Take Precaution on Wet Roads
April 14, 2017
It’s easy to take driving in the rain for granted, but according to AAA, wet pavement contributes to nearly 1.2 million traffic accidents every year.
<p>With the busy summer moving season right around the corner, here are some tips to follow the next time you get caught in the rain -- whether you are in your <a href="https://www.pensketruckrental.com/">Penske rental truck</a> or your personal vehicle.</p><p><strong>Be Prepared</strong></p><p>The best precaution that drivers can take is to prepare as much as possible. Make sure your windshield wipers are working correctly. Check all headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals, so you will be clearly visible to other drivers. Also, double check that tires are filled to the correct pressure and aren’t worn. This will help with traction if the road surface becomes wet during your move.</p><p><strong>Avoid Using Cruise Control</strong></p><p>Many modern vehicles – <a href="https://www.pensketruckrental.com/renting-from-penske/plan-your-move/drive/">Penske Truck Rental</a> vehicles included – have cruise control. While this feature is useful for long trips, do not use it when road conditions are wet. Having full control over the vehicle’s speed is important when it’s raining, as drivers may be forced to make quick decisions while driving.</p><p><strong>Leave Room</strong></p><p>Leaving as much space as possible between your car and other objects is vital with wet road conditions. When it is raining, tires will have less traction with the road surface, making it more difficult to stop and turn. By leaving space, drivers have more time to make decisions while driving. Slow down earlier for upcoming intersections, turns and traffic to help lower your chances of losing control of the vehicle.</p><p><strong>Combating Hydroplaning</strong></p><p>Even when following all precautions, drivers can experience hydroplaning or skidding. If this occurs, do not panic. Instead, follow these two tips. First, continue to look and steer in the direction you want the car to go. This will help you remain focused and regain control. Second, avoid slamming on the brakes. This will upset the vehicle’s balance and make it even harder to control.</p><p>For additional driving tips, visit <a href="https://www.pensketruckrental.com/renting-from-penske/plan-your-move/drive/">pensketruckrental.com</a>.</p><p><em>By Tony Kozuch</em></p></div>
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Healthy Drivers Key Component to Safe Driving
September 13, 2016
Each morning, before his alarm clock has a chance to sound, Earl Taylor is coaxed into greeting a new day by the sound of his little dog Skyy, a Staffordshire bull terrier.
<p>At just three and a half years old, Skyy looks forward to their morning routine – a brisk walk with Taylor and his wife – before Taylor starts his day as a <a href="https://www.penskelogistics.com/">Penske Logistics</a> driver.</p><p>It is this morning ritual of exercise followed by a good breakfast – part of his commitment to a healthy lifestyle – that Taylor, a <a href="https://www.drivedifferent.com/">Smith System</a> instructor, says is important to help keep drivers safe on the road</p><p>“Driving is an activity,” said Taylor, pictured right, who has been a truck driver for more than 25 years. “If you are prepared for that kind of thing by exercising, eating right – especially getting enough sleep before your shift – these simple things will give you energy and focus for the day.”</p><p>Concerns about the health of professional drivers were discussed in 2015 at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and Medical Review Board meeting, where Brian Morris, associate corporate medical director at AllOne Health, outlined some key statistics.</p><p>Professional drivers are less healthy than the average person, Morris said, with 61 percent having two or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol or a lack of physical activity. He went on to say that only 8 percent of drivers exercise regularly and 80 percent have poor eating habits.</p><p>While the majority of Penske’s drivers are not over-the-road drivers, the concerns about driver fitness and nutrition, as well as its impact to overall safety, are no less great.</p><p>“Both proper fitness and nutrition are a key component of performing one’s day-to-day tasks in a safe and professional manner on behalf of our customers,” said Dennis Abruzzi, Senior Vice President- Safety, PL “Like the athlete preparing for their next game, fitness and nutrition provide the balance and energy to perform safely each and every day.”</p><p>Penske encourages drivers to take steps to protect their health.</p><p>“Proper fitness includes getting the proper rest, using paid time off to recharge and making sure that exercise is a key part of each day,” Abruzzi said. “Proper nutrition begins with ensuring that a balanced diet is followed, meals are taken at regularly scheduled intervals and energy levels are monitored.”</p><p>For Taylor, himself a Type II diabetic, proper fitness and nutrition is not a luxury but a necessity.</p><p>“It’s your responsibility to take care of your health. It is part of your responsibility as a truck driver because being out on the road means you need to be at your best,” Taylor said. “It’s not just my job. I want to be able to come home every day and that is my main motivation.”</p><p>Equally as important to him is the impact his commitment has on the people around him.</p><p>“You have to realize that you carry more than just yourself in the vehicle,” Taylor said. “You take your co-workers. You take the people who work at other locations and the brand with you every time that you go out on the road.”</p><p>Interested in a driving career with Penske? Visit <a href="https://www.gopenske.com/drivers/">gopenske.com/drivers</a> for employment opportunities. The company offers competitive wages and a wide range of<a href="https://www.gopenske.com/careers/employment_benefits.html"> </a><a href="https://www.gopenske.com/careers/employment_benefits.html">benefits</a>. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.</p><p><em>By Bernie Mixon</em></p></div>
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Smith System Training Helps Keep Drivers Safe
June 16, 2016
Penske’s professional truck drivers spend much of their days on busy roads, often surrounded by other vehicles. With all the potential distractions, safe driving is paramount.
