Proper Lane Use And Destination Lane For Turns

I am in the final stages of CDL school. I understand the mechanics of making left and right turns, and to be in the outermost turn lane when available. What I need help fully understanding is in the various turn scenarios, what lane do I partially use and what lane do I want the vehicle to end up in? Some simple illustrations on paper would be great if someone has them. Thanks. I have my test with the BMV next week.

What do your instructors tell you? If you are going to take the test, do what they tell you.

I was instructed like this:

Two left turn lanes turning left onto two other lanes, right to right

One left turn lane turning left onto two other lanes, turn left to the left lane and then change lanes to the right.

However, that second method, turning left from one lane onto two lanes and going left to left, doesn’t always work in the real world. In such a turn, your trailer tandems may not clear the median or a stopped car. Then you have to go immediately to the right lane. The key is to watch your trailer tandems through the entire process, start to finish. And go slow. Don’t rush it. Haste makes waste.

Turning left too early will also sabotage a proper left turn. “Straight and late “ is a good saying to keep in mind.

What do your instructors tell you? If you are going to take the test, do what they tell you.

This--I'd be asking my instructors this question before strangers on the internet because in bk's second scenario:

One left turn lane turning left onto two other lanes, turn left to the left lane and then change lanes to the right.

my instructors taught us to turn into the right lane, and that's what we needed to do on the road test.

Of course, now days, being local, I know every lane I need to be in, so just turn into whichever lane I need.

Asking your instructors as stated above is sound advice. They'll know what you need to do to pass the test.

One left turn lane turning left onto two other lanes, turn left to the left lane and then change lanes to the right.

That's what was required in the state I tested in.

An interesting question! I have recently had a conversation with a driver, who road tested me at NFI. I thought that if there are two or more lanes to make a left turn, commercial trucks must take the most right one. Well, it makes sense - the reason is not to have anyone on your right when you are making this left turn. The driver had a different opinion, he said that we can use any lane, even the most left one. So I wonder, is it just something for a CDL test, or it is a law, and cops can pull over for turning left from a wrong lane?

So I wonder, is it just something for a CDL test, or it is a law, and cops can pull over for turning left from a wrong lane?

The short answer about it being legal is that I don't know. I'm not sure if it's a law or not, and even if it was, local regulations can overrule it using posted signs. So the law is the law until it's not. We see that all the time.

With making a left turn when there are two left turn lanes, the lane on the right will be safest in almost all scenarios. It allows you to swing wide to the right with no vehicles alongside you on the right. If you stay in the leftmost turn lane, you can't swing wide to your right because of traffic alongside you.

Honestly, this point is not even debatable in my book. If you take the leftmost lane, you're putting yourself in a bad position. It should be obvious after giving it a few minutes of thought.

It's a good question, Andrey. As we all know, the reality of trucking is that you do what you must do to be safe, which is not always what the law calls for. That puts us in a bad position sometimes, but that's how it goes.

I don't believe there's a law for it but as Brett pointed out it's just the best way to handle it every time. Where I run there's several intersections that have 2 left turn lanes turning onto road with 3 lanes going the same direction. They add lines in the intersection to show the leftmost turn lane getting the left 2 lanes, and the outer (rightmost) turn lane moving all the way to the outside lane when turning. There's room to use the leftmost turn lane but I still use the rightmost lane. I just feel it's safer. As it is we always take the outside lane anyways, but in this situation you never know what other vehicles are going to do. Even though I wouldn't be in the wrong if I took the inside turn lane and turned into the middle lane in the intersections I'm talking about I'd rather avoid any potential issue with other vehicles. It's easier to just stay outside to ensure you have all the room you need than go inside and have less room and unable to see a car on your blindside to know if they're actually going to the outside lane or cutting it into the middle lane which is designed for you at this intersection. Even if someone else messes up you still need to deal with paperwork, drug tests, meeting with safety, and possibly a lengthy investigation depending on the severity. I'd rather just take the outside lane than risk all that.

I have encountered conflicting advice about left turns when there is ONLY one left turn lane turning onto a road with two lanes. In fact, two instructors I trained with at Schneider had totally opposite methods. One said: “left to left”. But I have found that method is seldom workable in the real world. The vast majority of those turns go from “left lane to right lane” for several reasons. First, the geometry of the turn will not allow such a tight radius without running over the median, clipping a car waiting to go straight (or turn) or taking out a sign or signal. But if there is only one left turn lane then we can use the mirrors to make sure no one is to our right and make a safe turn by going “straight and late”, knowing we are not blocking anyone. This is what I do in almost every turn from this particular pattern.

From the California DMV

It shows in the example BK provided either lane is acceptable. In that case, I would take the right lane immediately. If I was needing to turn left shortly after getting on the new road I would watch my tandems to clear the intersection and move the tractor back over before anybody can squeeze around me. Right turns you're always expected to finish your turn in the right lane even though you'll need to use the left lane to clear the curb. Once you're clear of the curb bring the tractor back over.

Chris this really is one thing that your instructors would be the best to ask, theyll know what your particular state expects. You're also likely to drive the test route to prepare you. In the real world most drivers would immediately get in the right lane for an intersection that BK mentioned. One thing you'll find after you have your CDL is that there's many things that are done differently in real world situations VS what the schools/DMV expect for testing.