The Right Turn That Ate the Curb
You are driving a 53-foot trailer through a small downtown at midday. You need to make a right turn from a two-lane street onto a narrower two-lane street. A parked delivery van sits close to the corner on the right, and a line of cars is behind you. Your trailer's rear wheels track well inside the tractor's path. The turn is tight and the cross street has a stop sign 30 feet from the corner.
1. How do you set up and execute this right turn so the trailer does not clip the curb or the van?
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Setup:
- Signal early and check mirrors.
- Swing wide to the left before turning, but do not swing so wide that you cross the centerline into oncoming traffic or force cars off the road. Use the space available, not more.
- Watch the right mirror and the trailer's right rear wheels throughout the turn.
Execution:
- Proceed slowly; a combination turns slowly and off-tracks. The trailer's rear wheels cut inside the tractor's path, so the curb is the hazard, not the tractor's front.
- If the trailer's right rear wheels are heading for the curb or the van, stop, pull forward slightly to widen the arc, and re-approach - do not jerk the wheel or accelerate through it.
- Keep an eye on the stop sign 30 feet past the corner: you need room to complete the turn and stop without blocking the crosswalk or the intersection.
Rule of thumb: the longer the trailer, the more the rear wheels cut in. Give the turn more room than feels necessary and go slower than feels necessary.
2. A car behind you honks and pulls into the left lane to pass as you begin the turn. What do you do?
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Hold your line and your speed - slow and steady - and do not react by speeding up or steering tighter.
- You are committed to the turn; a sudden correction at the tractor amplifies at the trailer and can swing the trailer into the passing car or the curb.
- Check your left mirror to see where the car is. If it is alongside your tractor, let it go; do not crowd it.
- If the car is trying to squeeze between you and the curb on the right, stop if you can do so safely and let it clear, because your trailer's rear wheels are cutting toward that space.
- Use your horn if the car is entering a space your trailer is about to occupy.
The honking is pressure, not information. Your job is to complete a wide, slow turn without clipping the van or the curb; the car's impatience does not change the geometry.