When sharing the road with a truck, it is important to remember that trucks generally:
- Require longer distances to stop than smaller vehicles do. ✓
- Require less time to pass on a downgrade than smaller vehicles do.
- Require a smaller turning radius than smaller vehicles do.
- Require less time to pass on an incline than smaller vehicles do.
Answer: A. Require longer distances to stop than smaller vehicles do.
Trucks generally need longer distances to stop than smaller vehicles do.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says large trucks have longer stopping and accelerating distances than cars, and it spells out the gap: a car at 55 mph can stop in about 240 feet, while a fully loaded tractor-trailer may need more than 400 feet. That longer stopping distance is why you should give trucks room and stay visible to the driver rather than crowding them.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Require less time to pass on a downgrade than smaller vehicles do. — The handbook gives trucks longer accelerating distances, not a shorter passing time on a downgrade.
- C. Require a smaller turning radius than smaller vehicles do. — Trucks have a wider turning radius than cars, not a smaller one.
- D. Require less time to pass on an incline than smaller vehicles do. — The handbook says trucks take longer to accelerate, so they would not need less time to pass on an incline.
Remember it
Big rig, big stopping distance: picture that football-field gap between a car's stop and a loaded truck's.