Truck blind spots — Utah Permit Test

A large truck has serious blind spots up to 20 feet in front of the cab and up to 200 feet in the rear.

Two hundred feet behind is most of a city block. A car tucked in there has simply disappeared.

UP TO 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAB, ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TRACTOR-TRAILER, PARTICULARLY ALONGSIDE THE CAB, AND UP TO 200 FEET IN THE REAR.

If a driver cannot see the truck driver’s face in the truck’s side mirror, the truck driver cannot see them.

It is a rule you can check in one glance, and it works from every position around a truck.

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

A truck’s largest blind spot is on the right side, starting behind the cab and running the length of the truck.

The right side is where a car is most likely to be invisible, and it is the side most drivers pass on when they should not.

A truck’s largest blind spot is on the right side. It starts behind the cab and goes the length of the truck.

A loaded truck at 55 mph takes at least 335 feet to stop, which is more than 1.5 times the distance a car takes.

Pulling in front of a truck takes that distance away, and nothing the truck driver does can get it back.

A loaded truck at 55 mph takes at least 335 feet to stop.

When passing a large vehicle a driver should make sure they can see the whole front of it in their rear-view mirror before pulling back into the lane.

Seeing the whole front means you are clear of the front blind spot, which reaches twenty feet ahead of the cab.

When passing, make sure you can see the whole front of the vehicle in your rear-view mirror before pulling back into the lane.

When stopped behind a large vehicle on a hill a driver should be aware that it may stall or roll backward into their vehicle.

A heavy truck can roll back a foot or two before the brakes take. Leaving room is the only defense.

When stopped behind a large vehicle on a hill, be aware the vehicle may stall or roll backward colliding with your vehicle.

How far behind a Utah truck does the rear blind spot reach?

Up to 200 feet. Two hundred feet behind is most of a city block. A car tucked in there has simply disappeared. Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.80: “UP TO 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAB, ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TRACTOR-TRAILER, PARTICULARLY ALONGSIDE THE CAB, AND UP TO 200 FEET IN THE REAR.”