Spotter (maneuvering)
A spotter is a person used in vehicle maneuvers to assist a driver who may not have a clear view in their direction of travel.[1][2] They are most commonly used in:
- Off-road rock crawling
- Reversing truck and trailer combinations, such as semitrailers, b-trains and road trains
- Placing oversized freight using a forklift
- Lifting loads using a vehicle-mounted crane (loads lifted using a fixed crane are supervised by a banksman)
- Guiding military vehicles (also called ground guiding)
- Dumping materials, such as from a dump truck
- Guiding oversized loads.
The spotter's advantage is the ability to move around the load or vehicle to determine the best trajectory.
A spotter will either use a set of standard hand signals, or will agree hand signals before the maneuver with the driver or operator.[3]
Technological solutions such as reversing cameras and proximity sensors have reduced drivers' reliance on spotters in some circumstances.
References[]
- ^ "What is a spotter?".
- ^ "Safe reversing and spotting practices". WorkSafe New Zealand.
- ^ "Vehicles at work: reversing". UK Government Health and Safety Executive.
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