Service and recreation signs
Next Services sign
Lists which services, food, phone, gas, lodging and hospital, are available at the numbered exit ahead, so you can decide whether to pull off now or keep driving. It carries no distance; a separate D9-18 style sign is the one that posts the mileage to the next services.
- Wide rectangle
- Blue
- MUTCD D9-18a
Shape and background first
Federal designation D9-18a in the MUTCD, the national standard every state signs to. Posted on the approach to an exit that does have services, listing what is there. The separate D9-18 sign, posted after an exit with nothing at it, is the one that counts down the miles to the next services.
What the MUTCD specifies
Designation: D9-18a
MUTCD Section 2I.03
Conventional road size: 72 x 60 in
Source: Federal Highway Administration, MUTCD 11th Edition (December 2023), Part 2, Table 2I-1, verified 2026-09-26.
What the test wants you to know
The mistake people make
This general services panel promises presence, not distance: it names what is waiting at the exit number shown and says nothing about how many miles away that exit is. A different D9-18 style panel is the one that carries a mileage count, so do not read miles into this sign. It also says nothing about whether the businesses are open, so a low fuel light is still a reason to take the current exit rather than assume convenience.
