I volunteered driving ambulances. Started in high school, 2003-2004. Our rigs at the time were a '97 Chevy van with a box and a '99 F250 with a box. They were the biggest things I’d driven at the time.
Moved away, did life, came back a decade later. Newest rigs were now 2015 F450 Super Duty with a box you could legit stand up in. Thing was unnecessarily large. All the things you’re saying are correct. The rig we purchased while I was there ended up being a slightly larger mod, but came with front, side, and rear cameras, because you’re absolutely right, can’t see shit. Blind spot in the front is legit 10-15 feet from the bumper.
You know what didn’t change in that interim? People’s windy, tiny driveways. I won’t toot my own horn but I’m a good driver, I frequently tell my wife “You could fit a Mac truck through there” when she’s driving and won’t squeeze through a gap. So when it came time to back these rigs up these narrow, curving driveways, up a hill, it was difficult. I’d have my crew get out generally and go begin assessment so I could get the rig in place for takedown. Problem is that I couldn’t drive all the time, and so the rig would frequently get left down on the road. And I don’t blame anyone, they were difficult maneuvers. I knew a few members who outright refused to drive the newer rigs becaude they were so massive, so now we’ve neutered our manpower.
I volunteered driving ambulances. Started in high school, 2003-2004. Our rigs at the time were a '97 Chevy van with a box and a '99 F250 with a box. They were the biggest things I’d driven at the time.
Moved away, did life, came back a decade later. Newest rigs were now 2015 F450 Super Duty with a box you could legit stand up in. Thing was unnecessarily large. All the things you’re saying are correct. The rig we purchased while I was there ended up being a slightly larger mod, but came with front, side, and rear cameras, because you’re absolutely right, can’t see shit. Blind spot in the front is legit 10-15 feet from the bumper.
You know what didn’t change in that interim? People’s windy, tiny driveways. I won’t toot my own horn but I’m a good driver, I frequently tell my wife “You could fit a Mac truck through there” when she’s driving and won’t squeeze through a gap. So when it came time to back these rigs up these narrow, curving driveways, up a hill, it was difficult. I’d have my crew get out generally and go begin assessment so I could get the rig in place for takedown. Problem is that I couldn’t drive all the time, and so the rig would frequently get left down on the road. And I don’t blame anyone, they were difficult maneuvers. I knew a few members who outright refused to drive the newer rigs becaude they were so massive, so now we’ve neutered our manpower.