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Traffic rules for truck drivers: what the SSW truck exam asks

Chapter 1 of the study textbook spends many pages on safe driving: speed, junctions, rail crossings, expressways, signals, signs, parking and stopping. This page turns those rules into short tables, with the numbers the book gives and similar items from the free exams.

Last updated: 2026-10-12

At a glance

60 km/htruck maximum on ordinary roads when nothing is posted
30 msignal before the junction when turning
1 mminimum gap when passing pedestrians or bicycles
5 minloading in this time counts as stopping (停車)

1. Speed limits: 法定速度 and 規制速度

The textbook splits maximum speed into two kinds. 法定速度 (ほうていそくど, legal speed) applies when no sign or road marking sets a speed. 規制速度 (きせいそくど, posted speed) is the speed set by a sign or marking.

Road	Trucks, when nothing is posted
Ordinary road (一般道路)	60 km/h. Many sections are posted at 40 or 30 km/h
Motor-vehicle-only road (自動車専用道路)	Same as an ordinary road: 60 km/h
National expressway (高速自動車国道)	Three levels, 100, 90 and 80 km/h, by type of truck. For medium trucks it depends on gross vehicle weight and maximum load

A common trap says a motor-vehicle-only road has the same limit as a national expressway. That is false. In rain, snow or strong wind the expressway limit can also be lowered by signs, and keeping to the limit does not by itself mean you are safe.

2. Junctions

Turning left or right: signal 30 m before the junction. Before changing lanes, making a U-turn or reversing, check the mirrors first, then signal.
Right and left turns must be made at 徐行 (じょこう), a speed at which you can stop at once.
Vehicles going straight or turning left have priority over a vehicle turning right, even if you entered the junction first.
Junction without lights: if the crossing road is a priority road or clearly wider, slow down and give way. If both roads are about the same width, the vehicle coming from the left has priority.

3. Following distance

Trucks often crash into the back of the vehicle ahead. The book's rule of thumb: on ordinary roads, take the speedometer number minus 15 (at 50 km/h, 35 m or more). On expressways, read the speedometer number as metres (at 100 km/h, 100 m or more). A truck's high seat shows a lot of road surface, so the gap looks longer than it is; keep it longer on purpose.

4. Phones, pedestrians and emergency vehicles

Do not operate or look at a phone while moving. If you must use it, stop somewhere safe such as a car park, not at the road edge. Switch it off or to silent or drive mode while driving.
Passing pedestrians or cyclists: leave at least 1 m, or slow to 徐行 if you cannot.
Approaching a crosswalk: if you cannot tell whether someone will cross, slow so you can stop before it. If someone is crossing or about to, stop. If a vehicle is stopped just before the crosswalk, stop before passing in front of it.
Crossing a pavement to enter a customer's site: always stop first, even if nobody is there.
An ambulance approaching near a junction: keep out of the junction, pull to the left and stop. Elsewhere, pull to the left and give way.

5. Rail crossings (踏切, ふみきり)

Stop at the stop line (or just before the crossing if there is none), open the window, look and listen both ways. Stop even when following another car.
At a crossing with traffic lights, a green light lets you cross without stopping, but you still check both ways.
Do not enter while the alarm sounds or the barrier is coming down, or if there is no room on the far side for the whole truck.
Cross in the low gear you started in, without changing gear, a little towards the centre so a wheel does not drop off.
Stuck inside: press the emergency button; if there is none, use the flare (発炎筒).

6. Expressways, slopes, curves, tunnels and night

Before an expressway, check fuel, coolant, radiator cap, engine oil, fan belt tension and damage, tyre pressure and tread depth, and the cargo.
Keep the rightmost lane for overtaking. Trailers use the leftmost lane. Never drive on the shoulder.
On a narrow slope, the vehicle going down gives way to the one going up. On long descents use engine and exhaust brakes, not the foot brake (see brake fade).
Slow down before a curve and do not brake while turning the wheel. Slow before tunnels and always use headlights, even in lit tunnels.
At night, do not switch on the cab light, because it makes the outside harder to see.

7. Signals and signs

Signal or sign	Meaning
Yellow light	Stop before the junction, unless a sudden stop could get you hit from behind
Flashing red	Stop at the stop position, check, then go
Flashing yellow	You may go, watching other traffic
Red with a green right-turn arrow	You may turn right, but still check oncoming traffic
止まれ (stop) sign	Always stop, even if it looks safe
No large trucks sign	Large trucks, specified medium trucks and large special vehicles may not pass; cars may

8. Parking (駐車) and stopping (停車)

A stop for people to get on or off, or for loading within 5 minutes, is 停車. Some distances from the textbook:

No parking or stopping: the junction and 5 m from its edge, 5 m from a corner, 5 m from a crosswalk, 10 m from a rail crossing, 10 m from a bus stop (during service hours), and inside tunnels.
No parking: 1 m from a fire alarm, 3 m from a garage entrance, 5 m from a fire hydrant.
Leave 3.5 m or more on the right of a parked truck. You may enter a roadside strip only if it is wider than 0.75 m, leaving 0.75 m on the left.
When parked, set the parking brake and always use wheel chocks (輪止め). On expressways, parking and stopping are banned except for breakdowns or to avoid danger.

These rules are summarised from the textbook for the scope of the exam. Real law can have more detail; check the textbook and official sources.

Practise

The 3 free exams contain many items on these rules, such as the 60 km/h limit, signalling at 30 m, 100 m at 100 km/h and crossings with lights. See also sample questions with answers and hazard prediction.

VIP unlocks exams 4 to 20, the full vocabulary book and the exam tips. VIP is bought inside the iOS app with Apple payment, and Apple shows the price. The App Store version is coming soon. You can try the free exams on the web now.

FAQ

What is the truck speed limit on ordinary roads?

When no sign or marking sets a speed, the legal maximum for trucks on ordinary roads is 60 km/h. Many sections are posted lower, at 40 or 30 km/h.

Is a motor-vehicle-only road the same as a national expressway?

Not for speed. According to the textbook, a motor-vehicle-only road has the same limit as an ordinary road: 60 km/h when nothing is posted.

What following distance should I keep at 100 km/h?

On expressways, read the speedometer number as metres: 100 m or more at 100 km/h. On ordinary roads, take the speed minus 15.

How long can I load and still be 'stopping', not 'parking'?

Up to 5 minutes. A stop for people to get on or off, or for loading within 5 minutes, is 停車; longer is 駐車.

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