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" FORWARD ...J.. -' :., ._ . _ .:, t .~. I Over a period of many years a constant question posed to the AT A Engineering staff from many sources has been how to determine the space required to maneuver a large highway trac- tor trailer combination. Mr. Larry Strawhom of the AT A Automotive Engineering Department, was given the assignment of developing some sort of guide to help those groping with that problem. Over the years, several approaches in response to this need had been made by dif- ferent individuals and organizations, each of them lacking some aspect, which left the user of the data on uncertain ground. This is not to say that these prior approaches have contributed nothing to the solution of the problem. To the contrary, Mr. Strawhom has drawn meaningfully from these early sources acknowledged below in the development of this present work. The assignment was to prepare a procedure both sure and as simple as possible which would set down the method of determining vehicle maneuvering space. for a variable mix of highway combinations as they occur across the nation. No small task when the potential user of the in- formation was, as likely as not, not familiar with trucks in the detail needed to make a meaningful start. Mr. Strawhom, working from the foundation of earlier researchers, has worked out a highly ingenious method of translating a complex subject into a logical series of relatively simple steps leading to the needed information. The process has not been an academic exercise. Rather the method shown here has been evolved over a period of several years with constant review by agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration and the Society of Automotive Engineers. The question pertinent at this time is - Does it work? To this the answer is a resounding YES. Preprints of this booklet have been circulated to trucking companies and to architectural firms in response to their requests for information. They have told us the method does indeed come up with answers that have proved correct in practical application. Larry Strawhom's unique contribution to this work has been his Automotive Engineer's knowledge of the detail required to make a precise approach to the subject, coupled with the rare knack of translating such detail into simple steps that anybody with a general education could follow where this detail is important. At the same time he has eliminated trivia of no true consequence where it merely confused the process without adding meaningfully to the result. He knew the difference. The value of this study is greatly increased because of his dedication to making it a truly useful tool for all people not just an engineering treatise. It is with great pride that I write these few words of introduction. It is Larry who has done the definitive work that has needed doing over the many years I have been associated with the trucking industry. Lewis C. Kibbee, Director Automotive Engineering Department American Trucking Associations, Inc.