Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31373
SMART DRIVING MAX KVIDERA Line of Sight Using mirrors effectively will help avoid accidents and minimize damage to your rig o component on your truck is more crucial to your safety on the road than your mirrors. “Proper mirror usage is fundamental,” says Stephen Adams, a May Trucking company driver with a million miles of safe driving with the carrier. “I use every mirror at my disposal all the time.” N Basic mirror configurations in- clude a flat mirror and a convex mir- ror on both the driver and passenger sides of your truck. Many truckers, especially flatbed haulers, add a spot mirror or two on their fenders to gain additional visibility. Tilden Curl, owner of Tecco Trucking, who pulls his own flatbed trailer, says factory installed automatic mirrors are suffi- cient for viewing “if you’re a consci- entious driver.” Before Adams sets his mirrors, he gets in a comfortable driving posi- tion to make sure that viewing his mirrors over long highway driving won’t tire him out or cause pain. His goal is to eliminate blind spots. May Trucking driver his mirrors to ease use for maximum safety. He sets his mirrors to see the side of his cab and the front corner of his trailer. With the top flat mirror, he aims to see the lower part of his trailer, drive tires and as much of the top portion of the trailer as possible. Adams sets the convex mirrors on both sides to give him a wide view of his tractor and trailer. His passenger fender spot mirror shows the corner MIRROR POSITIONING TO REDUCE BLIND SPOTS “No Zones,” or blind spots, are areas around your rig where objects disappear from view. Many accidents, both on the road and off, occur because of these low- visibility locations. The rear blind spot extends several feet directly behind your trailer. Immedi- ately in front of your tractor is a blind spot that may make it difficult to see a four-wheeler’s brake lights. No Zones on the sides of your tractor-trailer are places where cars can linger for extensive periods. Properly positioned mirrors can sig- nificantly reduce blind spot geography, but you should constantly look at your mir- rors for traffic in these areas. You can set up a mirror check station on your own or through your carrier to help 26 TRUCKERS NEWS JUNE 2011 feet wide and 80 feet long. mirrors even with a chalk line. No Zones are potential blind spots for truckers. (COURTESY CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES) in positioning your mirrors for maximum visibility. any flat ground at least 30 boxes even with and to the right of your trailer’s nose end, on the driver’s side of your trailer 75 feet from the chalk line and on the passenger side of your trailer 35 feet from the chalk line. MAX KVIDERA