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Georgia driving lesson · Sharing the Road

Sharing the road with trucks and buses

A 3-minute lesson from the Georgia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Sharing the Road
Checkpoint questions
5
Source pages
45, 46

Heavy trucks typically weigh 80,000 pounds or more. They need much more room to stop and turn, and they have large blind spots called No-Zones. Police stop drivers who drive unsafely around commercial vehicles.

80,000 pounds

Typical weight of heavy trucks, or more

Handbook p. 45 ↗

Know the rule

A fully loaded tractor-trailer traveling 55 mph needs 3 times the distance a car needs to stop.

Handbook p. 45 ↗

Know the rule

Large trucks are harder to maneuver, longer and heavier, and need much more room to turn.

Handbook p. 45 ↗

No-Zones

Danger areas around trucks and buses where crashes are more likely, including blind spots where your car disappears from the driver's view: side, rear and front.

Handbook p. 45 ↗

The No-Zones:

  • Side: big blind spots on both sides; if you can't see the driver's face in their mirror, they can't see you
  • The right side is especially dangerous because trucks and buses make wide right turns
  • Rear: a huge blind spot with no rear view mirror, and you can't see traffic ahead
  • Front: don't cut in and slow down; merge only when the whole truck front is in your mirror
Handbook p. 46 ↗

Avoid a citation around commercial vehicles:

  • Don't cut them off; one car length for every 10 mph of speed is recommended
  • Don't tailgate
  • Don't speed; it's a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes
  • Give them plenty of room, especially when entering a highway or merging
Handbook p. 46 ↗

Tips for trailering:

  • Take your time, and if you lose control, stay calm
  • Stay within capacity and distribute the weight
  • Inspect your trailer and secure your load
  • Know your trailer and practice handling it
  • Maintain your trailer and vehicle; consider tow mirrors and extra safety equipment
Handbook p. 45 ↗

Put it into practice

You've just passed a truck on the highway. Before moving back in front of it, check your rear-view mirror. Merge only when you can see the entire front of the truck.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What are the 'No-Zones' around large trucks and buses?
  1. Speed zones with reduced limits near trucks
  2. Blind spots where a car can vanish from view
  3. Areas where trucks cannot legally drive
  4. Designated parking areas for trucks only

Answer: Blind spots where a car can vanish from view

No-Zones are the danger areas/blind spots around trucks and buses where a car can disappear from the driver's view.

Handbook p. 45 ↗
Compared to a car traveling 55 mph, how much more stopping distance does a fully loaded tractor-trailer need at that speed?
  1. About half the distance
  2. About 10 times the distance
  3. About the same distance
  4. About 3 times the distance

Answer: About 3 times the distance

A fully loaded tractor-trailer traveling 55 mph needs about 3 times the stopping distance a car needs.

Handbook p. 45 ↗
Why is it unsafe to 'cut in front' of a truck and then slow down?
  1. Trucks and buses need more room and time to stop
  2. It forces the truck to change lanes
  3. It is only unsafe on wet roads
  4. Trucks cannot see directly ahead at all

Answer: Trucks and buses need more room and time to stop

Trucks and buses require more room and time to stop, so cutting in front and slowing down creates a hazard.

Handbook p. 46 ↗
A truck or bus driver can typically see your vehicle in their side mirror if you can see the driver's face in that mirror.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

If you can see the driver's face in the side-view mirror, the driver can see you; if not, you're in their No-Zone.

Handbook p. 46 ↗
How does the 'No-Zone' behind a truck differ from the 'No-Zone' beside a truck?
  1. They are identical in size and location
  2. Only the sides have No-Zones; not the rear
  3. Rear: no mirror covers it; sides: bigger than a car's
  4. Rear: small; sides: same size as a car's

Answer: Rear: no mirror covers it; sides: bigger than a car's

Trucks and buses have large blind spots on both sides (bigger than a car's) as well as a large rear No-Zone with no rear-view mirror coverage.

Handbook p. 46 ↗
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