A 3-minute lesson from the Indiana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Tractor-trailers are heavier, slower to stop, and less maneuverable than cars, and they have large blind spots. Knowing their limits keeps you out of harm's way.
When any vehicle turns, the rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front wheels, and longer vehicles show a bigger difference. Truck drivers often swing out first to make a tight turn.
When following a truck, watch its turn signals before passing, especially on the right. If it seems to move left, check which way it's signaling; it may be turning right.
Truck drivers sit about twice as high as car drivers and have a better forward view and bigger mirrors, but a car can still disappear completely in their blind spots.
On multi-lane highways, tractor-trailers stay in the center lane to help local traffic get on and off and to keep room to switch lanes in an emergency.
The tractor-trailer ahead of you swings left as it nears an intersection. Don't pull into the space on its right. Check its signals first; it may be setting up a wide right turn.
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.
About how far can it take a fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes to stop at 55 mph?
About 50 feet
About 140 feet
About 200 feet
More than 400 feet
Answer: More than 400 feet
A fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes may take more than 400 feet to stop at 55 mph.