As a Texas driver, you may have had an incident or two when another vehicle, motorcycle or cyclist found its way into your blind spot. Blind spots are the areas around your vehicle that can prove hard for you to see while you are manning the vehicle controls, and they are not exclusive to passenger cars, as truckers have them, too.
Blind spots pose an arguably even bigger problem for commercial truck drivers. Per The Truckers Report, a trucker’s blind spots, which are also referred to as “no-zones,” generally include large areas on either side of the semi that extend beyond the lanes on either side of the truck. Large trucks also have no-zones in front and behind of their vehicles, and while adding mirrors to large trucks can make these blind spots somewhat smaller, doing so is unlikely to eliminate them in their entirety.
There are additional safety precautions truckers can take to reduce their risk of colliding with you, should you find yourself unable to avoid one of the no-zones. In addition to adding fish-eye mirrors, new technologies, such as sensors or audible beeps that alert truck drivers when other vehicles get within a certain distance, intend to make the roadway safer for you and other motorists.
You can also enhance your own safety by recognizing that a truck driver’s elevated status above the road does not necessarily mean he or she can easily see you. Like you, semi-truck drivers have blind spots that make it virtually impossible to see in certain areas, so it is wise to avoid travelling closely to commercial trucks as much as possible.
This information about trucker no-zones should educate you, but please do not consider it a replacement for legal advice.