Schneider, State Patrol show semi-truck blind spots at Public Safety Day

Do you know where semi-truck blind spots are?

More than 3,500 people experienced firsthand what a truck driver sees when Schneider and the Wisconsin State Patrol teamed up to demonstrate the “no zone” at the Public Safety Day earlier this month at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wis.

The scene was set with a Schneider truck and trailer surrounded by three State Trooper vehicles parked in the blind spots. Schneider driver instructor Steve Frey and State Trooper Tim Austin were on hand to educate the public, especially targeting the attendees that were driving age.

The kids got involved, too, though as many parents climbed into the driver’s seat with their child on their lap. It was an opportune time to point out the mirrors and have conversation regarding semi-truck blind spots and what a truck driver can see — and not see — while traveling around automobiles.

Tammy Vogel from Schneider’s regulatory team volunteered with the Public Safety Day display as well and recounted this experience:

“Before one young lady got into the truck, Steve was telling her, ‘Don’t be intimidated by big trucks. Just don’t stay in our blind spots.’ Her response was, ‘There’s blind spots?’ It was a great experience to be able to see exactly what a truck driver sees.”

Here are a few more things she and I heard people say during the semi-truck blind spots demonstration:

• “Wow, you can’t see any of these cars! If I didn’t know they were there I would swear there were no vehicles near this truck!”
• “Now I know where to not hang out when driving near a big rig.”
• “Wow, that’s crazy — completely lost them in the mirrors.”

It was a huge success, and many left better educated!

The Public Safety Day event also featured live demonstrations of vehicle fire response, auto extraction, high-rise rescues, SWAT team, K-9 police dogs and more throughout the 75-acre site at Fox Valley Tech.

A few other highlights for my kids:

A few other highlights for my kids:

• The State Patrol put my daughter in the “Little Convincer” seat where they belt you in and tip you all the way forward so the seat belt is the only thing keeping you in the seat. My daughter said, “Wow, it is really important to have your seat belt on and on the right way or you would fall out!”
• We also got to walk through an airplane, which was cool since my kids had never been on a plane yet. I’m guessing this will save me in the future when we do take them somewhere, and they won’t be afraid of the plane.

Schneider is proud to partner with educational initiatives like Public Safety Day, distracted driving classes for teens and more.