Trucks and buses — Pennsylvania Permit Test

The blind spots around a truck or bus are called the No-Zone, and they are the areas where crashes are most likely.

If you cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you at all.

The key to safer highways is to know the truck’s or bus’s blind spot (No-Zone).

If you cannot see the side mirrors of the large vehicle ahead of you, its driver cannot see you.

The mirror works both ways, so the test is the same in both directions.

When following a truck or bus, if you cannot see the side mirrors of the vehicle in front of you, the driver of the large vehicle cannot see you.

A loaded truck with good tires and properly adjusted brakes traveling at 65 miles an hour on a clear dry road needs a minimum of 600 feet to stop, against 400 feet for a car.

Cutting in and slowing down asks for a stop in a distance the truck does not have.

requires a minimum of 600 feet to come to a complete stop (compared to the stopping distance of 400 feet for a passenger vehicle)

At highway speed it can take up to 30 seconds to pass a truck safely, so pass quickly and do not drive alongside it.

Half a minute alongside is half a minute in a place the driver cannot see.

At highway speeds, it can take up to 30 seconds to safely pass a truck.

Trucks make wide turns, and may look as though they are going straight or turning left when they are actually making a right turn; never try to squeeze between a turning truck and the curb.

The driver cannot see a car in that gap at all.

It may look like trucks are going straight or turning left when they are actually making a right turn.

When a truck is passing you, keep to the far side of your lane, slow slightly and then hold a steady speed; never speed up while it passes.

Speeding up traps the truck out in the oncoming lane for longer.

You will make it easier for the truck driver if you reduce your speed slightly and then keep your speed steady. In any event, do not increase your speed while the truck is passing you.

Never try to cross behind a truck that is preparing to back up, even though it may be blocking the road for a few seconds.

Behind a reversing truck is the part of the No-Zone the driver can see least.

Never try to cross behind a truck preparing to back up.

Escape or runaway ramps on long downgrades are only for large vehicles that are out of control or cannot stop; never stop or park near one.

A truck arriving at one has no way to steer around a parked car.

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 vicinity of these ramps.

You should not try to pass a snow plow on either side, because plows may carry wing blades that stick out several feet and are hard to see.

The blade is wider than the truck and invisible in the spray.

you should not attempt to pass a plow, either on the left or on the right.

In rural areas an orange triangle on the back of a farm tractor or horse-drawn vehicle marks a vehicle designed to operate at 25 miles an hour or less.

The marking is the only warning that the shape ahead is barely moving.

an orange triangle is displayed on the back of farm tractors and horse-drawn vehicles designed to operate at 25 mph or less

When passing a horse-drawn vehicle or a horseback rider, do not drive too fast or sound your horn, because it may frighten the horse.

A startled horse goes into the road, which is the opposite of what you want.

When you pass a horse-drawn vehicle or horseback rider, do not drive too fast or blow your horn, as this may spook the horse.

What are the blind spots around a truck called?

The No-Zone. If you cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you at all. PA Driver's Manual, p.56: “The key to safer highways is to know the truck’s or bus’s blind spot (No-Zone).”