Modern psychology suggests that adults learn in a different way from children. Kids are usually fear-driven in their education. They study and follow the rules because they are afraid of the consequences. If they cut class or fail their exams, they will be punished, and this fear acts as a deterrent. Adults are thought to follow the opposite approach. Rather than a fear of failure, we are thought to be motivated by an incentive to succeed.
Looking at the world around us, it can be hard to tell if this is true. After all, we are punished with fines and jail terms for any infringement of the law. This is particularly relevant when it comes to the compliance of your truck. It’s easy to delegate it to someone else, like your fleet boss. You may even be tempted to leave it in the hands of traffic cops and regulators.
However, as a truck driver, you’re best placed to make sure your truck abides by the set standards of safety and roadworthiness. You may not think it’s your problem, but if you don’t deal with it, it will soon affect everyone around you, with potentially fatal results.
It’s your primary source of income
Your truck is your office. It’s where you spend the majority of your workday. Some drivers have an attachment to their trucks. They name the truck and decorate her with personalised decals. Other drivers simply see the vehicle as a tool of work, while others have an actively negative attitude towards their trucks.
Regardless of how you see your heavy vehicle, it’s in your charge, which means it’s your responsibility. In the same way, you’d keep your office desk tidy or clean your rental apartment, it’s important that you take care of your truck. Wash it as needed, maintain weight limits in your cargo, and replace your truck parts when they fail.
Non-compliance fines are expensive
If your truck is part of a fleet, then any non-compliance fines are likely to be paid by your bosses. Some truck companies might deduct the fees from your pay, but even if they don’t, the cost will trickle down. Fines eat into the company’s profits, which means there’s less cash for your bonus. If things are particularly tight, it may even affect payroll.
Another consequence of non-compliance is that the truck may be impounded. That’s essentially like being locked out of your office. You can’t work, so you can’t earn. And even when you do get the truck back, the company will have lost income, and that will affect your back-pay. It’s in your best interests, therefore, to keep your truck complaint.
You know your truck better than anyone
There are many sides to truck compliance. On the surface, you have to maintain speed and weight limits, and follow traffic rules. But on a more internal level, you need to be sure all the truck parts are working properly, and that any parts that need semi truck repair chatsworth ga or replacement are sourced in the right way, and from the right people. Failure to do this could void warranties.
Safety and regulation authorities carry out frequent inspections to ensure truck compliance, but as the driver, you can tell something is wrong long before that mandatory check. You know your vehicles every murmur and purr. You know how she handles, and what noises she should or shouldn’t be making. You can identify and diagnose problems better than anyone, so it’s only natural that you’d be in charge of resolving those problems.
It’s the decent thing to do
When we think about the cost of non-compliance, we often think regarding cash spent on fines. There’s a far bigger side effect of poorly maintained trucks. If your truck has faulty parts, it could lead to a traffic accident and lots of innocent people could get hurt or die.
By ignoring your compliance responsibilities, you’re not just putting yourself at risk. You’re potentially endangering everyone else on the road. And the damage that can come from that isn’t restricted to drivers and pedestrians. It trickles down to their families at home. As a decent human being, it behoves you to take care of your truck and keep it in good shape.