Setting Your Food Truck Mirrors To Avoid Blind Spots

If you’ve ever spent any time driving a food truck, you understand that it can be difficult to see all around the truck. The fact is that most food trucks don’t have the use of a rear view mirror since the truck’s kitchen is in the way. Some trucks have installed rear cameras to avoid this issue. However, there are still issues with seeing other vehicles that can be hidden in a food truck’s blind spot. Because of this, driving a food truck and using food truck mirrors is much different than driving your own car.

Most food trucks are equipped with special mirrors that are larger and extend farther away from the cab. Properly adjusting your food truck mirrors will ensure full vision, as well as your safety and the safety of your fellow motorists. Today we want to share some advice to adjust your food truck mirrors to be able to almost eliminate blind spots.

Setting Your Food Truck Mirrors To Avoid Blind Spots

Adjust the driver’s side mirror

Sit in the driver’s seat and lean your head until it almost touches the driver’s side window. Then, adjust your left side mirrors so that you can barely see the side of your truck in the right side of the mirror, no more than that.

Now move your head into the normal position. Begin pulling the top of the mirror down. Keeping your head straight, look to your left and move the mirror until you can the road behind you that isn’t visible in your peripheral vision. You should be able to see a little bit of the entire length of your food truck, as well as the ground next to truck.

Adjust the passenger side mirror

Lean your head to the right towards the middle of the truck cab. Now adjust the right side mirror so that you can barely see the right side of your truck. You should not be able to see the side of your truck when your head is perfectly upright.

Once again, move your head into the normal position. Have an assistant pull the mirror until you can see the ground next to the truck in the bottom of the mirror. Please note that you have less peripheral visibility in this mirror. Because of this it may have to come down a bit more than the driver’s side mirror.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Complete this procedure every time someone gets into the driver’s seat of your food truck. This process only takes a few seconds, and can make a big difference.

Far too many food truck drivers do not use their side mirrors enough when changing lanes. Instead they rely on turning their heads and looking over their shoulder. The problem is this results in blind spots for the driver that does not trust using the side mirrors. Once they are adjusted properly, using trusting them to give you the information you require will become a habit. It may feel a little weird at first, but don’t let that stop you. It’s a good idea to practice driving with this mirror setup in a parking lot or quiet streets.

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