Driving a truck in the city can be a nerve racking task, especially for new drivers. Streets are narrow, parking is hard to find, and you never know when an obstacle will leave you stuck in your tracks. Follow these tips to make your journey as stress free as possible. Remember, stay calm and truck on!

1) Take Your Time – There is a lot going on in big cities! With all the people walking around, there is a good chance you could hit one of them! Driving slower also gives you a chance to survey the area for any potential hazards such as bridges, construction, and sudden traffic stops.

2) Keep Your Distance – Expect to always hit stop and go traffic in big cities. This increases the chances of you rear ending the vehicle in front of you. Keep a good distance between your rig and the vehicle in front of you, so that you have time to react to any sudden stops.

3) Google Earth – Enables you to see a detailed view of the roads so that you can plan accordingly. Google Earth is also good for zooming in on your destination to see where the docks are, and where you can pull in.

4) Survey the Delivery Location – If possible, park your truck somewhere safe and look around the area that you are delivering to. Some shippers will tell you that it is perfectly safe to just pull your truck in, but then you just wind up getting stuck and unable to back out. Be safe, not sorry!

5) Verify with the Customer – Call the customer to get directions and verify the location. Double check their directions against your own GPS and Google Maps. This will help you get the location right the first time, so that you don’t have to try and turn around somewhere. In big cities, turning around is a lot easier said than done.

6) Keep Calm – Sometimes there are obstacles that you just cannot avoid. Traffic will start piling up behind you and start laying on their horns. If there is nothing you can do to move, stay calm, assess the situation, and call for help. Eventually you’ll get out and everyone will get on with their day!

For professional trucking services call First Call Trucking & Couriers at 1 (800) HAS-SKID or visit us online!