The time required for a 53-foot, 80,000-pound tractor-trailer to cross a single railroad track is approximately how many seconds?

The time required for a 53-foot, 80,000-pound tractor-trailer to cross a single railroad track is approximately how many seconds?

• A. 14 seconds
• B. 8 seconds
• C. 12 seconds
• D. 10 seconds

Answer: (A)

The time is testing a truck’s crossing speed and the fact that a long, heavy tractor-trailer takes longer to completely clear a track. A loaded 53-foot tractor-trailer is quite long, and drivers typically cross railroad tracks slowly to avoid wheel slip or getting stuck. If you estimate the distance from the moment the front of the vehicle reaches the near rail to the moment the rear clears the far rail, it’s roughly on the order of 100 feet. At a cautious crossing pace around 5 mph, that distance takes about 13–14 seconds to cover, which is why the approximate crossing time is about 14 seconds. The other options would require moving much faster than a loaded rig would safely allow.

The time is testing a truck’s crossing speed and the fact that a long, heavy tractor-trailer takes longer to completely clear a track. A loaded 53-foot tractor-trailer is quite long, and drivers typically cross railroad tracks slowly to avoid wheel slip or getting stuck. If you estimate the distance from the moment the front of the vehicle reaches the near rail to the moment the rear clears the far rail, it’s roughly on the order of 100 feet. At a cautious crossing pace around 5 mph, that distance takes about 13–14 seconds to cover, which is why the approximate crossing time is about 14 seconds. The other options would require moving much faster than a loaded rig would safely allow.