Every chapter,
on the table.

• •Look far enough ahead — 15 seconds or more down the road.
• •Keep your eyes moving — mirrors, gauges, road, always scanning.
• •Expect other drivers to make mistakes — drive prepared, not surprised.
• •Don't drive faster than your situation allows.
• •Give yourself an escape plan — always have an out.

My Introduction

Welcome to Safe Driving Principles.

After more than 50 years as a professional driver and 5 million accident-free miles, I've learned that safe driving isn't something you learn once and then put behind you.

The CDL gives you the qualifications to begin your professional driving career. But becoming a truly safe professional driver requires continuous learning, awareness and reinforcement.

In this lesson, we're going to revisit some fundamental principles that can help you recognize hazards early and give yourself more time to respond.

1. Look Far Enough Ahead

Don't just watch the vehicle immediately in front of you. Look far enough ahead that you can recognize developing situations before they become emergencies.

FMCSA recommends looking at least 15 seconds ahead — about a quarter mile at highway speed. That gives you more time to recognize changing traffic conditions and respond smoothly.

My rule: give yourself time. The earlier you recognize a problem, the more options you have.

2. Keep Your Eyes Moving

Professional driving requires continuous observation. Don't stare at one area of the roadway — lock your gaze on any single point and your peripheral vision starts to fade, highway hypnosis sets in, and hazards close in unseen.

Check your mirrors regularly, and again before changing lanes, turning or merging. Mirror, gauge, road, mirror, sign, road. Constant motion catches the deer, the brake-checker, and the drifting four-wheeler.

Remember: if you're only watching what's directly in front of you, you're not seeing the whole driving environment.

3. Expect Other Drivers to Make Mistakes

You cannot control what another driver is going to do. You can control how prepared you are when another driver makes a mistake.

Maintain space. Watch for changing traffic. Be prepared for the unexpected. Assume every car beside you doesn't know you're there — signal early and own your lane position.

Defensive driving isn't about assuming everyone else will do the right thing. It's about being prepared when they don't — maintaining distance, a safe speed and alertness while recognizing potentially dangerous situations in advance.

4. Don't Drive Faster Than Your Situation Allows

The posted speed limit isn't the only thing you need to consider.

Traffic, weather, visibility, road conditions and what's happening around your vehicle all affect how much time and space you need.

Give yourself enough room to respond without having to make an emergency decision. An 80,000-pound truck cannot brake out of a problem — it has to be steered around one.

5. Give Yourself an Escape Plan

When you're driving a large vehicle, don't just think about where you are. Think about where you can go if something changes.

At any moment you should be able to answer: if the vehicle ahead stopped right now, where would I go? Right shoulder? Empty lane? Median?

If traffic suddenly stops, if another vehicle moves into your lane, or if something appears in your path, having space available can make a major difference. Don't wait until the emergency happens to start thinking about your options.

Additional Safety Resource

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has developed the following resource to help commercial motor vehicle operators recognize unsafe driving behaviors and strengthen their approach to safety. As you watch the video, don't simply listen to the information. Think about how each principle applies to the situations you encounter behind the wheel.

Being Mentally Present

One of the biggest lessons I learned during my career was the importance of being mentally present.

When you get behind the wheel, you have to focus on the job in front of you.

Problems at home are important. Problems at work are important. But when you're operating a commercial motor vehicle, you cannot allow those things to compete with your attention.

There are already enough things demanding your attention: traffic, mirrors, signs, weather, road conditions, your equipment and the actions of other drivers.

Put everything else behind you and focus on the job you're doing right now.

That's one of the disciplines that helped me throughout my career.

DeLond's Reinforcement

Keep your eyes moving.

Look well ahead.

Don't let personal problems compete with the driving job.

Don't get in a hurry.

Maintain space around your vehicle.

Expect other motorists to make mistakes.

Continuously learn.

When something doesn't look right, slow down and reassess.

