Right Turn With Off-Tracking Around a Borough Corner
You drive a 53-foot trailer with a 3-axle tractor and want to turn right from a two-lane one-way street onto a narrower cross street in a Pennsylvania borough. The corner has a 35-foot curb radius, a traffic signal pole about 6 feet inside the curb, and a cyclist waiting at the crosswalk on your right. Your trailer tandems are set 8 feet from the rear of the trailer. The right lane is 11 feet wide, and a box truck is stopped in the left lane, blocking you from using the full left lane. You estimate your trailer's rear wheels will track about 5 feet inside the tractor's path. The signal is green, but the cyclist is looking at a phone and has not moved.
1. How do you set up and execute the right turn given the pole, cyclist, and blocked left lane?
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The 35-foot radius and 53-foot trailer with 5 feet of offtracking mean the trailer rear wheels will cut inside your path. With the box truck blocking the left lane, you may not have enough room to swing wide. Do not crowd the cyclist or cross into the cyclist's space to make the turn. If the left lane is blocked, wait for the box truck to move or for the light to cycle and the cyclist to clear, then use as much of the left lane as is legal to widen the turn. If you cannot create enough room, choose another route rather than forcing the turn. When you do turn, keep speed low, watch the right mirror and the trailer tires, and stop if the trailer wheels approach the curb or pole.
2. What visual cues and speed should you use during the turn?
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Use the right flat mirror and the convex mirror to watch the trailer tires and the curb; the trailer's rear wheels, not the tractor's, determine whether you hit the pole. Set up so the tractor is slightly left of the lane center if space allows, but do not cross the centerline or enter a lane occupied by the cyclist. Move at a walking pace, perhaps 3-5 mph, and be ready to stop. Check both mirrors repeatedly; if the trailer tire disappears from view or the curb line moves toward the tire, stop and reassess. A spotter can help, but you remain responsible. If the cyclist is still at the crosswalk, yield and wait; a wide turn is not worth a collision.
3. If the trailer tire touches the curb, what should you do immediately and afterward?
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Stop immediately; do not continue the turn and drag the tire over the curb. Continuing can damage the tire, bend the rim, or shift the load, and it may pull the trailer into the pole. Set the parking brake, check the tire and wheel for damage, and look for anyone in the path. If the tire is damaged or the trailer is against the curb, do not back up blindly; use a spotter and check mirrors. After clearing the turn, stop in a safe place and inspect the tire, wheel, and trailer body. If there is any chance of damage, call for service. The judgment point is that a curb strike is a stop-and-check event, not a reason to accelerate out of the turn.