Driving a truck is not an easy process, especially when it comes to a tractor with a semi-trailer. Serious experience, theoretical training and open category C are required to manage this complex structure . An exercise such as reverse parking or other similar maneuvers is not easy for all novice drivers. And to hand over backwards on a wagon the first time, probably, no one succeeds.

The principles of reversing on a truck and a car with a trailer are largely similar. But given the dimensions of trucks or trailers, when maneuvering it has its own characteristics.

Features and difficulties of driving trucks

Simple trucks include vehicles with a carrying capacity not exceeding 3.5 tons. Driving such vehicles is identical to driving cars. Simple trucks gently move around the city and transport oversized products or building materials.

Driving a large truck includes a number of features that will be discussed below.

Start of movement

In order to learn how to drive a truck in winter, you need to master the basics of driving large vehicles.

The movement must be started after the engine warms up to 70 ° and above.  The car should move smoothly, without jerks. Otherwise, wheel slip will occur, tire wear will increase, gasoline consumption will become uneconomical.

If the van is loaded, the driver should only start driving in first gear. It is easier with an automatic gearbox: no need to select the speed manually.

When starting to move uphill, you need to start depressing the clutch a little earlier than releasing the car. Some Daf and Volvo gearboxes are equipped with a synchronizer. Then you need to switch gears in descending order. The Volvo truck tractor also has increased and decreased efficiency.

When shifting from second gear to first, the clutch must be disengaged twice with periodic short-term pressing of the fuel supply control pedal. Otherwise, the gear may fail. Reversing can only be started after the vehicle has come to a complete stop.

turns

When making a turn, one rule should be remembered - the trailer is constantly shifting towards its center, and, accordingly, the radius of the maneuver being performed is large enough.

A dangerous driving situation most often occurs when driving around the city: the roads are not wide and have a small turning radius. Some models of Scania trailers and semi-trailers are equipped with swivel wheels to make driving easier.

See how to properly turn on a truck:

Reverse

Driving a truck in reverse is not easy. This takes practice. The main difficulty is the pushing force, which constantly pulls the trailer to the side.  The driver must carefully monitor the position of the drive wheels and guide them.

You will not be able to quickly learn how to drive a truck moving in reverse. To speed up the process, it is advisable to watch a training video or get skills lessons from an experienced specialist. You can do it right here:

Braking

While driving, you should remember that stopping a car in summer and winter has its own characteristics.

When performing a long ascent, it is necessary to select and engage in advance the gear in which it will be performed. When descending, acceleration should be avoided. The higher the speed, the harder it is to stop the car. If necessary, you can use service braking or reduce speed by downshifting on the box.

Stop

When driving a truck and preparing to stop, slow down in advance. This will give a margin of braking distance.

It is important to consider the quality of the road surface and weather conditions. So, for example, the  braking distance on a wet road will be much higher than on dry pavement.

Maintenance

Mole cultivators use a fuel mixture of gasoline and engine oil as a fuel. It is necessary to strictly observe the proportions of components recommended by the manufacturer when preparing the fuel mixture, otherwise breakdowns and malfunctions cannot be avoided. On the forums, owners often express regret that the analogues of the recommended M-8B Avtol oil are not always suitable for the cultivator, so you should carefully select a replacement with identical parameters.

Before each start-up and start of operation, the manufacturer recommends additional tightening of all fasteners, testing the V-belt drive, reverse gear, and the serviceability of all systems. It is necessary to check the fuel and oil levels, top up if necessary, check the condition of the air filter.

In the first 15-20 hours of operation, the Mole cultivator should be run in to run in units and mechanisms. During this period, the unit can be operated at reduced power, soil treatment can be performed in 2-3 visits to a shallow depth of up to 10 cm. In the engine gearbox, the oil is changed after the first 5 hours of operation, in the chassis gearbox - after 25 hours.

In the future, the technical inspection of the cultivator assumes that the owner performs standard maintenance. Upon completion of operation, thoroughly clean the agricultural machine from dirt, wash it, wipe it with a rag, lubricate the moving parts and joints with lubricants.

