1. Sharing the Road
with
Large Trucks
New York State Motor Truck Association

2. Did you know?
• In New York State, trucks transport nearly 90 percent of total
manufactured tonnage in the state.
• Over 89 percent of New York’s communities depend exclusively on trucks
to move their goods.
• Life as we know it would come to a standstill without trucks.
The Industry is committed to safety:
• At the national level, the large truck fatal crash rate for 2008 was 1.64 fatal
crashes per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT).
• This rate is at its lowest point since the U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) began keeping these records. Since 1975 this rate has dropped 64
percent. The trucking industry is committed to sharing the road safely
with all vehicles.
• The Share the Road program teaches car drivers about truck blind
spots, stopping distances and safe merging around large trucks, all
designed to reduce the number of car-truck accidents.

3. Quiz Time!
1. Blind spots around trucks are the same as
blind spots in cars.
a) True
b) False

4. Quiz Time!
1. Blind spots around trucks are the same as
blind spots in cars.
a) True
b) False
Blind spots around trucks are much larger and a
car can completely disappear from a truck
driver’s view.

5. Quiz Time!
2. Where is the largest blind spot around a truck?
a) Front
b) Rear
c) Driver Side
d) Passenger Side

6. Quiz Time!
2. Where is the largest blind spot around a truck?
a) Front
b) Rear
c) Driver Side
d) Passenger Side
The passenger side is the largest blind spot around a
truck. The passenger side blind spot extends the
length of the trailer and extends three lanes out.

7. Quiz Time!
3. Big trucks have more tires and bigger brakes so
they can stop faster than smaller vehicles.
a) True
b) False

8. Quiz Time!
3. Big trucks have more tires and bigger brakes so
they can stop faster than smaller vehicles.
a) True
b) False
It takes the length of a football field including both
end zones for a fully loaded tractor trailer to stop.

9. Quiz Time!
4. How far should a car stay behind a truck when the
truck is traveling at highway speeds?
a) 10 – 15 car lengths
b) 10 seconds
c) 20-25 car lengths
d) 30 seconds

10. Quiz Time!
4. How far should a car stay behind a truck when the
truck is traveling at highway speeds?
a) 10 – 15 car lengths
b) 10 seconds
c) 20-25 car lengths
d) 30 seconds
Allow yourself enough room to see the truck driver’s
face in his/her mirrors and to be able to react if you
need to make a quick lane change due to a hazard in
the road.

11. Quiz Time!
5. When making a right turn, what may the truck
driver do first?
a) Back up to position the truck
b) Swing left first
c) Make a quick right turn
d) None of the above

12. Quiz Time!
5. When making a right turn, what may the truck
driver do first?
a) Back up to position the truck
b) Swing left first
c) Make a quick right turn
d) None of the above
Allow trucks adequate space to maneuver. They
make wide turns at intersections and require
additional space.

13. Quiz Time!
6. What percentage of car-truck fatalities are
unintentionally caused by the car driver?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 100%

14. Quiz Time!
6. What percentage of car-truck fatalities are
unintentionally caused by the car driver?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 100%
In most cases it is because the car driver does not
know about a truck’s blind spots.

15. Quiz Time!
7. If you need to pass a truck,
a) Pass the truck on the passenger side
b) Pass the truck on the driver side
c) Pass the truck on the passenger side and
don’t linger
d) Pass the truck on the driver side and don’t
linger

16. Quiz Time!
7. If you need to pass a truck,
a) Pass the truck on the passenger side
b) Pass the truck on the driver side
c) Pass the truck on the passenger side and
don’t linger
d) Pass the truck on the driver side and don’t
linger
Pass the truck as expediently as possible. A truck’s blind
spot on the passenger side runs the length of the trailer
and extends three lanes out. The driver side blind spot is
smaller.

17. Quiz Time!
8. What should you always do before putting your
car in drive?
a) Buckle your safety belt
b) Check your tires
c) Check your lights
d) Be rested
e) All of the above

18. Quiz Time!
8. What should you always do before putting your
car in drive?
a) Buckle your safety belt
b) Check your tires
c) Check your lights
d) Be rested
e) All of the above

19. The Blind Spots

20. Front Blind Spot
• A truck cannot see a vehicle immediately in
front of it’s grill.
• More importantly, it takes a truck a lot longer
to stop than a car.
• It takes a fully loaded tractor-trailer more than
300 feet to come to a complete stop. That’s
the length of a football field including both
end-zones.
• Truck drivers try to keep this distance, you
need to remember to avoid this space.

21. Front Blind Spot (cont.)
• You should leave a “safety cushion” in front of the
tractor-trailer before changing lanes. The safety
cushion to pass should be at least 4 car lengths.
• When passing a truck, be sure you can see both
of the truck’s headlights in your rearview mirror
before blending back into the lane.
• A fully loaded tractor-trailer weighs 80,000
pounds. That’s the equivalent to the force of 25
cars.
• Your car weighs around 2,000 pounds.

22. Right Blind Spot
• Passenger side is the “blind side”.
• Blind spot extends out three lanes and the
length of the trailer.

23. Right Blind Spot (cont.)
• Don’t linger on this side; keep moving if possible.
• If traffic causes you to be in this area, make sure your
headlights are on and watch for the driver’s face in the
mirror.
• While many trucks are equipped with technology to
alert the truck driver if there is a vehicle in their blind
spot, not all trucks have this equipment. Those that
are equipped with this technology use it as a secondary
method for safety and do not rely solely on the
technology. They use their eyes, ears and the skills
they were trained with to keep themselves and other
motorists safe on the road.

24. Rear Blind Spot
• The rear blind spot extends behind the truck
more than the length of an additional trailer.

25. Rear Blind Spot (cont.)
• To be safe, you should leave 20-25 car lengths
between the rear of the trailer and your vehicle.
• You should be able to see the driver’s side mirror
when following a tractor-trailer.
• Your visibility is reduced when following too
closely to the tractor-trailer: you can’t see around
the truck and the driver can’t see you.
• When you tailgate a truck, you can't react to
upcoming road conditions; you can only react to
the back of the truck and often times that's too
late.

26. Left Blind Spot
• The left blind spot is smaller than the right
blind spot.
• A truck’s left blind spot extends over the left
shoulder of the truck driver, where the trailer
blocks his or her view.
• An entire car can disappear from view in this
blind spot.

27. Left Blind Spot (cont.)
• If you need to pass a truck, pass on the
driver’s side.
• Look for the driver’s face (eyes) in the mirror.
• Make sure your lights are on at all times to
help other drivers see you.

28. Some Key Points:
• Don’t cut in front of a truck
• Don’t linger alongside of a truck
• Pass quickly to resume visibility
• Change lanes only when you can see
both of the truck’s headlights in your
rearview mirror.
• Never pass on the passenger side of a
truck
• Steer clear of the front and rear blind
spots.
If you are following a truck and you
cannot see the driver’s face in the
truck’s side mirror, the truck driver
cannot see you.

29. Some Other Safety Recommendations:
• Always buckle up.
• Check your vehicle before taking it on the road
(tires, lights, blinkers, etc.).
• Know where you are going. Map out your route
before driving.
• Don’t speed, run red lights or stop signs.
• Don’t make frequent lane changes or pull out in
front of other vehicles.
• Pay attention- be aware of everyday distractions.
• Don’t text and drive!!

30. Additional resources:
• www.sharetheroadsafely.org
• www.atastr.org
• New York State Motor Truck Association
– www.nytrucks.org
– (518) 458-9696

31. Questions?