messed up a right hand turn in las vegas

[RaiderNation]

last night (or maybe it was two nights ago, days seem to blend together when you're on the road) i was delivering a load in las vegas. I had to make a right hand turn at this intersection. I was hugging the lines in the right turn lane to give me enough room... i go out as far as i can and start the turn. I'm trying to pay attention to not hitting the car that's going to be turning left so i'm not paying attention to my trailer.. big mistake. my trainer told me to stop. I had rolled up onto the curve and was about to take out a couple signs with my trailer.

it was an impossible right hand turn! so i had to back up in the intersection, thank god there were no cars behind me also waiting to turn right. then i just went straight through the red light in front of me, i ended up having to keep going till there was a decent spot to make a u turn.. which was quite a ways down the street.

Man that got me frustrated and flustered. How was i supposed to make that right hand turn? My trainer said he set me up wrong and that I should have been half in the right turn lane and half in the lane next to it so i was out far enough to make that turn.

how do you guys set yourself up for right hand turns in places that you've never been before and you have no idea what the turn looks like until you get to it?

[kips41]

It is called a button hook turn. When making a right turn onto a one lane street in a city you will usually have to do one especially if there is a center divider on that street.

If there is not a center divider you can go into the oncoming lane onto the street you are turning onto to have enough room. if there are cars there make THEM back up to give you room. This is the preferred way to make the right hand turn.

The button hook although commonly used is a more riskier manuver. As it will require you to swing left into the travel lane on the drivers side about one truck length before the turn, to give the trailer enough room to swing around the turn. If you allow the trailer to get too far away from the curb this will allow a car to get by you on the right and possibly hit them during the turn and you will be found to be at fault.

Rememeber that it is better to pass up your turn and then go find a safe place to turn around and come back and make a left turn.

Also remember that 3 lefts make a right turn.

how do you guys set yourself up for right hand turns in places that you've never been before and you have no idea what the turn looks like until you get to it?

Swing out and take as much room as you need to make the turn. If you see other vehicles in the road you're turning into, then it's usually best to stop (before making the turn) and put your flashers on and wait until the coast is clear. With experience, you'll learn to gauge how much road you need to gobble up from pissed-off 4-wheelers. Sometimes it's better to go past the turn, spin around somewhere like a shopping plaza, and then attack it from the left (easier said then done, especially if you don't know the area). As you approach the turn, look for warning signs such as busted curbs, scuff marks, tire tracks, bent poles/signs, etc.

When you're in the city, kick your tandems all the way forward. This will decrease your turn radius and allow you to make tighter turns. But be careful jockeying that trailer in tight places, cause that overhang can cause trouble.

[RaiderNation]

forgot to mention two things, we had the tandems all the way to the back so it would be legal... it was a very heavy load. so that didn't help, and there was a center divider on the street i was turning onto.

great advice on the buttonhook turn and going past the turn and turning around and making a left.. which is what i ended up doing. thanks for the advice, i still get worried about the 4 wheelers, i never realized they were so unpredictable till i started driving a truck....

now i just gotta put this buttonhook into practice and i'll be set.

[redsfan]

That is something that a lot of people have problems with when just starting out, learning to exagerrate your turn. You'll get the hang of it.

Now just thank your lucky stars that you have a trainer that actually spends time in the passenger seat, rather than the bunk, while you are driving. Otherwise instead of hearing him yell "Stop" you would have heard him say "What was that?" as you took out those couple of signs and woke him from his nap...

[greg3564]

If there is not a center divider you can go into the oncoming lane onto the street you are turning onto to have enough room. if there are cars there make THEM back up to give you room. This is the preferred way to make the right hand turn.

I was taught to never do this. You should never direct traffic in any way. Wait until the cars clear the light. I worked in EMS for four years and when running lights and sirens we were still not allowed to direct traffic with hand signals. We would just sit on a car who refused to yield with air horns and sirens going or oppose traffic to get around them.

[kips41]

If there is not a center divider you can go into the oncoming lane onto the street you are turning onto to have enough room. if there are cars there make THEM back up to give you room. This is the preferred way to make the right hand turn.

