatively’ because driving through heavy rain is usually a high-risk proposition in the first place. If you’re carrying forward or return loads, the best you can do is plan ahead, which should be easy if you know your routes. It is only a matter of considering contingencies in cases one or two routes turn out to be impassable. There should also be an established system that allows you to communicate with your supervisor or manager back at the headquarters in real-time, so that the two-way communication informs every decision you make while on the road. And of course, you must ensure that your vehicle is in the best possible condition, meaning that you need to check if the fuel tank is full (negotiating heavy traffic uses up more fuel than usual), your wipers are working well, and the lights are not broken. Carry a fully charged mobile phone with you too, so that you can make calls if there’s an emergency.
Driving on the Road
On the road, every moment counts and every small decision matters. Should you increase your speed, should you answer that text message, should you overtake? To ensure absolute safety when driving in the rain, whether you are carrying return loads or forward roads, you must adopt a sense of mindfulness of the presence of other vehicles driving along with you. Heavy vehicles have blind spots, so you must be aware of this and adapt. At the very least, make your presence highly visible to other drivers and use dipped headlights, for example, or avoid turning on your rear fog lights to prevent dazzling other drivers. Constant access to real-time information on weather and road conditions is also highly important.
