Other Highway users – Commercial Vehicles

1. Other Highway users – Commercial Vehicles

2. Commercial Vehicles • Many drivers believe that because commercial vehicles sit so high in the cab of their vehicle, they can see everything around them. • This is wrong because there are huge blind spots, in front and back and on both sides, where the driver cannot see. • These dangers are called “No Zones.” • Smaller vehicles should avoid the “No Zone” areas since these spaces are where crashes are most likely to occur.

3. Passing Commercial Vehicles • Maintain a constant speed. • Before pulling in front and resuming normal speed, be sure you can see the entire front of the vehicle in your rearview mirror. • Stay well in front of the commercial vehicle after passing, as it may take that vehicle a much longer distance to stop.

4. Side Blind Spots • Don’t linger in Side Blind Spots. • The commercial vehicle cannot see you. • If the driver of the commercial vehicle needs to change lanes quickly, the automobile is in trouble.

5. Tailgaiting • Do not tailgate • Some motorists risk driving close behind a truck to take advantage of the draft. • A trucks rear blind spot is deep – the driver cannot see your car, and you cannot see much either. • If the truck has to slow down suddenly, a rear end collision can occur.

6. Wide Turns • To make a right turn, big trucks must swing wide to the left before turning right. • Do not cut between a truck and the curb or the shoulder on the right. • If an automobile driver is approaching an intersection, as a commercial vehicle is about to turn onto the same street, the car driver should try to stop before they reach the stop sign/stop line.

7. Backing Up • Never try to pass close behind a truck that is backing. • This again puts the automobile in the commercial vehicles “No-Zone.”