Driver Reflection

Rather than giving you a traditional test, we'll close with a short reinforcement exercise. Take a moment with each question and answer it honestly — to yourself, in your own words.

1. How far ahead should you be looking while operating a commercial motor vehicle?

2. Why is it important to continually scan your mirrors and surroundings?

3. What does defensive driving mean to you?

4. If another driver makes a mistake, what can you do to give yourself more time and space to respond?

5. What is one distraction—inside or outside the vehicle—that could interfere with your concentration?

6. What is one safe-driving habit you need to reinforce in your own driving?

Think about your answer to the last question. Safety isn't just about knowing what you're supposed to do. It's about consistently doing it when you're behind the wheel.

Never Get in a Hurry

A lesson I carried throughout my career.

A professional driver is responsible for getting the job done—but getting the job done safely has to come first.

When you get in a hurry, you start taking shortcuts. You may follow too closely, take a turn too fast, rush through an intersection, skip a proper check or make a decision before you've had time to think.

Slow down. Look ahead. Think about your options.

There is very little in trucking that is worth risking your life—or someone else's life—to save a few minutes.

• •Pull all the way forward at the pump.
• •Fuel, then move — never park on the island.
• •Stay aware in the lot. Lock your doors.
• •Don't back blind. G.O.A.L. every time.
• •Plan parking early — lots fill up fast.

Why It Matters

A truck stop isn't just a fuel station. It's a community — and like any community, it runs on respect. When you pull into a truck stop the right way, you're announcing to every driver in that lot that you know what you're doing. When you pull in wrong, everybody notices that too.

The Fuel Island

Get in, fuel up, get out. The fuel island is not a parking spot. Once your tanks are full, pull forward and clear the island for the next driver. Sitting on the fuel island while you go inside to eat, shower, and make phone calls is one of the fastest ways to earn a bad reputation at a truck stop — and word travels fast in this industry.

Pre-trip your rig before you pull forward, not after. Check your lights, tires, and fluid levels before you move, so you're not blocking the island while you walk around your truck.

Parking Lot Awareness

Drive slowly. Truck stop lots are tight, unpredictable spaces. Pedestrians, other trucks backing, fuel hoses on the ground, and distracted drivers are all present. Five miles per hour is fast enough.

Don't park in a no-park zone because "it'll only be a minute." It only takes a minute for another driver to need that space, for a tow truck to be called, or for you to block someone in who needed to leave an hour ago.

Back in once, back in right. If you need to pull up and try again, pull up and try again. Rushing a back into a tight spot and clipping a mirror or scraping a trailer is far more expensive than taking an extra two minutes to set up properly.

Leave space between yourself and the next truck. Drivers need room to get in and out of their cabs, to inspect their equipment, and to breathe. Parking so close that another driver can't open their door is inconsiderate and potentially unsafe.

Idling and Noise

Be mindful of your idle. Drivers in that lot are sleeping. Some of them have been on the road for ten hours and have a 34-hour restart ahead of them. Excessive idling, revving your engine, or making unnecessary noise near the sleeper area of the lot is disrespectful — and in some states, there are idling regulations you're required to follow.

Keep your music and CB volume reasonable when your windows are down or your door is open. What sounds fine to you in your cab can be disruptive to twenty other drivers trying to rest.

Inside the Building

Clean up after yourself. The drivers' lounge, the showers, the restaurant — these are shared spaces. Leave them the way you'd want to find them.

Wait your turn for the showers. Reserve your shower at the fuel desk when you pay for your fuel. The system exists for a reason — cutting the line or occupying a shower stall longer than needed backs everyone up.

Be patient with the staff. Truck stop employees deal with hundreds of drivers a day, often understaffed and under pressure. A little patience and courtesy goes a long way — and you'll find that treating them well tends to get you better and faster service.

At the Scale

Know your weights before you get there. Pulling onto a scale unprepared — not knowing your axle weights, not having your paperwork ready — slows down every driver behind you and signals inexperience.

