Commercial vehicles — Kansas Permit Test

In more than 70% of all fatal Kansas crashes involving cars and commercial vehicles, police report that the car driver contributed to the cause.

The car driver is usually the one who made the mistake. That is worth knowing before blaming the truck.

In more than 70% of all fatal crashes involving cars and commercial vehicles, police report that the car driver contributed to the cause of the crash.

The Kansas No-Zone is the area around large trucks or buses where vehicles disappear from the commercial driver's view into blind spots, on the sides, rear and front of the large vehicle.

A truck has blind spots on all four sides. Sitting in one means the driver does not know you exist.

These blind spots are on the sides, rear and front of the large vehicle.

If a Kansas driver cannot see a large vehicle driver's face in the side view mirror, that driver cannot see them.

It is the simplest test there is. If their mirror does not show you their face, you are invisible to them.

If you cannot see the driver's face in the side view mirror, they cannot see you.

A loaded Kansas truck with good tires and properly adjusted brakes at 55 mph requires a minimum of 335 feet before coming to a complete stop, which is greater than one and a half times the stopping distance of a car.

A truck cannot stop for a car that cuts in. Pulling in front of one removes its only margin.

traveling at 55 mph requires a minimum of 335 feet before coming to a complete stop

Kansas large vehicles have huge blind spots directly behind them that extend up to 200 feet.

Two hundred feet is far further back than anyone expects. You can be a whole block behind and unseen.

large vehicles have huge blind spots directly behind them that extend up to 200 feet.

When a Kansas truck or bus needs to make a right turn it will sometimes swing wide to the left, and a driver who tries to get between the truck and the curb will be squeezed in between.

The gap they leave on the right is not for you. It closes as the trailer comes round.

If you try to get in between the truck or bus and the curb, you will be squeezed in between them and could suffer a serious crash.

When a Kansas driver meets a truck coming from the opposite direction they keep as far as possible to the right to avoid a side swept crash and to reduce wind turbulence between the two vehicles.

A passing truck shoves the air between you. Extra space takes the push out of it.

keep as far as possible to the right side of the roadway to avoid a side swept crash and to reduce the wind turbulence between the two vehicles

When traveling up or down steep Kansas hills large vehicles must drive slowly, approximately 35 mph, and use the right lane, so a driver should avoid the right lane there and near truck weigh stations.

Trucks crawl on grades and pull out slowly from weigh stations. The right lane there is where they are.

large vehicles must drive slowly, approximately 35 mph, and therefore use the right lane.

Kansas runaway ramps on long downgrades are to be used only by large vehicles that are out of control or cannot stop because of brake failure, and a driver should never stop or park in the area of these ramps.

A truck with no brakes arrives there at speed. Anything parked in it is in the way.

These ramps are to be used only by large vehicles that are out of control or cannot stop because of brake failure. Never stop or park in the area of these ramps.

What share of fatal car and commercial vehicle crashes involve car driver fault?

More than 70%. The car driver is usually the one who made the mistake. That is worth knowing before blaming the truck. Kansas Driving Handbook, p.85: “In more than 70% of all fatal crashes involving cars and commercial vehicles, police report that the car driver contributed to the cause of the crash.”