The “no zones.” Long before I was editor of Fleet Equipment, a driver’s ed. video introduced me to the multitude of blind spots that surround a truck. Corny to be sure, but effective as I’ve remembered that song for (counts the years since getting a license)… far too long. Fitting then that another video would show me that those blind spots can be reduced, providing a truck driver far more visibility and awareness of the road and traffic around them through camera monitor systems. Basically, cameras in the place of mirrors.
Stoneridge’s MirrorEye camera monitor system was the first to have an FMCSA exemption that allows the manufacturer to remove the truck’s rear view mirrors and replacing them with a multitude of cameras, offering a boost in fuel efficiency thanks to improved aerodynamics in addition to improved safety through visibility. It’s one of those things you have to see to understand the impact it can have on truck operation. So I grabbed a couple of cameras and headed to Lexington, Ohio, to visit with Stoneridge, see the MirrorEye camera monitor system in action and take a ride with professional driver Mario Gafencu, who boasts more than 2.5 million safe driving miles on his resumé. The guy knows safety and how a camera monitor system can make a driver’s life better and a fleet’s operation safer.
Watch the video above for all the insight, and maybe you’ll remember it as well as I’ve remembered the No-Zones, even though their days could be numbered thanks to this technology.
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