Are fender mirrors pointless?

Depends on your situation. We do a lot of maneuvering in chemical plants/refineries with minimal distances between truck and the big steel and concrete posts that protect pipes, pumps, etc that are full of volatiles. You very much need to be aware of where you're tracking.

Just last winter I sat in the parking lot beside a Pete "hood" at a plant up north. He wasa doing the "ugly dam mirrors, never on my truck. Real drivers don't need em" routine

We were unloading the same product. I unloaded first. Very tight spot, a tight right turn around a guard rail made of I-beam. Just as I pulled out "Mr Pro Real Driver" came around the same turn.... hooked the end of the I-beam hard and busted his rear drive housing.

 

At 5'7" I'm too short to use them in the pete 386 unless I stand up behind the wheel.

I had the same problem when I first got into a T600, but I got them adjusted correctly after a few weeks and loved them for blind turns until JB ripped the right one off with his trailer and they didn't have enough fiberglass at the shop to patch up the hood and install a new bracket. Wasn't in that ragged T600 for too long after that, thankfully.

 

i agree with the "beneficial"...

When it comes to any accident, and any lawsuit, the lawyers will make darn well sure they bring that up in court (lack of mirrors, camera's etc, ANY safety device that is available why didn't you have it..??), why the most advantages were not used at the time. Makes losing a court battle pretty darned easy.

 

I cannot stand fender mirrors I drove a rig with them when I was in highschool and would haul grain after school and I felt that they were useless I ended up just pulling them off and leaving them in the cab. For me they seemed to be too far forward to be any ###### use.

 

"useless" or somebody too inefficient to know how to adjust?

 

i agree to an extent, the passanger side mirror was good when I was pulling doubles to see where your kite trailer was off tracking the first trailer when making a turn, other then that I will agree on them being useless, anything else I can see out of the properly adjusted convex mirror or being aware of my surroundings

I also really hate the rookie poles, but your required to have flags on all 4 corners if pulling an oversized load so you need something to put them on.

 

I like my fender mirrors. It's only a 20' box truck but I love them in LA, SAC, or any other crowded place. Watch me panic when I get into my passanger car. Not enough mirrors

 

As a rookie, I like them. They show you a wider angle when you make your turns. They also help you to see better in your blind spots, especially the one on the right side.

 

My first outfit wouldn't ALLOW a driver to put a spot mirror on the RH west coast mirror! The boss said they are a crutch and you has better learn to KNOW when people are next to you...

My 379 has never had any fender mirrors on it and doesn't even have a peep window in the RH door....

 

So let's review.

Using every device available to operate your vehicle invalidates ones abilities as a driver


Sure am glad I am not one of the real crusty boys buying that particular line of bull excrement