Pushing out when making a left-hand turn?

I am wondering how many of you do this, if so, how long do you wait before "pushing out?" Is it legal to do so?

I'm sure everyone has come across that situation where you are waiting at a stop sign and need to turn left. There should be a traffic signal, but there isn't for whatever reason. The road is busy and an opportunity to turn safely with one maneuver without stopping never presents itself.

There is a left turn I sometimes have to make in South Milwaukee. You can wait there an hour and never get a chance to make the turn without forcing traffic to stop while I drive out and wait for the traffic travelling left to clear.

I don't like doing it because if a distracted driver t-bones my trailer his/her car will go right under it. Especially during the winter when it gets dark during rush hour and it's hard to tell there is a trailer in the road. There's only one clearance light in the middle of the trailer. Easy to miss.

Just wondering yalls opinions on doing that...

 

Avoid when possible. Patience. Ease out enough to get their attention but until you know they're going to stop don't go any further.

 

Have you considered modifying your rote in to the location so that your only making right turns?

 

To the op while this is not always possible it's worth looking into. You will be surprised how much time you can save. Being a ups driver for years with 300 stops on the truck you find anywhere you can save even seconds and this is the biggest easiest way to save time and not put yourself in a bad spot.

 

The South Milwaukee example, it's after I finish picking up in that location, and it's the only way to get the truck back out into the thoroughfare. I have looked and thought about other options. The opposite direction on that road is a neighborhood. Turning right instead of left on that busy road is a long stretch of neighborhoods. I tried it and it sucked getting turned around. My pickup is the last shopping plaza before nothing but neighborhoods for a long distance. I have to turn left there to get back on the highway.

 

I pretty much only do that at green arrow lights and avoid it at regular green lights.

 

Was worth a shot.
Any other way to get out of the location that might put you at a traffic light?

 

There's one way, but when I exit the alley behind the shopping plaza I would have to turn left, and it's extremely narrow in that alley and I would be doing a U-turn pretty much. There's a yellow guarder pole that is bent and leans into the alley. There's not enough clearance to make that turn. When I leave the alley after the pick up only have the clearance to turn right from the alley exit. The road runs parallel with the alley.

Also it's a road that runs along a neighborhood, if I could pull off the left U-turn, but it has a no truck sign. The road is fine, just a straight road that I could access the road in front of the shopping plaza with that has a traffic signal. My guess is the locals complained about the noise.

Most of the time, you right though. There's ways to get around and use a traffic light. I just get hit occasionally with these situations in dense urban areas where I have to get a 53 footer into and out of an area designed only for box trucks and cargo vans.

 

I have a turn like that on my current route. I give it a little time and then push out there. I don't like to do it, but it's really the only way. Heck one time a local cop had to wait for me to finish the turn. Didn't seem to phase him.