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Difficulty: MediumEvasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

A commercial driver hauling freight on a two-lane rural road suddenly encounters a large fallen tree limb blocking the lane ahead with insufficient room to stop safely. Place the driver's emergency evasive steering actions in the correct chronological order from first to last.

  1. 1Turn the steering wheel only as much as needed to clear the limb without depressing the brake pedal.
  2. 2Keep the wheels rolling freely and maintain the steering angle until the front of the vehicle clears the limb.
  3. 3Counter-steer by turning the steering wheel back in the opposite direction immediately upon passing the limb.
  4. 4Straighten the steering wheel to stabilize the vehicle and align it within the intended lane.

Answer

The proper sequence is: turn only enough to clear the hazard without braking, guide the vehicle past the limb while keeping wheels rolling, counter-steer in the opposite direction immediately after clearing the hazard, and straighten the steering wheel to stabilize in the lane.
According to official CDL safety regulations, an evasive maneuver requires four distinct sequential actions: (1) steering only as much as necessary to clear the hazard without applying brakes, (2) letting the vehicle clear the hazard while maintaining rolling traction, (3) counter-steering in the opposite direction immediately to arrest sideways momentum, and (4) straightening the steering wheel to restore lane stability.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Turn the steering wheel smoothly just enough to bypass the obstruction while staying off the service brakes.
The vehicle begins lateral movement around the tree limb while all tires maintain maximum traction.
Braking while executing a quick turn can lock the wheels, leading to an uncontrollable skid and loss of steering control.
2
Allow the vehicle to track past the hazard under free-rolling momentum.
The front and side profile of the commercial vehicle clear the obstruction safely.
Keeping the wheels rolling freely preserves directional control until the hazard is fully bypassed.
3
Counter-steer firmly in the opposite direction once the obstacle is cleared.
The lateral momentum generated by the initial turn is arrested.
Failing to counter-steer immediately will cause the commercial vehicle to run off the road shoulder or spin out.
4
Return the steering wheel to the center position.
The commercial vehicle stabilizes and tracks straight ahead in the travel lane.
Re-centering the steering completes the maneuver and restores standard tracking.

Key Concept

CDL Emergency Evasive Steering Procedure: Turn Without Braking, Clear Hazard, Counter-Steer, and Straighten
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Evasive Steering and Avoiding Collisions

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