General Knowledge · Managing Space

When a truck or bus cannot complete a right turn without swinging wide, what should the driver do to prevent a crash?

1.Turn slowly, hold the back of the vehicle near the curb, and avoid swinging its front end wide to the leftCorrect answer

2.Turn wide to the left at the very start of the turn so the vehicle has that much more room to swing right afterward

3.Begin the turn from the innermost available lane so the widest part of its full arc stays clear of the curb itself

4.Signal the turn only after the front of the vehicle has already entered the intersection, to avoid confusing following drivers early

Explanation

To make a right turn safely when the vehicle cannot avoid swinging wide, a driver should turn slowly, hold the back of the vehicle near the curb so other vehicles cannot pull up and pass on the right, and avoid swinging wide to the left first, since a following driver may mistake that for a left turn and try to pass on the right into the vehicle's path. Understanding wide turns and off-tracking is part of the required knowledge CDL applicants must have under 49 CFR 383.111(a)(4)(iv), but that paragraph only names "off tracking" and "right/left turns" as required knowledge topics; it does not itself specify these positioning techniques, which are standard driver-training content rather than a codified federal rule. The other options fail for a shared reason: each recommends a positioning or signaling choice that actually invites another vehicle to pass on the vehicle's blind side during the turn, the opposite of the intended effect.

Source: 49 CFR 383.111(a)(4)(iv)

Drill Managing Space questions

When a truck or bus cannot complete a right turn without swinging wide, what should the driver do to prevent a crash?

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