Is it just me, when reversing (a rigid) things in the big mirror always seem much closer to my back end than they actually are. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve walked out of the cab to check if I can back up a tiny bit more only to find that I have 3 meters from that fence or whatever behind me. I had a full eye test 4 months ago for my licence and opticians didn’t find any issues although I don’t remember depth perception being part of the test.
Is it lack of experience or just my eyes ■■■■ at perceiving/judging distance in mirrors?
The mirrors arent flat like car ones so depth is messed up. Dont worry your eyes aren’t to blame, but if moving trucks don’t assume all mirrors are the same.
Try doing it in an artic - 50 odd feet behind, you get out to see if you’ve got a other foot and turns out theres 10 feet.
Same goes for being straight when reversing. One mirror says you’re straight and the other says your way off.
Forgot, sometimes you can use lights behind you creating a shadow line at the back of the truck which you can see moving. Thats where the back doors are.
All our mirrors have stickers along the bottom of them now stating “GET OUT AND LOOK” in orange letters, apparently the brainchild of one of our drivers who got £50 for that little gem . I would have thought stickers on a mirror were a big no no but (allegedly) dvla were consulted and it’s ok. I find them more of a distraction than a help to be honest.
. I would have thought stickers on a mirror were a big no no but (allegedly) dvla were consulted and it’s ok. I find them more of a distraction than a help to be honest.