Wide right turns while towing

[alex00]

Thank you! It's funny you mention the getting you to the test thing. Apparently there are a bunch of CDL test rental truck businesses near the commercial testing centers. I think it's somewhere in the $1,000 range to rent their stuff. A little pricey. The last time I tested for a CDL I had my brother in law ride with me, but he has since let his CDL lapse.

I found a small loophole that only works with a fiver over 10k and under 15k, and only when testing for the commercial class A. Since I have the restriction 41 (fiver between 10-15k) I can legally drive the combo. If I test for the commercial A, all I need is a trailer over 10k. My 10.5k fiver fits the bill nicely. I can legally drive it to the testing facility, test because it meets the over 10k requirement, and drive away whether I pass or not. This will not work with a fiver heavier than 15k, or when testing for a non commercial A, since you need to test in a fiver over 15k, and that is outside the "restriction 41" allowance. I spent most of Friday morning on the phone with DMV commercial testers confirming my 'loophole' was valid. You have no idea how hard it is to get someone at DMV that knows what they are talking about. Most of the morning was spent with "No, you can't, but I can't explain why."

 

[DesertThumper]

Thank you! It's funny you mention the getting you to the test thing. Apparently there are a bunch of CDL test rental truck businesses near the commercial testing centers. I think it's somewhere in the $1,000 range to rent their stuff. A little pricey. The last time I tested for a CDL I had my brother in law ride with me, but he has since let his CDL lapse.

I found a small loophole that only works with a fiver over 10k and under 15k, and only when testing for the commercial class A. Since I have the restriction 41 (fiver between 10-15k) I can legally drive the combo. If I test for the commercial A, all I need is a trailer over 10k. My 10.5k fiver fits the bill nicely. I can legally drive it to the testing facility, test because it meets the over 10k requirement, and drive away whether I pass or not. This will not work with a fiver heavier than 15k, or when testing for a non commercial A, since you need to test in a fiver over 15k, and that is outside the "restriction 41" allowance. I spent most of Friday morning on the phone with DMV commercial testers confirming my 'loophole' was valid. You have no idea how hard it is to get someone at DMV that knows what they are talking about. Most of the morning was spent with "No, you can't, but I can't explain why."

Omg! What a nightmare. I just spent several hours reading up and now the road block of getting to dmv. Just when I thought I was about done with setting up and all now the endorsement.

 

[alex00]

Sorry I turned your question about turning into a Pandora's Box of licensing minutiae.

 

[57chevyconvt]

Very interesting discussion on the subject of making a RH turn. Sometimes when it is absolutely necessary to make one of those tight RH turns, I ask myself is this really necessary or should I go a little farther down the road to a larger intersection with more turning room. But for you Big City folks that is not always a decision of convenience. I have on my list of modifications to add two 2.5" diameter LED lights (red or yellow) on the rear cap about 24" above the OEM supplied stop/tail/turn lights. Several times in heavy traffic in south Florida the cars behind me didn't or couldn't see the turn signal and tried to squeeze between me and curb. I have seen pictures on RVnet.com where extra lights mounted up high were installed to draw attention to those behind that were very aggressive in there desire to pass or on the phone and had no idea what the RV in front of them was going to do in the way of a RH turn. BTW - I purchase the small LED lights from Harbor Freight and with a hole saw plan to cut a hole in the fiberglass end cap to mount the additional turn signal lights.

 

[DesertThumper]

Sorry I turned your question about turning into a Pandora's Box of licensing minutiae.

Nothing you did. Your info you passed on is good. On the fence with the endorsement to do or not at this time.

 

[porthole]

The CDL manual says to use the opposing traffic lane of the road your turning into, however that isn't always as easy as it sounds. Hope this helps. ED. :angel:

As you read Ed's post, open up the link he provided to exactly understand what opposing lane you are allowed to turn into. It is the perpendicular roadway, not the one you are on.

In New Jersey, due to "whatever", fire apparatus drivers are not required to have CDL's.
Imagine that, I drive a 70,000+ pound, 43' long truck with 3 axles and air brakes and I don't need anything more then a passenger car drivers license.

Since we are not under CDL rules, the State offers (voluntarily) a CEVO course, Certified Emergency Vehicle Operators. Nothing more then some class room time with a Q&A, no testing other then the open book test at the end.

Qualifies me to wear a silly patch.

Anyway, turning is big, and the CEVO class follows the CDL rules. Stay in the right lane and make your swing into opposing traffic on the perpendicular roadway.
In reality though, in an emergency response, we can't always wait for a line of opposing traffic to clean the intersection. So we will, once gaining control, swing in the opposite lane of oncoming traffic and then right turn into the normal traffic flow.