I was taught to never do this. You should never direct traffic in any way. Wait until the cars clear the light. I worked in EMS for four years and when running lights and sirens we were still not allowed to direct traffic with hand signals. We would just sit on a car who refused to yield with air horns and sirens going or oppose traffic to get around them.

It is a big difference between a meat wagon and a 70 foot semi.
Plus you have to remember the rules of the road.....the biggest vehicle wins !!!!!

Especially in places like the Bronx, Brooklyn and Philly. I am sure others will have a list of their favorite places to go.

[NevadaJim]

It is called a button hook turn. When making a right turn onto a one lane street in a city you will usually have to do one especially if there is a center divider on that street.

If there is not a center divider you can go into the oncoming lane onto the street you are turning onto to have enough room. if there are cars there make THEM back up to give you room. This is the preferred way to make the right hand turn.

The button hook although commonly used is a more riskier manuver. As it will require you to swing left into the travel lane on the drivers side about one truck length before the turn, to give the trailer enough room to swing around the turn. If you allow the trailer to get too far away from the curb this will allow a car to get by you on the right and possibly hit them during the turn and you will be found to be at fault.

Rememeber that it is better to pass up your turn and then go find a safe place to turn around and come back and make a left turn.

Also remember that 3 lefts make a right turn.

What you desribed sounds more like a jughandle, not a buttonhook. A buttonhook is when you pull farther out in your same driving lane and use some of the oncoming lane, or part of the second driving lane, of the street your turning on to. A jughandle is when you go out into the oncoming lane before you start your turn. What you desribed is not recommended, but I'm sure many do it. Please correct me if I have this wrong because it's in the permit study guide for the test.

[Fozzy]

Or sometimes the best way to make a right is to make three lefts...

[inmate1577]

Yep, them right turns can be a pain. Fort Lauderdale has some real lulu's.
In some areas they are pushing out the corners to make more parallel parking for cars so your approach is very limited.

I put a barricade out of its misery when I was down there at one of these construction sites.

[Bigmon]

In Los Angeles, I see guys drive over the center divider as long as there isn't a pole there.

[kips41]

It is called a button hook turn. When making a right turn onto a one lane street in a city you will usually have to do one especially if there is a center divider on that street.

If there is not a center divider you can go into the oncoming lane onto the street you are turning onto to have enough room. if there are cars there make THEM back up to give you room. This is the preferred way to make the right hand turn.

The button hook although commonly used is a more riskier manuver. As it will require you to swing left into the travel lane on the drivers side about one truck length before the turn, to give the trailer enough room to swing around the turn. If you allow the trailer to get too far away from the curb this will allow a car to get by you on the right and possibly hit them during the turn and you will be found to be at fault.

Rememeber that it is better to pass up your turn and then go find a safe place to turn around and come back and make a left turn.

Also remember that 3 lefts make a right turn.

What you desribed sounds more like a jughandle, not a buttonhook. A buttonhook is when you pull farther out in your same driving lane and use some of the oncoming lane, or part of the second driving lane, of the street your turning on to. A jughandle is when you go out into the oncoming lane before you start your turn. What you desribed is not recommended, but I'm sure many do it. Please correct me if I have this wrong because it's in the permit study guide for the test.

I would use the answer in your book if you are going to have to take a test about it. But drivers use the term buttonhook for all the screwed up right hand turns.....i don't know anyone that says hey, i just had to make a jughandle turn.

[Papa Rick]

4 things to remember about driving in town.

1. Always think about what could be the worst case scenario you could encounter and think it out before you get there. This will help you in rush hour traffic when it seems as if the 4 wheelers are out to get you (which they really don't, it is just they have no idea how hard those turns are).

2. Remember if you get started in a turn and a vehicle runs up in the turn lane (Notice I did not say they were there already), but after you are committed to make the turn and a vehicle speeds up and blocks your path, DO NOT BACK UP!. You will always 100% be charged with the accident if you back into someone.

If you get blocked after getting into the turn, stop and wait them out, but do not back up! I have even pulled my brake valves and sat for a couple of minutes until either they went around me, or backed up. Not something I wanted to do, but it sure beats the heck out of a accident being charged to your record.

3. When you swing out pay very close attention to the right side of your Tractor/Trailer, as people will either get in a hurry or not pay attention to your turn signal and once you swing out to make the right turn, they will get in the turn lane and be crushed by you if your not watching them very close.