The Unwritten Rule

Every driver in that lot is working just as hard as you are. They're tired. They're away from their families. They have deadlines. The simplest rule of truck stop etiquette is the same one that applies everywhere else in life: treat people the way you want to be treated.

The professional drivers you'll come to respect most are the ones who make the job look easy — and part of that is moving through the world with consideration for the people around them. A truck stop is where the trucking community lives when it's away from home. Conduct yourself accordingly.

• •Slide tandems to balance your axle weights.
• •Know your bridge laws before you cross the line.
• •Watch your tail-swing in tight turns.
• •Set up wide for a blindside back. Pull up if needed.
• •G.O.A.L. — Get Out And Look. No exceptions.

Why Tandems Matter

Your trailer tandems aren't just wheels — they're your weight-distribution tool. Slide them forward and you put more weight on the drives. Slide them back and the trailer axles carry more.

If a scale ticket says you're heavy on the drives, slide the tandems back. Heavy on the trailer? Slide them forward. A scale fine costs more than the time it takes to do it right.

Bridge Laws

Every state regulates the maximum distance from your kingpin to the rear trailer axle (commonly called 'bridge'). California is famously strict at 40 feet; most states allow 41 or more.

Know the rule before you cross the line. A bridge-law ticket is one of the few violations a driver can't talk their way out of.

Tail Swing

When you turn, the back of the trailer doesn't follow your cab — it pivots around the rear tandem and swings out the opposite direction.

That tail swing is what takes out mirrors, fuel pumps, and parked cars. Always check your offside mirror in tight turns.

The Truck Triangle

The Truck Triangle is a simple way to predict what your trailer will hit during a turn. Imagine a straight line drawn from your steer tire to the trailer tandems. Any obstacle that stays outside that line is safe. Anything that crosses the line — or ends up inside the triangle between your steer axle and tandems — will be hit.

Turning toward an obstacle can pull it into your triangle. Turning away can move it out. The technique does not work well for turns sharper than 90° because the tandems start moving backward and the trailer is more likely to jackknife. Use it as a quick visual reference, not a substitute for proper turning technique and mirror checks.

Technique courtesy of Chris Icenhower and James Boyce.

Backing Like a Pro

For a standard 45-degree blindside back: set up wide, start shallow, and use small steering inputs. Big inputs cause big problems.

If you're not lined up, pull forward and reset. There is zero shame in a pull-up — there is shame in hitting something because you were too proud to try again.

• •Know where ice forms first — bridges and shaded curves.
• •Park early. Storms fill lots fast.
• •Slow down before the hill, not on it.
• •Use the Jake brake carefully on slick roads.
• •Be honest with dispatch about conditions.

Reading the Road

Bridges and overpasses freeze first because cold air circulates above and below them. Shaded curves on mountain roads freeze second. Open straightaways freeze last.

The single best indicator: watch the spray coming off other trucks' tires. When it stops, the water on the road has turned to ice.

Park Before You Need To

In a winter storm, every truck stop within 200 miles fills by 2–3 PM. If you wait until dark, you'll be sleeping on a ramp.

Build a habit of looking 100 miles ahead at weather and parking. Dispatch would rather you be safe and parked than stranded and broken.

Hills and Brakes

Brakes work by friction, and friction needs grip. Glare ice has none. Slow down before the hill, descend in a low gear, and let engine compression do the work.

Use the Jake brake with extreme care on slick roads. It can lock the drive tires and jackknife you in a heartbeat.

Talking to Dispatch

Tell dispatch what the road is actually doing — not what they want to hear. A good dispatcher will respect a driver who shuts down for safety. A bad one isn't worth driving for.

Document the conditions: take a photo, note the time, save the weather screenshot. Your CDL is worth more than any single load.

• •Know your yellow lines — when to pass, when to stay.
• •Don't U-turn in a commercial vehicle.
• •Trust low-clearance signs, not your eyes.
• •Never stop on railroad tracks.
• •When in doubt, back up or call dispatch.

