Safety Toolbox Safe Following Distances for Heavy Vehicles

▌ Why Following Distance matters

Maintaining a safe following distance is critical for preventing rear-end collisions, giving you enough time to react to unexpected events such as sudden braking or obstacles on the road. This is especially important for heavy vehicles, which require significantly more distance to stop compared to cars due to their mass and momentum.

In Australia, heavy vehicle accidents are a leading contributor to road trauma, and insufficient following distance is a known factor in many of these crashes. Poor following distances also increase the risk of chain collisions, particularly in high-traffic or highway conditions.

Increase of Incidents: 9.1% of truck-related incidents resulting in more than $50,000 in damages in 2023 were attributed to inadequate following distance. This is around 12 incidents per 10,000 trucks, an increase of more than 73% in the past 5 years, predominantly an issue in major cities, especially for articulated and rigid trucks

In this toolbox talk, we discuss the following vehicles: Refrigerated Rigid Trucks and Prime Mover combinations.

Each of these vehicle types behaves differently under braking. Prime movers with trailers, for instance, can suffer jackknifing or trailer swing if braking is too hard and sudden.

 

▌ Recommended Following Distances

(According to NHVR & Austroads Guidance)

• Minimum 60 metres behind another long vehicle (if you're driving one yourself and you're over 7.5 metres long), unless overtaking or in urban traffic under 80km/h. This is a legal requirement under the Australian Road Rules (Reg. 126).
• 3 to 4 seconds is a practical time-based rule to follow under good conditions:
• Count “One thousand and one, one thousand and two…” when the vehicle in front passes a fixed point.
• For rigid trucks, aim for at least 3 seconds.
• For prime movers and trailers, 4 seconds or more is safer.

Increase this distance in poor weather, at night, or when visibility is low.

▌ The Impact of Fatigue

Fatigue is a silent killer in the transport industry and a major factor in reaction time delays and microsleeps. When fatigued, your brain's processing time slows, your eyes may close without warning, and your judgement on distance and speed becomes impaired.

If you're already too close to the vehicle in front, even a 1-second delay in braking due to fatigue can result in catastrophic outcomes. This makes fatigue management just as important as maintaining a proper following distance.

Key fatigue signs include:

• Difficulty focusing
• Yawning or rubbing eyes frequently
• Drifting out of your lane
• Irritability or restlessness

Mitigation Strategies:

• Follow your company’s fatigue management plan.
• Use rest breaks as legally required (refer to NHVR’s work and rest hour rules).
• Stop and rest if you're feeling drowsy – no load is worth a life.

▌ Quick Safety Reminders

• Always assume the vehicle in front may stop suddenly.
• Don’t rely on air brakes alone – anticipate traffic flow.
• Stay alert to conditions that may require longer stopping distances.
• Keep your mirrors clean and check regularly for vehicles tailgating you.
• Don’t let pressure from other road users push you into unsafe following distances.

 ▌ Relevant Company Policies and Procedures

For guidance, refer to the following documents:

Driver’s Manual – Details on defensive driving techniques and vehicle-specific stopping distances.
Speed Management Procedure – Outlines required practices for managing speed and spacing to mitigate risks in various operating environments.
Speed Management Standard – Sets out compliance expectations for speed control and following distance across the heavy vehicle fleet.

All drivers are expected to familiarise themselves with these documents and incorporate these practices into their daily operations.

▌ Questions to ask yourself

1. Have you ever had a close call because of following too closely?
2. How do you judge your following distance on highways?
3. What are your personal signs that you’re too fatigued to drive?

Acknowledgement

I acknowledge this Safety Toolbox will follow all requirements set out by NHVR Regulations and company Policies.

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