Following Distances, Lane Changes, and Turn Procedures for Long Vehicles

Following Distances, Lane Changes, and Turn Procedures for Long Vehicles

Quick Answer: A long vehicle (over 7.5 m) must keep at least 60 metres behind another long vehicle on a road outside a built-up area; a road train must keep at least 200 metres. Long vehicles display a Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle sign and may use more than one lane to turn. Because a rigid truck cuts in before a turn and cuts out after, other drivers must give space and must not pass on the inside while the sign is displayed.

What Counts as a Long Vehicle?

Under the Victorian Road Safety Road Rules and the HVNL, a long vehicle is any vehicle (including a rigid truck) longer than 7.5 metres. Most HR rigid vehicles — a 6×4 or 8×4 rigid with a long tray or a truck dog trailer combination — exceed 7.5 m and are long vehicles for following-distance and turning purposes. A road train is a combination (typically B-double or road train) that is longer still; the 200 m rule is aimed at those combinations, but you should understand both numbers because the exam covers the rule generally.

Following Distances Outside Built-Up Areas

The following-distance rule applies only outside a built-up area (i.e. on country roads, highways, and freeways with no street lights and no 50/60 km/h urban limit). Inside a built-up area, normal following-distance rules (a safe distance for the speed and conditions) apply.

Why 60 m and 200 m?

Heavy vehicles need much longer stopping distances than cars. A laden HR rigid at 100 km/h can take over 100 m to stop even with good brakes, and air brake systems have a measurable application delay before the brakes bite. Keeping 60 m behind another long vehicle gives you reaction time plus braking margin; 200 m behind a road train accounts for the even longer stopping distance of a multi-trailer combination and the risk of a folded trailer blocking lanes.

Worked Example

You are driving an 8 m HR rigid on the Western Highway (110 km/h, outside built-up area) and you come up behind another rigid truck. You must keep at least 60 m back. A practical guide: 60 m is roughly 12 car lengths or about 7 white lane dashes. If you can read the number plate of the truck ahead clearly, you are too close. Back off until you can see the truck's mirrors in your view — if you can see their mirrors, they can see you, and you are likely at a safe distance.

If you are driving a road train behind any long vehicle, the gap is 200 m — roughly 40 car lengths. At 100 km/h that is about 7 seconds of travel; use a fixed object (a sign, a bridge) and count seconds after the truck ahead passes it to gauge your gap.

Lane Changes for Long Vehicles

Long vehicles cannot change lanes as crisply as cars. Key rules:

• Signal early — indicate for at least 5 seconds before a lane change or turn on a road with a speed limit over 80 km/h (the Victorian rule for long vehicles). This gives following drivers time to react.
• Check mirrors and blind spots — a rigid truck has large blind spots on both sides, especially the rear offside. Use the main and wide-angle mirrors; do not rely on mirrors alone for the nearside when moving left.
• Move gradually — a sudden lane change in a laden rigid can shift load and cause a rollover, particularly at higher speeds or in the wet.
• Do not straddle lanes on a straight — a long vehicle may use more than one lane only when turning or when the lane is too narrow; on a straight multi-lane road, keep within one lane.

Turn Procedures and Cut-In

What is cut-in and cut-out?

A long rigid vehicle does not turn like a car. Because the rear axles follow a shorter path than the front (called off-tracking), the rear of the truck swings wide before the turn and cuts in during the turn.

• Cut-in — as the truck begins a left turn, the rear of the trailer or body moves to the right (toward the centreline) before swinging left. A cyclist or car on the truck's left can be squeezed.
• Cut-out — on a right turn, the rear swings left first, then follows a tighter arc. A vehicle on the right can be clipped.

Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle Sign

A long vehicle must display a Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle sign (the yellow rectangular sign on the rear). When this sign is displayed and the truck is turning:

1. The long vehicle may use more than one lane to make the turn — for example, starting a left turn from the right lane of a two-lane road so the rear does not mount the kerb.
2. Other drivers must not overtake the turning vehicle on the side it is turning toward (the left for a left turn, the right for a right turn).
3. The prohibition lasts while the sign is displayed and the turn is in progress — not just at the intersection.

Worked Example: Left Turn at a Signalised Intersection

You are driving an HR rigid with a 9 m tray, approaching a left turn from a two-lane road. The rear of your truck will cut in. You:

1. Indicate left for at least 5 seconds.
2. Position your truck so the rear has room to swing — you may need to start the turn from the right half of the lane or, if lanes are narrow, from the right lane.
3. Check the nearside mirror twice: once before moving, once during the turn.
4. Do not assume a cyclist on your left has seen you — the Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle sign protects you legally, but a cyclist may not understand it. Slow to a crawl if needed.

A following driver who passes you on the left while the sign is displayed commits an offence. But as the driver of the truck, you still have a duty to check and to turn only when it is safe.

Common Exam Traps

• Trap 1: "60 m applies in the city." No — the 60 m rule applies only outside a built-up area. In town, keep a safe gap for the conditions.
• Trap 2: "The 200 m rule applies to any long vehicle behind a road train." No — 200 m applies when you are driving a road train behind any long vehicle. A long vehicle behind a road train uses the 60 m rule.
• Trap 3: "The Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle sign lets the truck turn from any lane regardless of arrows." No — the truck must still obey lane arrows and traffic signals; the sign only permits using more than one lane to complete a lawful turn.
• Trap 4: "Cut-in only happens on semi-trailers." No — a rigid truck with a long wheelbase or a truck-and-dog also off-tracks and cuts in, though less than an articulated vehicle.
• Trap 5: "Once you indicate, you can change lanes immediately." No — on roads over 80 km/h a long vehicle must indicate for at least 5 seconds before changing direction.

Victorian Enforcement

Following too close is enforced by Victoria Police and TSS, often using in-cabin footage from following vehicles or marked patrol cars. The Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle rule is a strict-liability offence for the overtaking driver. For you as the HR driver, the duty is to display the sign, indicate correctly, and turn only when safe.