Lines on the Road

Solid yellow on your side means no passing. Double yellow means no passing for anyone, ever. Dashed yellow means it's safe (and legal) to pass.

White lines separate traffic going the same direction. A solid white line discourages a lane change; a dashed white invites it.

Never Make a U-Turn

A U-turn in a 70-foot vehicle is an invitation to disaster. You will block all lanes, you will likely jackknife, and you will be in someone's dashcam by sundown.

Loop the block. Pull into a truck-friendly lot. Use a cloverleaf. Anything but a U-turn on a public road.

Low Clearances

If a sign says 13'2" and your trailer is 13'6", you don't fit. It doesn't matter how 'close' it looks — engineering doesn't negotiate.

Trust the sign, not your eyes. When in doubt, back up, turn around, or call dispatch for an alternate route.

Railroad Crossings

Never stop on the tracks for any reason. If traffic ahead is slowing, wait on the safe side until you have a clear path across.

Trains can take a full mile to stop. They will always win. Treat every crossing like an active threat, even if the gates are up.

• •Odd interstates run north–south, even run east–west.
• •Three-digit routes are loops or spurs of a parent.
• •Mile markers count up from the south or west.
• •Exit numbers usually match the mile marker.
• •Sign colors each have a meaning — learn them.

The Numbering System

Odd interstate numbers run north–south (I-5, I-95). Even numbers run east–west (I-10, I-40, I-90). The lowest numbers are in the south and west; they grow as you head north and east.

Three-digit interstates are children of two-digit ones. If the first digit is even, the route loops back to the parent (I-405 returns to I-5). If it's odd, it's a spur that dead-ends (I-110).

Mile Markers and Exits

Mile markers always count up from the south or west state line. When you cross into a new state, they reset to 0.

Most exits are numbered by their mile marker. If you're at MM 142 and your exit is #144, you're two miles away. This single piece of knowledge has saved a million dispatches.

Sign Colors

Green signs guide you — exits, distances, route directions. Yellow warns you — curves, narrow bridges, hazards. White regulates you — speed limits, no-truck zones. Blue tells you about services — fuel, food, lodging. Brown points to recreation; orange means construction.

Read every sign you pass. They are not decoration — they are the road talking to you.

• •Channel 19 is the trucker channel.
• •Real-time hazard and weigh-station alerts.
• •Coordinate parking and fueling at busy stops.
• •A backup when cell signal drops.
• •Company on long, lonely runs.

It's Not Old Technology. It's Survival Technology.

A lot of new drivers look at a CB radio and think it's a relic from another era — something their grandfather used before cell phones existed. That thinking could get you killed.

The CB radio is one of the most practical, reliable, and potentially life-saving tools you can have in your cab. Here's why.

It Works When Nothing Else Does

Your cell phone needs a tower. Your GPS needs a satellite signal. Your app needs data. None of those things are guaranteed on a mountain pass in Wyoming at 2 a.m. during a blizzard.

The CB radio works on radio frequency — and radio frequency doesn't care about cell coverage, dead zones, or whether your data plan is active. When you're in a stretch of highway where your phone shows no signal, your CB is still working.

Real-Time Road Intelligence

No traffic app in the world updates faster than a driver who just came through the spot you're headed to.

When a driver comes over the CB and says "there's a jack-knifed rig at mile marker 142 and traffic is backed up four miles," that information is live. It's happening right now. It's from someone who was just there — not from an algorithm processing data from sensors on the road.

That kind of real-time intelligence can save you hours. More importantly, it can keep you from driving into a dangerous situation you didn't know existed.

What You'll Hear on the CB That Could Save Your Life

• •Ice on the road ahead
• •Emergency vehicles approaching
• •Construction zones that aren't on your GPS
• •Weight stations that are open or closed
• •Law enforcement locations
• •Accidents before you reach them
• •Fires, flooding, or road closures

Emergency Communication

If you're in an accident, if your truck breaks down in an area with no cell signal, if you witness an accident and need to get help — the CB gives you an immediate line to every driver within range.

