Driving Among the Distribution Trucks: Ontario, I-15 and the Inland Freight Routes

Drive the Inland Empire at almost any hour and you will share the road with tractor-trailers heading to and from distribution centres. On the freeways that means long stretches beside trucks; on the surface streets around the warehouses it means wide turns, yard entrances and heavy vehicles pulling out slowly. None of it is unusual here, which is exactly why drivers stop paying attention to it.

What Caltrans says about the corridor

Caltrans District 8, which covers Riverside and San Bernardino counties, says commercial distribution centres are growing rapidly along the Ontario and I-15 corridor, bringing jobs and more truck traffic, and that the volume of large vehicles is making truck lanes a necessity on major routes. It also describes I-15 as heavily congested by freight moving north from Mexico and San Diego and by Nevada-bound travellers.

The trucks' rules are different from yours

• Different speed limit. Vehicle Code section 22406 limits trucks with three or more axles, and anything towing, to 55 mph. Expect a steady speed gap on 65 and 70 mph freeways.
• Bigger blind spots. The DMV handbook's advice applies doubly beside a truck: do not stay in another driver's blind spot, and avoid driving directly alongside other vehicles. If you cannot see the truck driver's mirrors, assume they cannot see you.
• Longer stopping distances. A loaded truck needs far more room to stop than a car. Cutting in close in front of one takes away the space it needs.

Surface streets around the warehouses

The highest-risk moments are often not on the freeway. Trucks swing wide to turn into yard gates and loading docks, sometimes starting a right turn from the centre of the road; a car that slips into the gap on the right gets caught. Shift changes bring waves of cars and trucks at once. Debris falls from loads, and heavy traffic wears the pavement into ruts and potholes. Slow down near yard entrances and give turning trucks the whole intersection.

If you are in a collision with a truck

Every driver involved owes the same exchange of information required by Vehicle Code section 16025: name, address, licence number, vehicle identification number, the registered owner's details and the insurer's name and policy number. With a truck, add more:

• The company name on the cab and any numbers painted on the tractor and the trailer.
• Whether the tractor and the trailer appear to belong to different companies — they sometimes do, and the claim can involve both.
• Photos of both vehicles, the trailer's plate as well as the tractor's, and the scene.

If the truck driver was at fault, the claim runs against the carrier's commercial policy. While that is sorted out, your own collision or uninsured motorist coverage can respond, depending on what you carry, and your insurer can pursue the trucking company afterwards.

If you drive for the warehouses

Thousands of people commute to warehouse shifts, and some use their own cars for deliveries. Commuting is ordinary use; using your car to deliver goods is a different kind of use that a personal policy may not cover without the right endorsement, and how that is handled varies by insurance company. Tell your insurer what the car is actually used for, and update your annual mileage if a new job has changed it.

If your daily driving puts you beside trucks for an hour, check that your liability limits and uninsured motorist coverage are where they should be.