True or false? When in their cabs, truck drivers tower over automobile drivers and therefore, they can see farther ahead and can react more quickly as road situations develop.

If you answered "true" you had better think again about a trucker's actual field of vision. It is true that truckers can gaze over the top of any cars ahead of them. But this is where a motorist's grave misconception begins. Truckers actually have serious blind spots that motorists don't have. Think about it. Right in front, on both sides of the cab and up to 200 feet in the rear.

Do you think truckers can see over or through another tractor trailer in front of them? Wrong. No better than you or I in our low-riding passenger car. In fact, a truck driver has a very limited view of the road directly in front of their cab. Many cabs have extra long hoods which prevent truckers from being able to see the first 20 feet of pavement directly in front of their bumpers. And that's more than enough room for your automobile to creep unnoticed into a dangerous position. Even with today's more streamlined tractors with sloped hoods or with no front hood (called cab-overs), blind spots of up to ten feet are possible.

As a motorist, you must keep in mind that blind spots on the sides and in the rear hamper a trucker's ability to take evasive action to avoid accidents. Make certain your vehicles are seen by truckers if at all possible. Here's something to ponder the next time you pass a semi-trailer on the highway-- if you can't see the trucker in his/her side mirror, then he/she can't see you.

From everyone at Stone Belt Freight we wish you a safe journey. And when you pass one of our trucks on the road, check out our side mirror. We'll be watching out for you and we want you to watch out for us too.