Is there a trick to keeping trailer from bumping curb?

This is bad advice to give a student IMO because the distance between the stripe and the curb is not going to be the same at every intersection.

 

Along the same lines, but a bit different. . .

Always be aware of motorcycles or bicycles that don't realize you are making a right turn!

 

These Drivers have covered it all, I will add the longer the wheelbase the slower the turn. It's easyier to back or cut a trailer, the longer it is.

 

As a new fresh from school not behind the wheel yet driver, I'll say this. make sure your mirrors are clean and watch as you go through your corner within the guidelines your instructor tells you.

My first day after bump and grind(upshifting and downshifting) was corners. That was the biggest thing for me. Dirty mirrors. Couldn't "see" clear enough where the tires were in relation to the curb. Instructor before I switched to a different truck had in close!!!! Switched trucks because a couple students weren't ready with their permit yet.


Be especially cautious around curves too. not just corners. That same day I rode a curb on a curve from start to finish with both tandem axles!!!

Most of all relax and enjoy it if you can. We weren't expected to be perfect. ITS SCHOOL AFTER ALL!!!!

 

Eh, if you read my whole post, you saw this was strictly dealing with his instructor in truck driving school, not real life. They usually runs the same routes, or obviously, the same course.

 

Don't feel bad for taking turns too wide. It's better than the alternative. Sometimes a curb can be the least of your problems in a corner. Pedestrians love to stand right at the edge. Poles can hug right on the curb as well. Definitely things you don't want to hit.

It took going local for me to get a better feel for how much room you actually need. When you're taking city corners all day you get better at it. I still go too wide but definitely better than when I started. I can hug a curb pretty tightly now and safely but coming out of the turn I always tend to stay wide thinking the trailer is still going to come around tighter than it will.

 

You just get used to it. How do you pick your nose without looking in the mirror to find your nostril? Years of practice.

I wouldnt even bother with all this imaginary cones, curb apex, start your turn at the yellow line etc. Its all BS. Every turn is different. In older towns, and older parts of towns, curbs tend to be more squared off. They didnt have trucks near as big as the ones we have today when alot of these streets were built.

But then, you look at a newer side of town, or an industrial area, and the curbs are rounded off. This makes all the difference. Plus it depends on length of the rig, and where your tandems are at.

 

There is such a thing as "overthinking." And when it comes to trucking, it is easy to do. Far better to be WATCHING what you are doing!

I'm not saying you shouldn't think about the job, of course you need to. But a person can really psych themselves out about some things. And as it has already been pointed out, there really are no "text book" answers for some things.

 

Pull a steerable trailer problem solved.

 

It all comes with experience.
One day you will realize it "just all clicks".
Turning "wide" or "wider" is something you will "feel" more than "figure" by mathmatical calculation.

Until then, keep turning wide and using your space to maximum.

AND KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THOSE MIRRORS..... all the way through the turn.