Basic Control of Your Vehicle
Basic Control of Your Vehicle tests low-speed and routine control: starting, stopping, steering, turning, backing, and parking. The exam focuses on the maneuvers that cause preventable damage-wide right turns, off-tracking, blind-side backing, and parking on grades. Smooth control comes from planning the maneuver before the vehicle moves.
Core rules
- Start smoothly and check gauges and surroundings before rolling. Know the height and width of your vehicle.
- Back only when necessary. Use GOAL-Get Out And Look-and a helper when available. Back toward the driver's side when possible because it is easier to see.
- Use both mirrors and check blind spots. A spotter's hand signals must be agreed on before backing.
- Right turns require a wide swing, but do not swing into an adjacent traffic lane. Watch the rear wheels; they off-track and cut the corner closer than the front wheels.
- Left turns are made from the proper lane without cutting across curbs or lanes.
- On a grade, set the parking brake, place the transmission in the correct gear, and use wheel chocks when required. Turn wheels toward or away from the curb according to uphill/downhill parking rules.
Worked example
A tractor-trailer is turning right at a tight corner. The driver swings left into the adjacent lane to “make room.” A car in that lane is forced to brake, and the trailer's rear wheels still cut the corner. The correct approach is to stay in the right lane, begin the turn at the proper point, watch the right mirror, and let the rear wheels off-track without crossing into another lane. Extra room comes from lane position and speed, not from an unsafe swing.
Traps
- Swinging wide into a live lane on a right turn.
- Backing blind-side when a driver-side approach is possible.
- Relying on a spotter without agreed signals.
- Parking on a grade without setting brakes or chocking.