Always Expect a Train at EACH AND EVERY Crossing!

Safety Tips for Truck Drivers

Ever think how many times a day on your drivers routes your drivers cross a train track? Most of the time drivers take for granted that there is not a train coming and proceed crossing the track. Provide the driver’s guide in the link for each of your drivers and have them take the safety quiz.

• At 55 mph, it can take a mile or more to stop a train.
• Stop no closer than 15 feet (one car length) from the crossing. If you are in traffic, don’t start if you can’t safely clear the crossing.
• Note the overhang – both for your truck and a train – of 3 feet or more.
• Make sure that trailer jacks are in the up position – non-retracted trailer jacks can cause trailers to become stuck on crossings.
• Cell phones are the top distraction for all drivers.
• Trains and Trucks don’t mix. Never race a train to the crossing — even if you tie, you lose.
• The train you see is closer and faster moving than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before you proceed across the tracks.
• Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop once the emergency brakes are applied. That’s 18 football fields!
• Never drive around lowered gates — it’s illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, call the 1-800 number posted on or near the crossing signal or your local law enforcement agency.
• Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
• If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming. If you run in the same direction the train is traveling, when the train hits your car you could be injured by flying debris. Call your local law enforcement agency for assistance.
• At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction.
• When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping. Remember it isn’t safe to stop closer than 15 feet from a rail.
• ALWAYS EXPECT A TRAIN! Freight trains do not follow set schedules.
• If you get stuck at the crossing, get out, call the 800 number posted at the crossing, or call the local police to alert trains of your position. (Information provide by Operation Lifesaver)

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way. Operation Lifesaver has programs in all 50 states, with trained and certified presenters who provide free safety talks to community groups, school bus drivers, truck drivers and student drivers to raise awareness around railroad tracks and trains. For more information, and to request a free safety presentation, visit www.oli.org. 

Download: Stay Alive When You Drive- Professional Driver’s Guide and Safety Quiz here.