4. No matter how much you prepare, study, think and analyze it, you will wind up in some tough situations and sometimes it is not in town. Just remember that we all encounter these situations in our life, and it is how you react to them that will determine how you get out of them.

[dle]

What we were taught, in the situation from a wide road to a narrow road was this.

Block the turning lane with your trailer, and position the tractor about 1/4 of the way into the lane next to the turning lane. And wait.

Wait until the oncoming traffic lane of the road you are turning into is clear, then turn into that lane. Then if somebody shows in that lane you sit until they move.

[Mr. Ford95]

I have seen several drivers take control of intersections. They were trying to hang U-turns and needed about 10 more feet on their left side as they started into the intersection for the truck to finish it's swing out. Sometimes you as the driver have to take control of a situation and do what you think is best. These drivers pointed to the car at the front of the line and gave them a pushing motion as if to say, "Back up." Everybody moved back a little and the truck finished their U-turn and everybody went on their merry way. I was taught to take control of the situation in times like this. I know what space I need to be able to manuever around, not the 4 wheeler's.

[PackRatTDI]

I have seen several drivers take control of intersections. They were trying to hang U-turns and needed about 10 more feet on their left side as they started into the intersection for the truck to finish it's swing out. Sometimes you as the driver have to take control of a situation and do what you think is best. These drivers pointed to the car at the front of the line and gave them a pushing motion as if to say, "Back up." Everybody moved back a little and the truck finished their U-turn and everybody went on their merry way. I was taught to take control of the situation in times like this. I know what space I need to be able to manuever around, not the 4 wheeler's.

Doesn't always work that way. When I was on dumb/dumber team at Stevens, we had a situation where the car refused to back up and the thug in the passenger seat (picture some 350lb+ black guy with sunglasses on, backwards cap and covered in gold jewelry) who got out and told us to "back the **** up". Since we didn't want to see if he had a gun, we decided to err on teh side of caution and backed up.

[ben45750]

For me Chicago is the worst when you have to get in some of the downtown areas, you can only take certain roads so you have to make the turns because 2 lefts could get you 10'6. People there are not very courteous towards big trucks. Best thing is to call ahead and if possible come in the late hours of the night. Don't let it bother you that you are slowing people down and pay attention and slow down!

[repete]

Before giving anybody hand signals to back up think about one thing. In to days sue happy world who may be held liable if the 4wheeler runs over a pedestrian? I know it sounds stupid but I don't want to find out! remember you are the " professional"

[KD7MIR]

generally the only direction I give to 4 wheelers is to stop. Sometimes its hard enough getting around a turn, or backing up without trying to figure out where the heck the 4 wheeler is or where he is going. I'll give'm a quick toot on the horn to get them to look at me and put my hand up in a stop gesture. once I see that they understand I want them to stay still for a minute then I get underway again.

Just out of curiosity do you remember where you almost took out the sidewalk, or the shipper you were going to?

[PackRatTDI]

Before giving anybody hand signals to back up think about one thing. In to days sue happy world who may be held liable if the 4wheeler runs over a pedestrian? I know it sounds stupid but I don't want to find out! remember you are the " professional"

That reminds me of another story, except it wasn't a pedestrian that got run over.

I was approaching an intersection in Toronto to make a left turn. There was a Ford 4WD truck in front of a smaller Toyota Corolla. He had pulled up past the stop line, which was set back a bit for trucks to make left turns. I didn't signal the driver to back up but the driver in the Ford pickup decided to go ahead anyways and back up to let me turn, unfortunately he backed up RIGHT INTO THE COROLLA which was in his blind spot!

I was stuck in the left lane for about an hour while the police showed up, interviewed the pickup driver, interviewed the car driver (oddly enough didn't interview me at all), arranged for a tow truck for the corolla. Finally I was able to make the turn and get to the reciever that was a mere block and a half from the intersection. I was late for my delivery appointment but the reciever was ok about it and unloaded me no problem. When I told him what happened he kind of shook his head and muttered something about people "not paying attention to what they're doing."

I half expected the pickup driver to point at me and say that I told him to back up or something but he apparently owned up to doing it entirely on his own.