Truck Drivers In Utah Are Smiling Now

Truck Drivers in Utah are happier now that CR England helps the Utah Highway Patrol stop aggressive driving around commercial vehicles.

In Utah the highway patrol has started a program called Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks campaign (TACT) to educate drivers on the procedures they need to follow when driving around commercial vehicles. Using a truck donated by CR England, troopers are actively searching out vehicles that display unsafe driving methods. On the side of the truck is a large ad, telling surrounding drivers of the possibility of a fee of $750 for cutting off a semi truck. 

"Commercial vehicles generally take twice the distance of a passenger vehicle to stop, so unsafe lane changes in front of a semi are really dangerous if a semi driver had to stop suddenly," UHP Trooper Michael Bennett said. When troopers stop a vehicle for unsafe driving habits, such as cutting on a commercial vehicle, they are given either a ticket or a warning. "It just depends on the violation," Bennett said. "This morning we have probably given out half tickets and half warnings. We have a pamphlet we are handing out to drivers that we stop, trying to educate them about the dangers of driving unsafely around commercial vehicles."

In the pamphlet handed out by the Utah Highway Patrol is information on how to safely drive around commercial vehicles. There are tips such as: 

• Before pulling in front of a truck, allow one car length for every 10 miles per hour of travel.
• A truck does not drive like a car. It can take over 500 ft. for a fully loaded truck going 65 mph to come to a complete stop.
• The truck driver has blind spots in front of the cab, on both sides of the rig and the rear of the trailer.
• If you're driving behind a truck and can see the truck's side mirrors on both sides, you are at a safe distance behind it.

Troopers are also on the lookout for commercial truck drivers that are displaying unsafe driving methods. The main goal of the program is to make the roads safer by educating drivers, both commercial and non-commercial, about safe driving habits. During the first 45 minutes of the TACT program, the Utah Highway Patrol conducted 11 stops. The program will be continued throughout the next several weeks. For more information on commercial truck driving visit www.crengland.com. 

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