Truckers taking Wide Turns

#TruckerTuesday

Last week we talked about bridges and clearance signs.  The video below shows a truck driver that was trying to make a U turn to miss a low clearance bridge.  I guess he didn’t read the signs until it was too late. The problem in the video is that he didn’t have enough room to make a U turn.

A semi truck can’t just make a U turn if they miss a turn like a car can. As you can see above the driver’s results weren’t good at all.  I’m not sure how this ended, but I’m pretty sure he’ll never try that again.

I was talking to one of my friends this past week and she asked me why truckers sometimes pulled into the other lane (like when you’re stopped at a stop sign and have to reverse to let them by).

It all comes down to turning radius. A semi truck needs more space when they make a turn or they will take out everything on the side of the road. That includes signs, trees, buildings, and more.

The more narrow the road is the wider the truck will have to swing out in their turn.  This often means taking up more than one lane.

If you’re in a hurry and see a truck turning, stay back and give them space. If you try to squeeze by not only will you not get through faster, but the consequences may ultimately be deadly.  You could be crushed by the trailer.

Also if you’re approaching a stop sign and a trucker is trying to turn down the road you’re on if you see them turning wide slow down and give them space. They’re really good at what they do, but some extra turning space is just courteous.

Safe travels!