What Is The Minimum Following Distance Behind A Truck?

You've probably heard at least one driver rant about how frustrated they are at a truck driver taking a wide birth at an intersection, or travelling slowly up hills. Or maybe you've even heard someone complain about getting cut off by a truck that takes its time getting to the speed limit.

People like this have made one thing clear: truck drivers can be so inconvenient when other people on the road are in a hurry.

People who have never driven a truck, however, don't fully understand the dimensions and road rules associated, which means they're more likely to get annoyed at truck drivers. But there are some rules that both truck drivers and cars drivers both need to know to ensure safety on the road.

What Is The Minimum Following Distance Behind A Truck?

The road laws around Australia relating to this question are pretty consistent. As a general rule, the following for a road train behind a long vehicle is 200 metres and 60 metres for a long vehicle travelling behind a long vehicle.

This does not include multi-lane roads, travelling in built-up areas, or when overtaking.

Australian Road Laws

Travelling behind a truck can be daunting. Knowing where to be seen or if you can overtake are not well-known rules to most people.

You're not permitted to overtake a truck or vehicle over 7.5 metres long. Luckily, understanding which vehicles are this length or over is simpler than you might think. They will display a 'Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicles' sign on the back.

Safety Hazards

The reason why you are not permitted to overtake a turning vehicle over the length of 7.5 metres long is that their turning circle is not as tight as a car is. The driver of the car might not expect just how widely the truck must swing out across the white lines on the road to make the turn. This can cause collisions.
Just as any car has its blind spots, so do trucks. However, a truck's blind spot is larger. One simple way of ensuring you're safely within the visible zone is understanding that if you cannot see the truck driver's mirror, the truck driver cannot see you.
Trucks cannot slow down and speed up as quickly as others on the road. Because of this, a car may not be able to overtake in the space they have set out. If the truck is longer than you expect, they may not be able to slow down to a reliable speed to let you in if cars pass unexpectedly on the other side of the road.

Breakdown And Repair Services NSW And Sydney

If your truck breaks down or requires repairs in the NSW or Sydney area, please give our friendly staff at BITR Enterprises a call.

Founded in 2016, we are a family-owned and operated business affiliated with Buckley's Plant Maintenance (repairs and maintenance to earthmoving equipment in NSW) and Buckland Auto Electrical (auto-elec experts in Sydney). We service Illawarra, the Southern Highlands, Wollongong, and Sydney regions. We offer 24/7 emergency repair services for broken-down trucks.