Big trucks following passing — Louisiana Permit Test
Big trucks following passing on the Louisiana permit test — 8 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
In good conditions, leave at least 4 to 5 seconds between your car and a truck ahead, and more when conditions are poor.
Hanging back keeps road spray off your windshield and lets you see around the truck.
In good road and weather conditions you should leave a gap of at least four to five (4-5) seconds between your vehicle and the truck in front of you, and an even longer gap when conditions are poor.
When following a truck at night, keep your headlights on low beam, since its side mirrors reflect high beams into the driver's eyes.
A truck has many mirrors, and your bright lights bounce off all of them into the driver's eyes.
When following at night, keep your headlights on low beam.
When approaching an oncoming truck in the rain, turn on your wipers before it passes you.
The spray hits your glass all at once. Wipers already going clear it before you are blinded.
If you are approaching an oncoming truck, turn on your wipers before it passes you.
Large trucks have blind spots, called No-Zones, around the front, back and sides.
A truck driver may not see you in any of these spots and can turn or back right into you.
Large trucks have blind spots, or No-Zones, around the front, back and sides of the truck.
When passing a truck, always pass on the left side.
The truck driver can see the left side best, and passing there leaves you room to get back in front safely.
If you are passing a truck, always pass on the left side and make sure to allow plenty of room before cutting back in front of the truck.
After passing a truck, look for the whole front of the truck in your rearview mirror before pulling in front of it.
Cutting in before the whole truck shows in your mirror leaves it no room to stop behind you.
Look for the whole front of the vehicle in your rear-view mirror before pulling in front and maintaining speed.
When traveling in the right lane, courtesy says to move over to let a truck merge.
A truck gets up to speed slowly and needs a gap. Moving over gives it one.
When traveling in the right lane, courtesy dictates that you move over to allow a truck to merge.
A truck or bus making a right turn may swing wide to the left; do not get between it and the curb, and do not turn until it has finished.
If you slip into the gap on the right, the truck closes it as it turns and crushes your car against the curb.
When a truck (or bus) needs to make a right turn, it will sometimes swing wide to the left in order to safely turn right and clear the corner of a curb or other obstruction.
On the test
In good weather, how much following distance should you leave behind a truck?
At least 4 to 5 seconds. Hanging back keeps road spray off your windshield and lets you see around the truck. Class D & E Driver's Guide, p.84: “In good road and weather conditions you should leave a gap of at least four to five (4-5) seconds between your vehicle and the truck in front of you, and an even longer gap when conditions are poor.”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Class D & E Driver's Guide, published by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/LA.pdf (Class D & E Driver's Guide, DPSMV2052 (R08/25), Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, retrieved 2026-09-14; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/LA.pages.txt (the plain pdftotext fixture every citation here was cut from and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/LA-exam.html (the OMV's Permits page, https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/drivers/personal-driver-s-licenses/permits/, archived 2026-10-04; the 40-question count)
- https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/resources/driver-manuals/
- https://expresslane.la.gov/omv/drivers/personal-driver-s-licenses/new-licenses/ (read 2026-10-04; "An 80% is the minimum passing score for the knowledge test.")