Pickup trucks are increasingly popular in Vietnam due to their versatility, power, and flexible cargo carrying capabilities. However, their larger size and different handling characteristics compared to passenger cars require drivers, especially beginners, to have solid pickup truck driving experience to ensure safety and efficiency.
This article from Xe Tải Mỹ Đình, a leading website for trucks, will share detailed and important pickup truck driving tips to help you feel confident and safe on every journey. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced driver, the information below is invaluable.
1. Understand Load Limits and Bed Size
Before loading cargo, the first important thing in pickup truck driving experience is to understand the load limits and bed size of your vehicle. Each pickup truck model has specific regulations regarding the maximum permissible payload. Exceeding the payload is not only a traffic violation but also dangerous, affecting the suspension, brakes, and vehicle control.
When arranging cargo, prioritize placing heavy items in the center of the bed, near the rear axle, to distribute weight evenly and maintain better balance. For bulky but light cargo, you can stack them along the bed sides. Remember to secure cargo with sturdy straps, especially when carrying large or easily shifted items.
Practical experience:
- Check specifications: Carefully read the vehicle’s owner’s manual or the specification sticker on the vehicle to know the maximum permissible payload.
- Categorize cargo: Sort cargo by weight and size before loading it onto the truck.
- Use straps: Cargo straps are indispensable items to ensure cargo stability during transportation.
2. Plan Routes and Prioritize Safe Roads
Pickup truck driving experience shows that choosing the right route plays an important role, especially when carrying cargo. Pickup trucks are usually larger and have a higher center of gravity than cars, so traveling on bad, bumpy, or winding roads will be more difficult and dangerous.
Prioritize flat roads with few obstacles and avoid overly crowded roads if possible. Use online map applications to find the shortest and safest routes, and update traffic conditions to avoid congestion.
Route planning tips:
- Map applications: Use Google Maps, Vietmap, or similar applications to find routes and preview the route.
- Avoid bad roads: Minimize driving on dirt roads, roads under construction, or roads with many potholes.
- Consider peak hours: Avoid traveling during rush hours in major cities to minimize traffic jams.
3. Perform a Comprehensive Vehicle Check Before Each Trip
Pickup truck driving experience from professional drivers always emphasizes the importance of checking the vehicle before each trip. Pickup trucks often operate in harsh conditions, carrying heavy loads and traveling long distances, so regular vehicle checks and pre-trip inspections are essential.
Check important parts such as:
- Tires: Tire pressure, tread condition, cracks or bulges.
- Oil, coolant, windshield washer fluid levels: Ensure sufficient levels.
- Braking system: Check brake sensitivity, unusual noises.
- Headlights, signal lights: Ensure normal operation.
- Battery: Check terminal condition and voltage level.
In addition, always prepare a spare tire, basic repair kit, jumper cables, flashlight, and drinking water for emergency situations that may occur on the road.
4. Use Gear Shifting and Operate in Low Gear When Necessary
Pickup truck driving experience on difficult terrains such as steep slopes, slippery roads, or mountain passes often involves using the gearbox flexibly. When descending or climbing steep slopes, shifting to a low gear (1st, 2nd, or L) helps the vehicle have enough traction and engine braking, reducing the load on the main braking system and avoiding brake failure due to overheating.
Similarly, when driving on slippery roads such as rainy roads or muddy roads, using low gear also helps increase vehicle control, preventing wheel slippage and loss of control.
Notes when using low gear:
- Do not overuse: Only use low gear when really necessary, avoid driving in low gear at high speeds on flat roads.
- Combine engine braking: When descending slopes, combine engine braking by shifting to low gear and gently tapping the brakes.
- Listen to the engine: Pay attention to the engine RPM and sound to choose the appropriate gear, avoiding engine strain or overload.
5. Utilize Modern Driving Assistance Technologies
Today, many pickup truck models are equipped with advanced driving assistance technologies to enhance safety and comfort for the driver. Modern pickup truck driving experience cannot ignore effectively utilizing these technologies.
Popular technologies include:
- Electronic Stability Program (ESP/VSC): Helps the vehicle be more stable when cornering, braking suddenly, or moving on slippery roads.
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS): Prevents wheels from locking up during hard braking, helping maintain steering control.
- Hill Start Assist (HSA): Prevents the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on an uphill slope.
