Which truck signs do I need to worry about?

[holstein13]

Sometimes I think I should pay attention to the truck signs and other times, I'm not sure. How do you handle these signs?

No Thru Trucks
No Trucks Left Lane or Trucks Right Two Lanes Only
No Trucks between 7PM and 7AM
No Truck Parking
Truck Parking Only
No Trucks in Express Lane
Trucks Use Low Gear
All Trucks pull over for Inspection Station

Did I miss any?

[Roadpilot]

I have often seen signs that tell trucks to use only the left or right lane when going through a construction zone. That's the lane I use, because generally the other lane is too narrow for trucks. To me it's common sense. If a sign makes a reference to trucks in a way that alos affects me, I'd follow the truck sign.

[FormerBoater]

Here is a new one that I have only seen on I-26 east of Columbia S.C.

"All thru trucks use left lane"

I thought I was misreading until the potholes, broken pavement etc. was encountered.

This is due to the deplorable condition of the right hand lane. I tried to stay in the right lane but moved to the left for fear of damaging the rig. Semi's and other heavy vehicles will lead to further rapid destruction of the road surface.

That was before the floods of the past week. I can only imagine the present day conditions.

While I feel for the good folks of SC after their natural disaster, the state government should hang its head in shame for the conditions that they allow for folks traveling this route.

[RoyB]

I always travel in the RIGHT lanes... Its a matter of being able to see what is coming up behind me... Common sense applies...

Actually some states have this RIGHT SIDE rule for all vehicles and LEFT SIDE for passing only...

Roy Ken

[mabynack]

I was following my GPS directions to a campground and turned on to a road that said, "No Trucks". I drove a mile down a narrow dirt road with ditches on both sides before I came to a narrow wooden bridge with a 6 ton limit. I had to back up over a mile and a couple of times cars drove up behind me as I was backing and there was no place for them to get out of the way. They were quite perturbed with me.

There was also a railroad trestle with a low clearance near where I lived. The only sign indicating that it was there was a "no trucks" sign. There's also a place in South Carolina where I travel frequently that says, "Trucks use alternate route." The reason is that there are several tight turns going through the town, as well as low hanging branches.

I tend to follow most of the signs for big rigs when I'm traveling with my FW. I don't have any reason to be in the left lane if it says "no trucks".

[10forty2]

Height and weight restrictions are the main ones. Always know the height and weight of your vehicle to make sure you don't get into a situation of hitting an overpass or being too heavy for a bridge (usually the reason weight restrictions are posted). Depending on which state you are in, you might be subject to length restrictions as well.

[wa8yxm]

Trucks use low gear.. If the truckers need to be in low good chance you do too.

Clearance 11'8" if your rig is 12'6" you pay attention to this or your RV becomes a convertable. (NOTE: exact height varies with RV but SIGN must have a larger number than Height of RV or... Well I've seen some semi trailers that looked like sardine cans.. opened ones, with the top rolled back like on an opening key.. Very funny when sitting in tow company lot.. NOT so funny when you are the driver standing in front of your boss.. or rather your ex-boss.

[jplante4]

Here's one that I learned you need to pay attention to...

"4 ton road ahead"

[rr2254545]

J-Rooster wrote:
Trucks are commercial vehicles, RV's are not! The only truck signs that I pay attention to are regarding height.

Guess you would have gone down the road here in Michigan that said "10 Ton Limit" - I did not

[et2]

This might help. It also has links to the DOT documents.


http://www.trafficsign.us/alphalist.html
http://www.trafficsign.us/r5.html#r5-2a

Example - no trucks


Section 2B.36 Selective Exclusion Signs
Support:
Selective Exclusion signs (see Figure 2B-9) give notice to road users that State or local statutes or ordinances exclude designated types of traffic from using particular roadways or facilities.
Standard:
If used, Selective Exclusion signs shall clearly indicate the type of traffic that is excluded.
Support:
Typical exclusion messages include:
No Trucks (R5-2);
NO MOTOR VEHICLES (R5-3);
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES EXCLUDED (R5-4);
TRUCKS (VEHICLES) WITH LUGS PROHIBITED (R5-5);
No Bicycles (R5-6);
NON-MOTORIZED TRAFFIC PROHIBITED (R5-7);
MOTOR-DRIVEN CYCLES PROHIBITED (R5-8); and
Hazardous Material Prohibited (R14-3) (see Section 2B.52).
Option:
Appropriate combinations or groupings of these legends into a single sign, such as PEDESTRIANS BICYCLES MOTOR-DRIVEN CYCLES PROHIBITED (R5-10a), or PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES PROHIBITED (R5-10b) may be used.
Guidance:
If an exclusion is governed by vehicle weight, a Weight Limit sign (see Section 2B.49) should be used instead of a Selective Exclusion sign.
The Selective Exclusion sign should be placed on the right side of the roadway at an appropriate distance from the intersection so as to be clearly visible to all road users turning into the roadway that has the exclusion. The PEDESTRIANS PROHIBITED (R5-10c) or No Pedestrian Crossing (R9-3a) sign should be installed so as to be clearly visible to pedestrians at a location where an alternative route is available.
Option:
The NO TRUCKS (R5-2a) sign may be used as an alternate to the No Trucks (R5-2) symbol sign.
The PEDESTRIANS PROHIBITED (R5-10c) or No Pedestrian Crossing (R9-3a) sign may also be used at underpasses or elsewhere where pedestrian facilities are not provided.

[Tvov]

Hmm... I always thought that "No Trucks or Trailers in Left Lane" applied to me while towing a TT. I would think that "No Trucks in Left Lane" would apply to a Class A.

Also... what about "Parkways"? They are usually marked "No Trucks or Commercial Vehicles"... I have always thought that included Class A or TT campers.

Whichever, as Johno02 posted, those signs / warnings usually have good reasons for them and you should think about them whether or not you "have" to abide by them.

[gbopp]

It's not just for trucks but, I definitely watch for the signs that say 'Dead End.'

[J-Rooster]

Trucks are commercial vehicles, RV's are not! The only truck signs that I pay attention to are regarding height.

[Mr_Mark1]

holstein13 wrote:
Sometimes I think I should pay attention to the truck signs and other times, I'm not sure. How do you handle these signs?

1-No Thru Trucks
2-No Trucks Left Lane or Trucks Right Two Lanes Only
3-No Trucks between 7PM and 7AM
4-No Truck Parking
5-Truck Parking Only
6-No Trucks in Express Lane
7-Trucks Use Low Gear
8-All Trucks pull over for Inspection Station

Did I miss any?

(please forgive me for numbering your listings)

I know that it can be confusing. I try to separate them as 'commercial' and 'size'. I think I get it right most of the time. LOL!

1, 3, 4, 7 and 8 look 'commercial' to me. The other are for large vehicles (non-commercial ?).

MM.

[Mandalay_Parr]

Best to generally follow truck rules except weigh stations. Always gear down going down hill. Do not ride the brakes.

[Johno02]

Worry about the ones that say "low Clearance". Think very carefully about the others. Usually there is a reason for the warnings. Your rig is not a sports car. It is the same size as a tractor-trailer rig, and costs more to fix. Ignore the warnings, and you might end up on YouTube.