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Difficulty: HardSharing the Road with Large Vehicles

When a large commercial truck executes a right turn at an intersection, its rear wheels follow a shorter path than its front wheels (off-tracking), requiring the truck driver to swing wide to the left before starting the turn.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is True. Off-tracking causes the rear wheels of a combination vehicle to follow a shorter, tighter path than the front wheels during a turn. Consequently, truck drivers must swing out wide to the left when making a right turn so that the trailer clears curbs, pedestrians, and street hardware.
The statement correctly identifies the mechanics of off-tracking in large commercial vehicles. Because the trailing rear wheels follow a shorter, sharper arc than the front wheels during a turn, truck drivers are forced to swing wide to the left to negotiate right-hand corners safely without mounting the curb.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the vehicle dynamics during a right turn for long-wheelbase commercial vehicles.
Recognize that off-tracking causes the rear trailer wheels to cut closer to the inside of the turn than the front steering tires.
The fixed distance between the tractor pivot point and trailer axles pulls the rear tires inward along a shorter radius.
2
Evaluate the driver maneuver needed to compensate for off-tracking.
Confirm that the truck driver must swing wide into the left lane prior to turning right.
Creating extra clearance on the right side prevents the rear trailer wheels from mounting the curb or colliding with adjacent structures.

Key Concept

Vehicle Off-tracking and Wide Right Turns
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Topics

Sharing the Road with Large Vehicles

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