GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CDL TEST

Truck escape ramps:

are designed to protect vehicles from damage

What can cause the vehicle to skid?

not enough weight on the front axle, over acceleration, turning too sharply (All of the above)

You are driving a vehicle that could be safely driven at 55 MPH on an open road. but traffic is now heavy, moving at 35 MPH although the speed limit is 55 MPH. The safest speed for your vehicle in this situation is most likely:

35 MPH

Every time you park your vehicle and shut the engine off, you should:

Apply the parking brake

Which of these describes how you should use the brake pedal on a steep, downhill grade?

Release the brake when you are 5 MPH below your safe speed, then let your speed come back up to your safe speed, and repeat braking again (bringing your speed down to 5 MPH below your safe speed).

For an average commercial vehicle being driven at 55 MPH on dry pavement, it will take about ________ to bring the vehicle to a stop.

The length of a football field

Which of these statements about certain types of cargo is true?

Unstable loads such as hanging meat or livestock require extra caution on curves.

What is true about backing a heavy vehicle?

Backing is always dangerous, you should back and turn towards the driver's side whenever possible, you should use a helper and communicate with hand signals

When should you wear seatbelts?

Any time you are in a moving vehicle

The most common cause of serious vehicle skids is:

Driving too fast for road conditions

If you are being tailgated, you should:

Increase the space in front of you

The parking brake should be tested while the vehicle is:

Parked

A driver's trip log, if required:

Must be shown immediately when an officer requests it

Should the pre-trip inspection report from the last driver be reviewed during your pre-trip inspection?

Yes

If you are stopped at a roadside rest and found to have a BAC of .02, you will:

Be placed out of service for 24 hours

When roads are slippery, you should:

Make turns as gently as possible

While driving, you see a small (1 foot square) cardboard box ahead in your lane. You should:

Steer around it when it is safe to do so

Which pieces of emergency equipment should be carried at all times in your vehicle?

Fire extinguishers, warning devices for parked vehicles, spare electrical fuses (if the vehicle uses them)

What is counter-steering?

Turning the wheel in the opposite direction after steering to avoid a traffic emergency

You do not have a hazardous materials endorsement on your CDL. When can you drive a vehicle hauling hazardous materials?

Only when the vehicle does not require placards

You are driving a new truck with manual transmission. What gear will you probably have to use to take a long, downhill grade?

A lower gear that you would use to climb the hill

High beams should be:

Used when it is safe and legal to do so

An en-route inspection should include checking:

Cargo doors and/or cargo securement, tire temperature, brake temperature

Where or when should you test the stopping action of your service brakes?

When the vehicle is moving at about 5 MPH

Stab braking:

Involves locking the wheels

What is true about turn signals?

When turning, you should always signal early

Retarders:

Can cause the vehicle to skid when the road is slippery

What is true about staying alert to drive?

The only thing that can cure fatigue is sleep

You are driving on a two lane road. An oncoming driver drifts into your lane and is headed straight for you. You should:

Steer to the right

You should avoid driving through deep puddles or flowing water. But, if you must, what can help keep your brakes working?

Gently pressing the brake pedal while driving through the water

What about brakes is true?

The heavier a vehicle or the faster it is moving, the more heat the brakes have to absorb to stop it

What should you do when your vehicle hydroplanes?

Release the accelerator

Which fires can you use water to put out?

Tire fires

Your vehicle is in a traffic emergency and may collide with another vehicle if you do not take action. What is a good rule to remember at such a time?

Heavy vehicles can almost always turn more quickly than they can stop

What are signs of tire failure?

Steering that feels heavy, vibration, a loud bang

What about drinking alcohol is true?

A few beers have the same effect on driving as a few shots of whiskey

Which of these can help you stay alert while driving?

Taking short breaks before you are drowsy

What is not part of the check engine compartment done for a pre-trip inspection?

Valve clearance

According to the driver's manual, why should you limit the use of your horn?

It can startle other drivers

You are traveling down a long, steep hill. Your brakes get so hot that they fail. What should you do?

Look for an escape ramp or escape route

How far should a driver look ahead of the vehicle while driving?

12 to 15 seconds

What is true about cargo loading?

State laws dictate legal weight limits

What about marking a stopped vehicle is true?