When working in very dirty conditions, maintenance is performed more frequently.

Speed ​​mode selection

The main component of traffic safety on the road is the choice of high-speed mode. Therefore, trucks have a number of speed limits:

• The speed limit on  highways  is 90 km/h.
• The speed of movement on  country roads  is not higher than 70 km / h.
• The speed of movement in  settlements  is not higher than 60 km / h.

There were cases when truck drivers overtook at a speed of 90 km/h, resulting in an accident.

Main Rules

Every second accident happens due to the fault of the driver. An accident involving a road train has a number of consequences, and sometimes fatal outcomes. Therefore, the main task of the driver is to avoid dangerous situations on the roads.

A number of unspoken rules have been developed for truck drivers:

1. Be aware that your vehicle is a danger to other road users.
2. You need to have as much visibility as possible on the road so that in case of a difficult situation there is a reserve of minutes that will give time to maneuver.
3. Learn to calculate the braking distance of the car, taking into account the road surface.
4. Check your tires and brake system. Their proper condition significantly reduces the braking distance.

Braking distances

Driving a truck is a difficult and complex process, which includes a number of features. Everyone can stop a car on dry pavement, but on a slippery surface, most need to learn. Drum brake systems are often used in our country. They are slightly worse than disk ones, which are common in Europe.

The braking distance of a truck moving at a speed of 80 km / h, from the moment of braking until the speed drops to zero, will be 60 m on drum brakes and 45 meters on disk brakes.

It would seem that the difference is small, but it can save someone's life. The braking distance is affected by the condition of the tire, the tires used and the suspension.

Turning radius: what happens and what is its importance

Any car is characterized by a number of parameters. Some of them are paramount and are of greater interest to the motorist. Other parameters are paid less attention, and they have less influence on the formation of the general opinion about the car.

Each car is characterized by such an indicator as the turning radius. This characteristic is often ignored, moreover, not even every motorist has the right idea about it. We undertook to correct this state of affairs.

folding effect

When a vehicle is moving, sometimes a situation arises when a trailer, which is several times heavier than a car, tries to maintain the trajectory of movement, regardless of where the car is heading. The wheels begin to slip, the grip weakens and the trailer "carries". As a result, a folding effect occurs - the cab turns, and the trailer travels in a straight line.

Most often, such moments end tragically. Their occurrence is influenced by a number of factors, including the driver's skill in driving a truck.

We bring to your attention a video with folding trucks:

Learning to drive a truck is easy, but it’s much harder to steer competently. So, for example, if the driver is experienced, then he will react instantly when skidding. The main causes of folding are a snowy roadside or a broken wheel.  Therefore, the technical condition of the car must be at the highest level.

Do-it-yourself starter repair

Do-it-yourself repair of the starter motor cultivator Mole is a simple task, and the main causes of problems are:

1. Deformation of the joints of the starter springs.
2. Starter cord failure.
3. Failure of a device component.

To determine the nature of the breakdown, do the following:

1. Arm yourself with the instructions from the walk-behind tractor and a wrench for unscrewing the nuts with which the starter is attached to the walk-behind tractor.
2. Disconnect the starter, fixing on paper or by means of photographs all the steps so that when you install it in place, do not confuse or miss anything.
3. Unscrew the top washer of the starter and disassemble the mechanism.
4. Inspect parts for damage.
5. If a defect is found, replace the part with a new one.

Important! Most often, the springs and the cord fail.

The spring has hooks at the ends that break off over time. Buy a new spring or bend the loose end over the damaged one and it's ready to use again. The broken cable is replaced with a new one.

Where to study

In search of an answer to the question "How to drive a truck correctly?" all possible options must be considered. You can learn how to masterfully drive a vehicle by taking  driving courses at a driving school , where the main focus is on driving with an instructor.

For those who want to learn the basics of driving at home,  online simulators have been created . They have a number of varieties, thoughtful and realistic.