# What are those sticks that I see on large vehicles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600 "2012-10-03T17:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/1 "2012-10-03T17:04:26Z")
I’ve been noticing lately that some large vehicles have sticks on the front. They are on the front corners, affixed to the bumper (at the bottom), are verticle, and are about 2.5 feet long. Most of the ones that I’ve seen are orange and appear to be plastic, but I saw some that were black and appeared to be metal. The black ones had small red lights on top. I’ve seen these on buses, ambulances, and trucks, but only on some of those vehicles. What do they do? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/2 "2012-10-03T17:12:42Z")
I’m kind of just guessing, but I think they are to give the driver some reference on where his bumper is on his truck. Its a big vehicle and they have to often squeeze it into tight places. The sticks allow them some idea of where their truck corner is so they don’t hit something. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/3 "2012-10-03T17:15:13Z")
Interesting. I was thinking that they were some sort of sensors. They remind me of cat whiskers. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/4 "2012-10-03T17:16:38Z")
There also are some vehicles that may be used to deploy orange traffic cones. The cones can easily be removed from or placed back on those vertical bars/sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/5 "2012-10-03T17:17:15Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Interesting. I was thinking that they were some sort of sensors. They remind me of cat whiskers. I think that’s pretty close to what they are. If they don’t have a name, I’m going to call them ‘cat whiskers’ from now on. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/6 "2012-10-03T17:19:50Z")
[Curb Feelers?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_feeler) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/7 "2012-10-03T17:21:20Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > There also are some vehicles that may be used to deploy orange traffic cones. The cones can easily be removed from or placed back on those vertical bars/sticks. I’m not sure why a truck (obviously meant for hauling), an ambulance, or a bus would need to deploy traffic cones though. And the orange ones seem too flimsy. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/8 "2012-10-03T17:23:02Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > [Curb Feelers?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_feeler) The ones I’m seeing are verticle and mounted higher up. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/9 "2012-10-03T17:27:12Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > I’m kind of just guessing, but I think they are to give the driver some reference on where his bumper is on his truck. Its a big vehicle and they have to often squeeze it into tight places. The sticks allow them some idea of where their truck corner is so they don’t hit something. You are correct. Bumper guides, bumper clearance markers, or bumper poles in google gets you to the product pages. Also used on snowplows. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-those-sticks-that-i-see-on-large-vehicles/636600/10 "2012-10-03T17:31:44Z")
Mystery solved. Thanks!