Tractor trailers — Indiana Permit Test

A car at 55 mph can stop in about 130 to 140 feet, but a fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes may need more than 400 feet.

Cutting in front of a truck and braking leaves it no way to stop in time.

A fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes may take more than 400 feet to come to a complete stop, or more than the length of a football field.

A tractor-trailer's blind spots reach up to 20 feet in front of the cab and up to 200 feet behind it.

A truck driver cannot see you there, so do not linger in those zones.

Blind spots for the tractor-trailer driver will be up to 20 feet in front of the cab, on either side of the trailer, alongside the cab, and up to 200 feet behind the vehicle.

If you are following a tractor-trailer and cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

The mirrors are the truck driver's only view behind; if you cannot see them, you are invisible.

When following behind a tractor- trailer, if you cannot see the driver’s rearview mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

Pass a tractor-trailer completely and always on the left, without lingering beside it.

Beside the trailer you are in its blind spot and in its path if it must swerve.

Always pass a tractor-trailer completely and always on the left side.

Tractor-trailers often swing out wide as the first step of a tight turn, and their rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front.

A truck moving left may be setting up a right turn, so do not squeeze in beside it.

Tractortrailer drivers often swing out as the first step in making a tight turn.

Do not cut in front of a tractor-trailer to reach an exit or turn; slow down and exit behind it.

Cutting in removes the truck's space to stop, and it costs you only a few seconds to wait.

Take a moment to slow down and exit behind a tractor-trailer.

A tractor-trailer often looks slower than it is, and many car-truck crashes happen at intersections because the driver misjudged how close it was.

Large size fools the eye. Leave a bigger gap before pulling out in front of a truck.

Because of its large size, a tractor-trailer often appears to be traveling at a slower speed than it is.

Without a special permit, a vehicle may be no wider than 8 feet 6 inches and no taller than 13 feet 6 inches.

Bridges, tunnels and lane widths are built around these limits.

The maximum height of any vehicle that may be operated without a special permit is 13 feet, 6 inches.

Without a special permit, a vehicle may weigh no more than 80,000 pounds.

Roads and bridges are built to carry loads up to this weight.

The maximum weight of any vehicle that may be operated without a special permit is 80,000 lbs.

About how far does a fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes need to stop?

More than 400 feet. Cutting in front of a truck and braking leaves it no way to stop in time. Indiana Driver's Manual, p.50: “A fully loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes may take more than 400 feet to come to a complete stop, or more than the length of a football field.”