Question:
I was behind this associates rental truck today in heavy christmas traffic. When coming up and making a right turn at a red light at about 2 truck lengths before the light he would move to the left where he was half way in the left lane and blocking that traffic and he would continuue this way to the light and make the right turn. I thought this was strange and illegal. While following him I saw him to this 2 time and then he took a left to make a delivery.
Charles

Answer:
It is illegal in most places. But it may have been needed. Was there enough room without using both lanes? If so it may be an old habbit he does. Or he may not know how to do it correctly.
I rode with a driver that was teaching me tie down on a flatbed. He would hug the right real close to the curb. Then at about a half a truck length from the intersection he would swing left in to the next lane. I asked him why. He said it was an old trick he learned that kept 4 wheelers from passing on the right. It most definatly cut off the right lane and made the turn easier. Probably not legal either.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
Each time he was turning into 2 lanes of a divided 4 lane hwy. Divided by a narrow median with a small post sticking up
Charles
[This message was edited by Charlesx on December 20, 2002 at 20:04.]

Answer:
Stuffie, i forget at the time what company i was with but they actually wanted us to use the procedure you described for right turns.It seems they had to many right turn "squeeze" accident and so they used this method to try and curtail their situation.

Answer:
it's called a buttonhook turn and i use it all the time,easier to make turns that way

Answer:
Nope, not a button hook. Most of us have to do that to get around right turns. Maybe it is an exagerated button hook.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
Originally posted by Stuffiu:
Nope, not a button hook.
What is a buttonhook turn then. Please, I don't understand.
Thanks,
Partzee

Answer:
Most LTL drivers make that type of turn most of the time, especialy in tighter turns. I ran LTL for years, sometimes you take two lanes not just one. Yes it does help prevent drivers passing you on the right. With the extreme trailer angle ,4 wheelers see the angle and realize a swing is coming.
Most of these large truck load carriers like the Swift's, Werner's, SNI's Covenant's would fire 98% of all LTL drivers in this country for what they do on a daily bases in driving a rig through city streets. Yet LTL drivers drive safely and accident free year in and year out making 10 to 20 stops a day everyday.
In my years of LTL, I've never seen or heard of anyone slaming into our trucks while making these types of turns, but I've see my share of OTR trucks in those years who had a 4 wheeler run into their tractor or trailer in turns.
The Winn Dixie distribution center in Tampa off Henry ST. was always a prime accident area for OTR drivers making that turn. They wouldn't do it right. There is a right way and a wrong way.
Use the turn signal and your trailer angle to communicate your intentions. That's what they don't teach you in school.
Sometimes you do an "S" before the turn, the reason, in heavy traffic not all 4 wheelers can see your turn signal because it's blocked from view by other cars, but the trailer being tall they can the trailer "S" swing. Your communicating with both, signal and trailer.
As you swing look at the right mirror and keep your eye on it as your making the turn. That is why I say, most of these large OTR carriers would fire LTL drivers in what they do everyday.
The differance between day cab and sleeper is about the same on these turns. I've driven both and technique is pretty much the same. With a sleeper you have to stop and make sure the cars are "STOPPED" when you look in that right mirror. Then you turn. It's because with the sleeper, you have a narrower field of vision behind you.
Using the whole rig to communicate is the key to making safe tight turns everytime.

Answer:
It's better to straddle both lanes for a turn then to swing out like that. Swinging out can cause a bad accident. If you straddle the lanes at least nobody can pass or drive underneith your trailer. I have swung out before but only because I had no choice. I did wait for the intersection to clear though and nobody was coming up behind me.

Answer:
In that move, you are straddling two lines, but you sometimes have to wait for traffic to clear in one lane before you begin that "S", the rig is taking up two lanes. And you have to slow way down early, you don't want to stop the traffic to a screaching halt. You have to gently slow the traffic behind you.
LTL drivers have to do that to pull a rig into some of these small drive ways alley ways, like in shopping centers, mini malls, small strip malls, businesses etc. There are times you have to sit and wait because your going to use the oncoming lanes too. You go everywhere with a rig in LTL and drivers think LTL is all 28' pups. That's not so, you have 45 48 and now some 53' in LTL. A lot of times your blind side backing on heavily traveled U.S. highways inside city limits. You need to watch not only what your doing but watch out for other drivers too. You have to do both at the same time.
I always a kick out of these schooled drivers saying wait until someone comes out to help you back in. I have to laugh at that one. In LTL, your truck will rust away waiting. You'll leave out with 20 stops and you'll wind up bringing 20 stops back. I'm sorry but have to laugh!!
This type of driving is all day long in heavy city traffic, five days a week. It's differant that for sure.

Answer:
A button hook is a little difficult to describe. It's done by staying to the left of your lane without crossing into the other lane. You pull your tractor as far forward as you can then swing it to the right. Usually in front of traffic going the other way. You then swing it into the left hand lane watching your trailer tires. Once they clear the corner you steer your tractor into the right lane. Your tractor goes way out and over but your trailer should follow a line around the curb never leaving it's lane.
The turn I described calls for staying to the right until about half a TT length from the intersection then swinging your unit to the left. Crossing the line. This causes your trailer to cross the entire lane. You have to swing real wide and into the other lane for the trailer to miss the curb. It's like a button hook except the back of your trailer will be near the curb and the front will be to the left. You have to swing wide into the other lane to miss the curb. It does block the entire right lane.
It's the same thing only different.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"