You have just passed a large truck on a Texas highway. According to the manual, when may you move back into the right lane in front of it?
-
A.
As soon as the truck driver honks the horn to signal a clear pass.
-
B.
When you can see the entire front of the truck in your rearview mirror. Correct
-
C.
As soon as your rear bumper clears the truck's front bumper.
-
D.
Once you are one full car length ahead of the truck cab.
The answer is "When you can see the entire front of the truck in your rearview mirror."
The manual sets a specific mirror check: the truck's whole front must be visible in your rearview mirror before you return to its lane. A fully loaded tractor-trailer may need over 400 feet to stop, so it needs that cushion of space behind you. Option C tempts drivers who fall back on the bumper-clearance habit from tight freeway merging, missing that the manual specifies a mirror check for trucks, not a bumper check.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. As soon as the truck driver honks the horn to signal a clear pass.
The truck driver's signal in the manual is a headlight flash, not a horn honk. Assumes any driver-to-driver signal defaults to the horn, the sound most drivers reach for first to get another driver's attention on the road.
C. As soon as your rear bumper clears the truck's front bumper.
That leaves a fully loaded tractor-trailer, which may need over 400 feet to stop, no cushion behind you. Applies a bumper-clearance shortcut from aggressive lane-change habits and misses the manual's mirror check written specifically for trucks.
D. Once you are one full car length ahead of the truck cab.
The manual sets a mirror-based check, not a fixed car-length rule. Reaches for the one-car-length yardstick from a following-distance rule of thumb and applies it as the return-to-lane test.
This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Share the Road with Trucks, Passing," p.51..
Related Texas questions
- You are preparing to change lanes on a Texas roadway. According to the manual, what should you do to check for motorcyclists? →
- According to the Texas manual, how much lane space are you required to allow a motorcyclist? →
- A motorcyclist ahead of you has a right turn signal flashing. According to the manual, what should you do? →
- According to the Texas manual, the most common crash between cars and motorcycles happens at an intersection. What is the driver of the car doing? →
- You meet a large truck coming from the opposite direction on a two-lane Texas road. According to the manual, what should you do? →
You just took one Texas question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The Texas book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
$18.99 paperback, free companion included.