Right Turn, Off-Tracking, and a Cyclist
Minneapolis, 7:30 a.m. You drive a 53-foot trailer with the tandems slid back and a 230-inch tractor wheelbase. You need a right turn from a two-lane one-way street into a 24-foot-wide cross street. A utility pole stands 8 feet from the right curb, and a parked delivery van blocks the right lane 30 feet before the corner. Traffic is heavy. A cyclist is in the bike lane on your right, just behind your tractor, moving straight through. You are in the left lane. The light turns green. Your trailer off-tracks about 4 feet in this turn. The cross street has a stop sign 40 feet in, and you must not cross the double yellow line on the left. Your right convex mirror is clear but wet.
1. How should you set up and execute the right turn to keep the trailer off the curb and the pole?
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Because the trailer off-tracks about 4 feet, a normal right turn from the right lane will put the trailer tires into the curb or pole. Use the left lane of the one-way if it is legal and clear, and begin the turn from there, but do not cross the double yellow. Wait until your tractor has cleared the parked van and you can see the corner in the right convex mirror. Keep speed at a walking pace, turn right smoothly, and watch the trailer's right rear tires in the convex mirror. The 24-foot street and the pole 8 feet from the curb leave little margin, so you may need to take the turn in one continuous arc without a wide swing into oncoming traffic. If the geometry is too tight, stop and reassess.
2. What do you do about the cyclist on your right?
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Yield. The cyclist is proceeding straight and is on your right. Do not turn across the bike lane or try to beat the cyclist. If the cyclist is beside your tractor or trailer, stop and wait until they clear. If the cyclist enters the space on your right as you begin the turn, stop immediately and hold your position; do not continue and squeeze them against the curb.
3. What if the trailer's right rear tires start toward the curb mid-turn?
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Stop before the tires hit. Pulling forward and re-approaching is safer than dragging the trailer over the curb, which can damage tires, rims, and the curb. If contact happens, stop, set the brake, and inspect the tire and rim before continuing. Backing is not a good fix in traffic; instead, complete the turn slowly or ask for traffic control. Do not swing left across the double yellow to fix it.