Big tractor-trailers do have big mirrors that help. Some mirror sets have two mirrors per side to allow wider coverage. However, they cannot see directly behind the truck for a goodly distance. A surprise can be following them, one that suddenly veers into view doing something crazy in traffic, like passing on the right at the same time the truck is changing to a lane to his right. (The trucker did signal, or did he not?)

Big mirrors may produce a blinding light to the trucker's face if a following vehicle has his lights on bright and may be mis-aimed as well. This may cause the trucker to adjust his mirrors away from optimum position requiring him to shift his body to get a full view. This negates optimum use of the mirrors and consequently reduces safety.

If you drive in heavy traffic with a large number of trucks on a multi-lane highway, you may notice that the more civil ones are using codes to aid their fellow truckers. After a big rig passes another big rig, the passee may signal to the passer when its safe to pull back into the lane. This is accomplished by a quick flash of headlamp high beams. When the driver behind sees the image of the front driver's face in his mirror, he knows he can see the flash.

Jemdandy: I drove 36 years and 2 million miles and couldn't have said it better in fact not as good.

Roren: A journeyman driver knows where the blind spots are and is adept at handling them. Surprises do happen. Big outfits are not known for loading the rigs with neat stuff to help the drivers (including good seats) unless specifically required by law.

I would like to see a device mounted on the rear of trailers such that when a tail gating vehicle got too close a great big fist would shoot out and punch it. Pow! Motorcycles should cease to exist.