The best way to handle an emergency is to avoid it in the first place, most accidents happen when drivers make mistakes. Professional semi truck drivers reduce the chance of accidents by learning to recognize possible emergencies and to practice defensive driving techniques. Evasive steering is often the safest maneuver for getting out of or avoiding an emergency situation without hitting the brakes in a panic.
Brake before beginning to make an evasive turn, if possible. By braking before the turn, you can make a sharper turn and decrease the chance of a roll over or a jackknife.
When using evasive steering, turn the steering wheel as little as possible to avoid the emergency. Turn quickly.
To turn as quickly as possible, hand-over-hand steering is best. Placing the hands at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions lets the wheel turn 180 degrees without releasing either hand.
Once you have steered around whatever was in your path, you will need to turn the wheel back in the opposite direction, back toward your intended path of travel. This is called counter steering.
Be ready to counter steer immediately. Do this smoothly to keep the semi truck from going out of the escape path or off the road. Timing is very important. Begin to counter steer as soon as the front of the trailer clears the obstacle.
