Skill Set

Safe Driving 101

Hone your rig-driving skills to enhance hauling safety.

By Bonnie Davis Photos by Heidi Melocco

Take time now to hone your rig-driving skills for your and your horse’s safety and comfort. Practice on seldom-traveled roads.

You finally have your dream rig, and you can’t wait to become an independent horse hauler. But first, take time to hone your rig-driving skills for your and your horse’s safety and comfort. Practice by driving off-hours with an empty trailer in an empty parking lot (with the property owner’s permission) and on seldom-traveled roads.

Note your trailer’s tracking.

Observe how your trailer tracks behind your towing vehicle—that is, how evenly and closely your trailer’s tire marks follow your towing-vehicle’s tire marks. To see how your trailer tracks, drive your empty trailer to a dirt field. Make some turns, then inspect the tracking pattern. Make wide turns. Using the tracking information, allow for sufficient room to clear corners, street curbs, rocks, and trees. Use your mirrors to monitor clearance. If in doubt, safely stop, get out, and check the clearance. Practice your turns in an empty parking lot, with the owner’s permission. Be a turtle. Be a turtle, not a jackrabbit. Jackrabbit starts and hard stops are hard on your trailered horse. That sudden jerk when peeling out can throw him against the butt chains or dividers; a sudden stop can throw him forward into the manger or sideways against the trailer wall. Pull out slowly. When approaching a signal or stop sign, allow plenty of room between your rig and the cars ahead of you for greater stopping distance. In stopand-go traffic, leave about four to five car lengths in front of you to allow for smooth stops. Drive defensively. Closely watch your fellow drivers to anticipate and adjust for lane changes, changes in speed, etc. Be aware of traffic behind, ahead of, and beside you. Watch for brake lights, keeping your distance from other vehicles. Watch your speed. Be aware of your state’s speed limits for towing, or for rigs of a specific size or length. And regardless of the speed limit, make safety a priority. Don’t adjust your speed according to a road sign, but to the highway’s weather and safety conditions.

Stay to the right. Staying in the right-hand lane allows other vehicles to safely pass on the left. In some states, towing rigs are required by law to travel in the right lane (or right two lanes), unless otherwise posted. Pull over. If six or more vehicles are behind you on a two-lane highway, pull over to let them pass as soon as you can do so safely. (In some states, this is the law.) Pass carefully. When you pass on a two-lane highway, allow at least the trailer’s length between the back of your trailer and the front bumper of the vehicle you pass. Never pass near the top of a hill or on a curve, where your visibility is hampered. Look for a broken white line, which typically designates a passing area. Stay in the right gear. When going downhill, shift to a lower gear to help keep your speed down, which will save brake wear-andtear. When going uphill, also shift to a lower gear, which will give you more power without “flooring it.” Always stay within the safe RPM range, as indicated on your dashboard display. Avoid overheating. If your towing vehicle starts to overheat, pull over at the safest site available. Turn off the engine, then raise the hood to allow cooling air into the engine compartment. Do not open the radiator cap; steam and boiling water can burn you. If you’ve properly maintained your engine, it should cool down after a few minutes. If you drive a diesel-powered vehicle, let the engine idle to cool it down. Park with care. Even if you’re comfortable with highway driving, it’s natural to feel anxious about parking once you reach your destination. To ease your anxiety, first pull out of traffic, stop, and eyeball the situation. Then formulate a game plan. Find a way to turn around and face the exit, so it’ll be easier to pull out later in the day when the parking area is full.

Avoid the temptation to park next to another rig; find an area that will give you some wiggle room. If you can, park on the side of the parking area, so other drivers can get around you easily. After you park, set out a couple of road cones about 10 feet from each side of your trailer, so you’ll have room to tie your horse to your trailer. Some late arrivals may try to wedge in too closely between rigs, creating an unsafe situation. (For more rig-parking guidelines, navigate to Safe Travels, this issue.) Back up with skill. When it comes to pulling a trailer, backing seems to be the biggest bugaboo for some trailer drivers—another reason why you should always park facing out when pulling into a parking area. Practice backing at home until it feels natural. Turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction from where you want the trailer’s back end to go. For example, if you want your trailer to go to the right, turn your steering wheel to the left. Move slowly, and watch your trailer in your mirrors for impediments. Practice in a parking lot, with the property owner’s permission. The white lines will help guide you. It’s not hard; it just takes repetition! Top: Drive defensively. Closely watch your fellow drivers to anticipate and adjust for lane changes, changes in speed, etc. Middle: If six or more vehicles are behind you on a two-lane highway, pull over to let them pass as soon as you can do so safely. Bottom: At your destination, find a way to turn around and face the exit, so it’ll be easier to pull out later in the day when the parking area is full.