The trucker's obsession with mirrors

It's all about leaving yourself an out. You need to have a good idea of what's going on around you on all sides in case you need to make any quick manuvers. Car blows tire and shoots into your lane, do you have any idea what's next to you before you try to take any evasive action? Remember you are responsible for having to move over with a lot more real estate rolling down the road and you can't stop quickly anymore so moving around might be your only option.

 

Don't come on hear whining when you get a failure to yield to an emergency vehicle citation, we're all going to laugh at you.

 

It's all depends on where you driving, for expample somewhere near NJ with a lot of traffic I would check my mirrors almost near every single exit of interstate, cause there is to much idiots have 0 idea how merge system works
Driving around Iowa or Kansas completely different story. I am checking my mirrors way more less simply because there is not that much going on with traffic around you

 

The reason I was taught that is because you want a 360 degree view of your vehicle and surroundings at all times. Driving is an incredibly dynamic experience, so you want to have as much information as possible while going down the road. Conditions can change at a second's notice so you need to be able to adapt and react in that same time frame. You can't do that if your "snapshot" of what's around you is more than 15 seconds old. A LOT can change in even that short amount of time. In the case of trucks, it also serves as an equipment check. If one of your trailer brakes locks up, you probably won't even feel or hear it. You'll just be cooking the tire at 60-70 mph. Something might happen in the trailer that could start a fire (yes this can happen. I've seen pictures).

In your particular scenario, you should have watched that car in your mirror. Say, for instance, that car didn't slow down or cut over too soon and clipped your trailer. Pretty good chance you wouldn't have felt that and if you didn't stop, well then you just left the scene of an accident.

 

Did these vehicles you drove for 37 years include articulating vehicles that were 70+ feet long? There are MANY reasons to check your mirrors constantly.. from lane position, to watching for mechanical failures, you keep your head on a swivel and watch your ever changing environment.

 

I am constantly checking my mirrors. I do not like having any hair out of place or someone sneaking up behind me.

 

Everyone should be doing it in their 4 wheelers too. My grandmother drilled that in to my head when she was teaching me to drive 22 years ago. It's the only way to make sure you always have an out in case of an emergency.

 

It’s like what was mentioned before, always be aware of your surroundings. You don’t focus on your mirrors, you glance. Triangle rule.

Sure, when you’re in a downhill sweeper or something, focus on the job at hand ahead of you. Multitasking will come with experience. So will the understandings of ‘why we do what we do.’

Per your merging example, I’ll tell you what I used to tell my trainees when I was training. We are in the business of saving lives. We are practically held to that standard. There are countless idiot ungrateful four wheelers that don’t realize that I saved their dumbаss, not to mention my career from their overzealous lawyer, simply because I foresaw the mistakes they were gonna make before they even realized they were making them.

Be safe driver. Knowledge and understanding will seep in over time...

 

You check your mirrors constantly so that when the time comes, you can decide whether to kill the idiot who cut you off, or the school bus full of kids next to you.