Right Turn With a Long Trailer and a Tight Corner
You are driving a 72-foot combination: a 53-foot trailer behind a tractor with a 244-inch wheelbase. You approach a right turn from a four-lane road onto a 30-foot-wide two-way street. The signal is green, and you are rolling at 25 mph. On the near right corner is a utility pole 12 feet from the curb. Parked cars line the right side of the new street starting 35 feet from the corner. The pavement is wet. Your right mirror shows the trailer tandems tracking about 3 feet inside the tractor's rear wheels. A line of traffic is behind you, and the crosswalk is clear. The street you are entering has a slight uphill grade. You need to turn without crossing the centerline into oncoming traffic or hitting the pole or parked cars. Your trailer is loaded, so it will not bounce over a curb.
1. What speed and lane position should you establish before the turn, and what should you check in both mirrors as you begin steering?
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Slow to a crawl, roughly walking speed or less, before the crosswalk. Approach in the rightmost legal lane and use only the space you need to keep the trailer tandems off the curb without crossing the centerline. Signal early. As you start the turn, watch the right mirror for the trailer tandems and the left mirror for the tractor's rear and trailer swing. Begin steering only after the tractor has moved far enough forward that the trailer's rear wheels can clear the corner; a common error is turning too soon and dragging the tandems over the curb.
2. As you turn, the trailer tandems are drifting toward the curb with about 2 feet to spare. What action do you take, and why is backing in the intersection a poor choice?
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Stop before the tandems reach the curb. Do not continue and hope the trailer clears. If you are already committed, hold the brake, check both mirrors, and use a spotter if one is available. Backing in an intersection is a poor choice because you would be backing a blind-side combination into traffic with limited visibility and no control of the crosswalk. If you cannot complete the turn safely, stop and wait for help or take an alternate route; a missed turn is cheaper than a pole or a parked car.
3. If the turn cannot be completed without crossing the centerline or striking the pole, what is the safest legal choice?
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Do not force the turn. Stop before entering the conflict, set the parking brake, and reassess. If you can back safely with a spotter and traffic control, do so; otherwise wait for the traffic to clear and take an alternate route that gives you a wider turning radius. Crossing the centerline into oncoming traffic or striking the pole is not an acceptable trade for keeping schedule. If you are already blocking the intersection, call for help and keep your hazard lights on.