Channel 9 is the emergency channel. It's monitored by REACT teams and some law enforcement agencies. In a genuine emergency, that channel can be the difference between help arriving quickly and help not arriving at all.

Backing and Tight Situations

When you need a spotter to guide you into a tight dock or a narrow space, a CB is the cleanest way to communicate in real time. Your spotter can talk you through the back while you focus on your mirrors — no hand signals, no shouting across a loud yard, no confusion.

The Community of the Road

Trucking is a brotherhood and a sisterhood. The CB radio is how that community communicates on the move. When you key up and ask a question, you're tapping into a network of experienced drivers who have been down that road before — literally.

New drivers who use the CB learn faster. They get tips, warnings, and guidance from veterans who have run those routes for years. That knowledge transfer doesn't happen on social media. It happens in real time, on the road, between professionals.

What Channel to Use

Channel 19 is the primary trucker channel on most interstate highways. This is where the conversation lives — road conditions, traffic, weather, general chatter.

Channel 9 is the emergency channel. Know it. Use it when lives are at stake.

Some regions and truck stops have their own local channels. Pay attention when you're in a new area and you'll pick up on what channel the local drivers are using.

What to Know Before You Key Up

• •Listen before you transmit. Make sure the channel is clear before you start talking.
• •Keep it brief and professional. Say what you need to say, then release the key.
• •Use plain language. You don't need to learn a dictionary of old CB slang to communicate effectively. Clear, simple language works fine.
• •Identify yourself by your handle or your location. "Southbound on I-40 at mile 220 — anybody know if the scale is open ahead?"

The Bottom Line

A CB radio costs between $50 and $150. For that investment, you get real-time road intelligence, emergency communication capability, access to the collective knowledge of every driver within range, and a tool that works when your phone doesn't.

There is no app that replaces it. There is no substitute for it. Every professional driver should have one mounted and working in their cab before they ever leave the yard.

Get one. Learn it. Use it. It may be the best $100 you ever spend on your safety.

• •11-Hour Rule — max driving time per shift.
• •14-Hour Rule — the on-duty window that can't be paused.
• •30-Minute Break — required after 8 cumulative driving hours.
• •70-Hour / 8-Day Rule — the weekly cap and 34-hour restart.
• •Plan the day around the clock, not against it.

The 11-Hour Driving Rule

You can drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Once you hit 11, you're done driving until you take another full 10-hour break.

This is drive time only — not on-duty time. Fueling, inspections, and paperwork don't count against the 11, but they eat into the 14.

The 14-Hour On-Duty Window

From the moment you go on duty, a 14-hour clock starts. You can't drive after the 14th hour — even if you haven't used all 11 driving hours.

The 14 doesn't stop for lunch, traffic, or a long wait at the dock. Once it's running, it's running. Plan your day so the driving fits inside the window.

The 30-Minute Break

After 8 cumulative hours of driving, you must take at least a 30-minute break before driving again. It can be off-duty or on-duty not-driving (fueling, inspection, waiting).

Take it early if you can. Getting stuck behind an accident with 7:59 on the drive clock and no break logged is a bad day.

The 70-Hour / 8-Day Rule

Most drivers run a 70-hour / 8-day schedule: you can't be on duty more than 70 hours in any rolling 8-day period. Once you hit 70, you're parked until hours drop off.

A 34-hour restart resets your 70-hour clock to zero. Two nights in the sleeper, and you start fresh Monday morning.

Plan the Day Around the Clock

The best drivers don't fight the clock — they plan around it. Know your appointment times, your fuel stops, and where you'll park before you turn the key.

The four numbers — 11, 14, 30, 70 — are the frame the whole week hangs on. Learn them cold and the job gets a lot easier.