A 4-minute lesson from the Minnesota course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Trucks and buses are big, slow to stop and have huge blind spots. Most car-truck crashes come from misjudging a truck's speed or cutting in too close in front of it.
Commercial vehicle
A vehicle or combination over 26,000 pounds used to carry passengers or property. All buses, including school buses, and smaller vehicles with hazmat placards count too.
Many trucks make wide right turns and may leave space on the right. Their rear wheels take a shorter path than the front, more so the longer the vehicle. Don't pass on the right if it might turn right.
Blind spots in front, beside and behind a truck. Drivers may not see up to 20 feet in front of the cab, along either side of the trailer, or up to 200 feet behind.
Trucks and buses have operating limits and may use speed limiters. Honking, aggressive driving or weaving won't get you there faster and can cause crashes.
A truck ahead signals right and swings left to make the turn, leaving a gap at the curb. Don't slip into that gap — its rear wheels will cut in. Wait until the turn is complete.
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 much longer does it take to pass a commercial vehicle compared to a car?
No difference at all
10 to 15 seconds longer
3 to 5 seconds longer
About 1 second longer
Answer: 3 to 5 seconds longer
Passing a commercial vehicle takes about three to five seconds longer than passing a car.