 

[porthole]

Going to the Woodbine rally we once again managed to end up in downtown Baltimore, during a driving rain.
One right turn had absolutely no room to maneuver, so I followed the tractor trailer in front of us and gingerly used the extended roadway - ie the curb and sidewalk.

 

[DesertThumper]

I hate those moments of on the spot make up your decision to make the turn along with everything else going on around you porthole. I had a bad experience with our first trailer 10 years ago where we took a chance taking a road inside a camp site with no signs or postings available, ended up between two sets of trees and a 10 foot cliff in front of us.. Boy I was so mad. My wife and I took nearly an hour to pull it out of the area we got stuck with a minor tree dent on one side. oops..... This was a site up in the Eastern Sierras CA.

 

[DesertThumper]

57 Chevy, I do the same thinking process as you do. But what if there are no wide intersections and your destination is unfamiliar to you and your family. Been there so many times and man, I know the feeling. This time around with the larger condo on wheels behind me, we will be looking a t most angles we can with preparing our trips, stations, roads etc. We also like to pull off if possible and kind of look at the Google map of where we are at to see what is ahead of us for a safe u-turn or drive around route and someway get back on track.

 

[57chevyconvt]

On our trip to Alaska in the summer of 2012, I was constantly fearful of having to right turn into some place with a very small driveway or side street and even worse, pulling into some place where there was no exit but the way we entered. I soon learned to ask the local folks at the campground the best roads for maneuvering a 37' 5th wheel as we were departing their fair city. Or at rest areas, I would visit with the truck drives to gain some assistance in reviewing the maps as to road conditions and roads that were not fit to pull my trailer. I quickly learned from the truck drives where to be on guard for road construction which would require some special maneuvers with the trailer. I did get myself is real big mess in Brian Harrison's neck of the woods in Canada in that we ended up on a dirt road where the ruts were so deep that the front of the truck plowed the road for about 1/2 of a mile. You can imagine the look on the DW's face and her response for the next half hour. I grew up in the Texas hill country and thought that I could travel most country roads but this one took the cake. From that moment on, I lost faith in my GPS.

 

[scottyb]

Do you worry about tail swing when making tight turns, especially those of you with toy haulers? It seems like the tail swings wide when I make a tight turn, since the axles are so far forward. One more reason to partially block off the left lane when making a right turn, so a car can't try to pass and get tail-whipped.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Do you worry about tail swing when making tight turns, especially those of you with toy haulers? It seems like the tail swings wide when I make a tight turn, since the axles are so far forward. One more reason to partially block off the left lane when making a right turn, so a car can't try to pass and get tail-whipped.

Very True! THis even applies when maneuvering in parking lots or fuel stops. I was trying to get around the rear of a small town gas station and had a tight turn through the rear of the building and the rear left side of the trailer slide against their dumpster. I never felt a thing. Fortunately it only resulted in some light scratches on the trim and I was able to clean it up. I didn't even notice it until I washed it a few days later.

 

[DesertThumper]

Do you worry about tail swing when making tight turns, especially those of you with toy haulers? It seems like the tail swings wide when I make a tight turn, since the axles are so far forward. One more reason to partially block off the left lane when making a right turn, so a car can't try to pass and get tail-whipped.

My similar thoughts too - Scotty

 

[alex00]

Tail swing is a big deal, and can push the rear end out several feet. The closer the axles are to the middle, the more swing you'll get. I always hate making a right turn when there are cars next to me. A good way to get an idea of your trailer's actual swing is to take a few traffic cones to a wide empty space. Place one cone on the passenger side, to simulate the corner you are turning. With the trailer still straight, place another cone on the driver side rear to mark the outer edge of your driver side rear corner. Begin the right turn around the cone. when your truck and trailer are halfway through the turn, stop, and measure the distance between the driver side rear corner, and the cone you placed. This will tell you what your swing is.

The nice thing is this number is a constant, and won't change. As long as you have the clearance when you start a turn, you won't hit anything with the swing, (unless some driver decides to move into your zone.)

You can use the same methods to determine your rear wheel "cheat". It will give you an idea of how much further inside the turn your trailer tires are than the tow vehicle. It was a big confidence booster to go to a deserted area and drive different cone patterns to learn where the trailer will go in certain situations.

 

[DesertThumper]

My wife and I decided to take the extra step to post a decal sign up on the rear of the Road Warrior. At least we did our dilegence to let others be aware of our turns when needed and for others to take your own risk if they decide to interfere with my complete turn. We are not so concerned on trailer beauty anymore like when first bought our trailer 15 years ago. We are more worried about others around us (Brain Deads) and not so much us as well as the ones that undestand the respect of highway towing.. Be safe so you can enjoy your travel.