In short, stay away from them.  They cannot see you.  They’re bigger than you.  They will kill you!

Avoiding roads with large trucks would be the easiest, but that’s usually not possible.  Since we do have to share the road with them, ALWAYS ASSUME THEY CANNOT SEE YOU.  Trucks have very large blind spots, and the drivers cannot see you if you are in one of these spots.

If you must pass a truck, here’s what I do.  I move over to the left lane and stay well behind the truck.  I ensure he can see me in his mirrors.  I wait until there are absolutely no cars in my path (beside the truck).  Once clear, I accelerate to get past the truck as quickly as possible.  I also make sure I am well ahead of him before I switch back to the right-hand lane. 

And if it’s a windy day, keep in mind that as you pass a truck, the truck itself can block a crosswind.  If you were fighting a crosswind and begin to pass, you may steer right into the side of the truck once the windblock starts.

In addition, you cannot see the road with a truck in front of you.  If there is debris… like  a mattress, a ladder, a garden hose, 2X4s, pipe… anything…. you will not know until it is too late.

And speaking of debris in the road… how many times have you seen a piece of tire in the road.  That’s usually the tread from a semi that has separated from the tire.  Can you imagine the force with which that comes off?  You’d likely be killed if struck by one.

Basically, here’s a rule that will keep you safe: DO NOT RIDE ANYWHERE NEAR A TRUCK, PERIOD!

And what about pickups?