- Hill Descent Control (HDC): Maintains slow and stable speed when descending steep slopes.
- Rearview camera, parking sensors: Support observing the rear of the vehicle when reversing and parking.
- Blind Spot Warning: Warns when another vehicle is in the blind spot of the rearview mirror.
Learn about the technologies equipped on your vehicle and use them effectively to enhance safety and driving experience.
6. Get Used to the Large Size and Limited Maneuverability
Pickup truck driving experience for beginners often faces difficulty in getting used to the large size of the vehicle. Pickup trucks are significantly longer, wider, and taller than passenger cars, which affects maneuverability, driving in crowded cities, and parking.
Advice:
- Practice in quiet areas: Spend time practicing driving in spacious, sparsely trafficked areas to get used to the driving feel, size, and turning radius of the vehicle.
- Pay attention to safe distance: Maintain a larger safe distance from the vehicle in front and around to have enough space to handle situations.
- Be careful when cornering, U-turns: Steer wider and slower when cornering or making U-turns due to the large turning radius.
- Observe carefully when parking: Use rearview mirrors and rearview camera (if available) to carefully observe the surroundings before parking, especially in narrow places.
7. Control Engine Power and Sensitive Accelerator Pedal
Pickup truck engines are often powerful, especially turbocharged diesel versions. Pickup truck driving experience in urban areas requires finesse in controlling the accelerator pedal. Powerful engines can cause the vehicle to lurch forward quickly if the driver is not used to it and presses the accelerator too hard.
Advice:
- Get used to the accelerator pedal: Practice getting used to the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal, press the accelerator gently and gradually, especially when starting to move or when driving slowly in the city.
- Anticipate situations: Anticipate traffic situations to adjust the accelerator pedal and speed accordingly, avoiding sudden braking.
- Use driving modes (if available): Some pickup trucks have Eco or Normal driving modes, which reduce accelerator pedal sensitivity and save fuel when driving in the city.
8. Pay Attention to Blind Spots and Enhance Observation
Safe pickup truck driving experience always emphasizes careful observation, especially blind spots. Due to their large size and distinctive design, pickup trucks have more blind spots than passenger cars, especially the blind spots in front of the hood and behind the tailgate.
Solutions:
- Adjust rearview mirrors: Adjust rearview mirrors to maximize the view of the surroundings, including blind spots.
- Observe carefully before changing lanes, turning: Always check rearview mirrors and glance quickly over your shoulder to check blind spots before changing lanes or turning.
- Install convex mirrors: Convex mirrors attached to rearview mirrors help expand the viewing angle and reduce blind spots.
- Use 360-degree camera (if available): 360-degree cameras provide a panoramic view around the vehicle, helping to effectively observe blind spots.
9. Be Cautious When Reversing and Parking
Reversing and parking is a challenge for many new pickup truck drivers. Pickup truck driving experience when reversing requires caution and good observation skills.
Safe reversing tips:
- Observe carefully around: Before reversing, carefully observe around the vehicle, especially behind and on both sides, to ensure there are no people or obstacles.
- Use rearview mirrors and rearview camera: Make the most of rearview mirrors and rearview camera (if available) to observe the rear of the vehicle.
- Reverse slowly and gradually: Reverse at a slow and gradual speed to have enough time to handle situations.
- Ask for assistance: If unsure, ask someone outside the vehicle to help observe and guide reversing.
10. Use Headlights Properly and Courteously
Pickup truck headlights are usually positioned higher than passenger cars, so improper use of headlights can be blinding and dangerous for oncoming traffic. Civilized pickup truck driving experience includes using headlights consciously.
Headlight usage principles:
- Only use headlights when really necessary: Use headlights when driving on dark roads without street lights and no oncoming traffic.
- Switch to low beams when there is oncoming traffic: Switch to low beams (dipped beams) when detecting oncoming traffic from a distance to avoid blinding them.
- Do not use headlights in urban areas: Minimize headlight use in urban areas where there are street lights and high traffic density.
- Adjust headlight height (if available): If the vehicle has headlight height adjustment, adjust it to the lowest level when carrying heavy loads or driving in urban areas.
Hopefully, these pickup truck driving experiences will help you feel more confident and safer on every road. Always drive carefully, obey traffic laws, and put safety first!
