Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Sharing the Road

According to the Texas manual, where on a multi-lane highway do tractor-trailers stay to help the flow of local traffic?

  1. A.
    The center lane, to help local traffic on and off the highway. Correct
  2. B.
    The shoulder, so cars can pass freely in every marked lane.
  3. C.
    The right lane at all times, since large vehicles must yield to faster traffic.
  4. D.
    The far left lane, which is generally reserved for through traffic.
The Why

The answer is "The center lane, to help local traffic on and off the highway."

The manual places tractor-trailers in the center lane so local traffic can weave between entrance and exit ramps without a truck blocking them. Option C borrows the slow-vehicle keep-right habit, but a large truck parked in the merging lane is exactly the flow problem the center-lane rule is meant to prevent.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. The shoulder, so cars can pass freely in every marked lane.

The shoulder is not a travel lane for tractor-trailers or any other through traffic. This answer treats the shoulder as a travel lane, when Texas law restricts shoulder use to narrow, specific circumstances.

C. The right lane at all times, since large vehicles must yield to faster traffic.

The right lane is where entering and exiting local traffic works, and a truck there blocks it. This answer applies the slow-vehicle keep-right habit, ignoring the manual's specific reason for keeping trucks out of the merge lane.

D. The far left lane, which is generally reserved for through traffic.

Trucks do not travel in the left lane; that lane is reserved for passing. This answer confuses the truck's usual lane with the passing-lane rule that restricts left-lane use for all drivers.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Sharing the Road in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Maneuverability," p.51..

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