<p>To stay safe on the roads, Penske drivers utilize specialized training from the <a href="https://www.drivedifferent.com/">Smith System</a> -- a leading provider of collision avoidance driver training. Developed over 60 years ago, the training focuses on preventing accidents by learning avoidance techniques, as well as practicing them consistently.</p><p>“Smith System is a critical element to our overall approach to safe operations,” said Rob Helstrom, Penske’s director of safety and training. “Penske Logistics drivers are professional and understand the challenges associated with operating a commercial motor vehicle.”</p><p>The Smith System prepares the drivers by having them follow five main principles:</p><ol class="ee-ol"> <li><strong>Aim High</strong> – Drivers should focus their attention “high,” so as to view the road as a whole.</li> <li><strong>The Big Picture</strong> – Drivers should be aware of the entirety of their surroundings without distraction.</li> <li><strong>Keep Your Eyes Moving</strong> – Constant eye movement keeps drivers alert and ready to spot any potential risks.</li> <li><strong>Leave Yourself an Out</strong> – Drivers should anticipate choices other drivers might make and allow time and space to avoid incidents that may arise.</li> <li><strong>Make Sure They See You</strong> – Drivers should never assume other drivers can see them.</li></ol><p>Norm Slipski, a Penske driver based out of Pennsylvania, recently had an experience on the road that put his Smith System training to good use.</p><p>During a period of heavy rain, he noticed a driver passing him at a high speed. Using what he learned in training, Slipski knew to anticipate what might happen next and slowed down to give the other driver plenty of space. The other driver began to lose control of his vehicle, but Slipski was able to maintain a safe distance and avoid a collision.</p><p>“If I wasn’t fully aware of my surroundings and using my mirrors, this incident could have been much worse,” said Slipski. “I would have never had the time to stop, and we would have collided.”</p><p>Slipski’s training helped him make the right decisions that day. He’s pleased that Penske requires Smith System training to help keep him and others safe.</p><p>“The Smith System is a great program that hones the skills a driver already has,” said Slipski. “It doesn’t matter if you drive a truck or a car; the principles the Smith System teaches will keep drivers safer.”</p><p>Interested in a driving career with Penske? Visit g<a href="https://www.gopenske.com/drivers/">openske.com/drivers</a> for employment opportunities. The company offers competitive wages and a wide range of<a href="https://www.gopenske.com/careers/employment_benefits.html"> benefits</a>. Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.</p><p><em>By Tony Kozuch</em></p></div>
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Back-to-School Safe Driving Tips
August 28, 2012
Penske Truck Rental is AAA’s bestmoving truck rental discount. We share their commitment to on-the-road safety. AAA has put together a great list of back-to-school driving tips everyone can use to help kids stay safe. Remember School's Open – Drive Carefully!
<p>As summer draws to a close and the classroom bell rings in the new school year, 55 million children across the United States will head back to school. With 13 percent of those school children typically walking or biking to school, <a href="http://www.aaa.com/">AAA</a> reminds drivers to be especially vigilant for pedestrians during before- and after-school hours. The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous for walking children – over the last decade, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 p.m.</p><p>"More than 1,200 children lost their lives during these after-school hours between 2000 and 2010," cautioned Jennifer Huebner-Davidson, manager, Traffic Safety Advocacy, "and although we've seen a steady decrease in the number of tragedies each year, it's important to remember that one death is one too many."</p><p><strong>Help Keep Kids Safe</strong></p><p>1. <strong>Slow down</strong>. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.</p><p>2. <strong><a href="http://blog.gopenske.com/lease/keep-your-eyes-on-the-road/">Eliminate distractions</a></strong>. Children often cross the road unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly between two parked cars. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing.</p><p>3. <strong>Reverse responsibly</strong>. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, driveway and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles—even those that are parked.</p><p>4. <strong>Talk to your teen</strong>. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and more than one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occur during the after-school hours of 3 to 7 p.m. Get evidence-based guidance and tips at <a href="http://teendriving.aaa.com/">TeenDriving.AAA.com</a>.</p><p>5. <strong>Come to a complete stop</strong>. Research shows more than one third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.</p><p>6. <strong>Watch for bikes</strong>. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that they wear a properly-fitted bicycle helmet on every ride. Find videos, expert advice and safety tips at <a href="http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/bicycle-safety/">ShareTheRoad.AAA.com</a>.</p><p>AAA's School's Open – Drive Carefully awareness campaign was launched in 1946 in an effort to prevent school-related child pedestrian traffic crashes—helping kids to live fulfilling, injury-free lives.</p><p><em>Source: AAA</em></p></div>
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