Quality truck seats can add comfort as you're driving and help to prevent pain from appearing in your back and legs. However, regardless of the type of truck seat you have, you need to adjust it correctly to safeguard your body. Take a look at these essential tips.
1. Bend Your Elbow When Touching the Top of the Steering Wheel
To test your position, reach out your arm to the top of your steering wheel. This is usually the farthest spot away from you on the steering wheel. You should not have to fully extend your arm to reach this spot. It should be bent slightly.
If your arm is fully extended, that means that you are straining to reach the steering wheel. This causes your shoulder to lift away from your back, and often, it leads to a slight twist between your shoulder and your neck. That position can lead to pain.
2. Put the Armrests Down
Even if your seat is in the perfect position so you don't have to stretch your arm, your arms can get tired if you have to constantly hold them up. Remember, all of your muscles are connected. If your arms are strained, the pain can extend into your upper back muscles.
3. Make Sure You Can Reach the Clutch
Ideally, you should be able to reach the clutch with your foot easily. You should be able to fully depress it without stretching or lifting your bum off the seat. If you're driving a truck with an automatic transmission, you can test this out by pushing on the brake pedal. If you have to strain, you won't be able to reach the brake easily in the case of an emergency, and you may also end up contorting your body into uncomfortable positions.
4. Check That the Restraint Is Not on Your Neck
The safety restraint should sit comfortably on your shoulder. It should not be on your neck. If it's on your neck, you need to raise the seat to make yourself taller. The restraint can chaff your neck leading to discomfort, but it also doesn't provide the necessary safety when it's in the wrong spot.
5. Adjust, Adjust and Adjust Some More
To ensure your truck seat is in the optimal position, you need to adjust it several times. For instance, you may adjust the distance of the seat to accommodate your arms, but then, you may need to readjust it so your legs are in the right position. At that point, you may need to play with the tilt of your seat back to get your arms into the right place. Keep in mind this is a process, and to get the best results, you need to devote some time.
Hi all! My name's Ed, and welcome to my blog. Like many children, my son loved construction vehicles when he was young. However, although he grew out of the toy trucks, he never grew out of his interest in construction. When, at 18, he announced that he was going to be attending a heavy vehicle driving course and applying for jobs in the field, I decided to see what all the fuss was about myself. As it turns out, the world of construction equipment really is interesting! Since I started looking into it, my son and I have bonded over many conversations about bulldozers and excavators. Now I'm sharing some of the things we've talked about here.