Lessons Learned:
Following Too Close: The Case Of The New Driver

by Frederick C. Clark, ARM
Vice President, Transportation Services

Jerry was excited to start his first run after a morning of training. Dispatch had given him a delivery across town. The terminal manager told Jerry to follow Bill, an experienced driver, to the unloading terminal.

Bill and Jerry pulled their tractor trailers onto the highway, with Bill in the lead. They had just reached highway speed when a car in front of Bill suddenly braked to avoid missing the exit ramp. This caused Bill to go into an 18-wheel locking panic slip. Jerry reacted by turning the wheel quickly, braking and heading for the shoulder. He clipped Bill’s fender and hit a disabled car parked on the shoulder. Jerry felt he was a victim of unfortunate circumstances.

Several factors contributed to this accident which could have been avoided easily. First, Jerry was following Bill’s truck too closely to react to any sudden motions or stops. And Bill was traveling too close to the car in front of him and did not anticipate the car’s sudden braking. In addition, the trucks were traveling too fast for the following distance. Compounding these factors was Jerry’s restricted view of the full traffic conditions. His “big picture” was limited to the back of Bill’s trailer and to the traffic on either side of his tractor.

What could have been done to avoid this accident? Neither driver wanted to lose sight of the other driver. Bill was attentive, making sure that Jerry was following, and Jerry followed Bill closely to prevent other traffic from coming between their trucks. Jerry’s need to follow Bill so closely could have been eliminated with a route guide to the unloading terminal site. In fact, some companies prohibit their trucks from following any closer than one-half mile because they feel that one driver can contribute to the distraction of the other driver.

Finally, both drivers should have been traveling at a slower speed because Jerry was unfamiliar with the driving route. The “2 to 3 second” following distance rule applies to Bill’s “space cushion.” A tractor trailer should not follow a car any closer than the distance it takes for the tractor trailer to travel that distance in 2 to 3 seconds. Similarly, the “4 to 5 second” following distance rule applies to Jerry.

Unsafe speed for conditions and improper “space cushion” all contributed to this accident. Additional instructions by the supervisor and dispatch may have helped prevent the unsafe acts and conditions that set up this accident.

Frederick Clark has a BS degree in Chemistry and over 30 years of experience in the safety, health and environmental field. He has gained expertise in many aspects of personal and fleet safety and loss control management. He serves the fleet safety needs and distribution-related needs of clients by providing training, assessments, risk analyses, and other loss prevention programs.

XL Environmental • Risk Control Division • 520 Eagleview Boulevard, PO Box 636, Exton, PA 19341 • Phone: 800-327-1414 • Fax: 610-458-7285 • xlenvironmental.com

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