Jackknifing a tractor-trailer or putting a truck into a runaway spin can be great learning experiences, as long as they are done on a skid pad.
O & S Trucking
O & S Trucking of Springfield, Mo., sends its drivers out of state to undergo skid-pad training, and supports an effort to build one closer to home.
Skid pads enable drivers to practice how to react to an out-of-control situation in a managed setting. With safety on the minds of trucking and government officials, driving centers with such training tools are important.
The United States, however, has only a handful of sites with skid pads that are big enough to accommodate trucks, with six of the eight facilities listed by Transport Topics located west of the Interstate 75 divide.
A group of trucking representatives in the Midwest wants to add to that number. The band of carriers is so enthusiastic about the usefulness of skid pads in teaching safe driving techniques in hazardous circumstances that it wants one built in the center of the country.
For the full story, see the Oct. 2 print edition of Transport Topics. .