If a hill or curve keeps drivers behind you from seeing the vehicle within 500 feet, the rear reflective triangle should be moved back down the road to give adequate warning

You are driving a 40 foot vehicle at 45 MPH. Driving conditions are ideal (dry pavement, good visibility). What is the least amount of space you should keep in front of your vehicle to be safe?

5 seconds

The amount of liquid to load into a tank depends on:

The weight of the liquid, the legal weight limits, the amount the liquid will expand in transit

You are starting your vehicle in motion from a stop. As you apply power to the drive wheels, they start to spin. You should:

Take your foot off the accelerator

You should use your mirrors to check:

Traffic gaps before you merge, the conditions of tires and cargo, where the rear of your vehicle is while you make turns

The proper way to hold a steering wheel is at clock positions:

3 and 9

Cargo inspections:

Should be performed after every break you take while driving

Your brakes can get wet when you drive through heavy rain. What can this cause when the brakes are applied?

Lack of braking power, trailer jackknife, wheel lockup

How do you test hydraulic brakes for leaks?

With the vehicle stopped, pump the pedal three times, apply firm pressure for 5 seconds, then hold to see if the pedal moves

What is a good rule to follow when driving at night?

Keep your speed slow enough so that you can stop within the range of your headlights

A vehicle is loaded with very little weight on the drive axle. What may result?

Poor traction

The key principle in balancing cargo weight is to keep the load:

Balanced in the cargo area

What about using mirrors is true?

There are blind spots that your mirrors cannot show you

What about cold weather driving is true?

Windshield washer antifreeze should be added to the washer reservoir

The most important reason for being alert to hazards is so:

You will have time to plan your escape if the hazard becomes an emergency

What is a good rule to follow when using a fire extinguisher?

Aim at the base of the fire

Is it legal to drive with one fourth of a vehicle's leaf springs broken or missing?

No

You have left the road in an emergency condition, and it is impossible for you to come to a stop prior to returning to the road. What is the best action to take?

Reduce your speed to 20 MPH or less before returning to the road

What about downshifting is true?

When you down shift for a curve, you should do so before you enter the curve

What about drugs is true?

Use of drugs can lead to accidents and/or arrest

To avoid a crash, you had to drive onto the right shoulder. You are now driving 40 MPH on the shoulder. How should you move back onto the pavement?

Come to a complete stop, if possible, before steering back onto the pavement

What about managing space is true?

When the road is slippery, you should keep much more space in front of your vehicle

What is the most important thing to remember about emergency braking?

If the wheels are skidding, you cannot control your vehicle

To correct a rear wheel (drive wheel) braking skid, you should:

Release the brakes and accelerate

While driving, ice builds up on your wipers and they can no longer clean the windshield. You should:

Pull over in a safe place and remove the ice

The road you are driving on becomes very slippery due to glare ice. You should:

Stop driving and park where it is safe to do so

You must park on the side of a level, straight, two lane road. Where should you place the reflective triangles?

One within 10 feet of the rear of the vehicle, one about 100 feet to the rear, and one about 100 feet from the front of the vehicle

You are driving in the right lane of a four lane, undivided road. You come over a hill and find a car stopped ahead in your lane. You do not have room to stop, and the hill blocks your view to the rear. What is the best action to take?

Steer to the right

You are checking your tires for a pre-trip inspection. What is true?

Tires of mismatched sizes should not be used on the same vehicle

The first step to take if your vehicle catches fire while driving is:

Get the vehicle off the road and stop in an open area

What about double clutching and shifting is true?

You can use the tachometer to tell you when to shift

The center of gravity of a load:

Can make a vehicle more likely to tip over on curves

You are testing the stopping action of service brakes on a hydraulic system. What can mean there is a problem?

The brake pedal, stopping action is delayed, the vehicle pulls to one side when the brake pedal is pressed

The distance you should look ahead of your vehicle while driving amounts to about ________ at highway speed.

1/4 mile

What about tires and hot weather driving is true?

You should inspect your tires more often because they are more likely to fail

You are driving a 40 foot vehicle at 35 MPH. Driving conditions are ideal (dry pavement, good visibility). What is the least amount of space that you should keep in front of your vehicle to be safe?

4 seconds

A moving vehicle ahead of you has a red triangle with an orange center in the rear. What does this mean?

It may be a slow moving vehicle

What facts about drinking alcohol are true?

Alcohol first affects judgement and self-control, which are essential for safe driving, statistics show that drivers who have been drinking have a much greater chance of being in a crash, a driver can lose their license for driving while under the influence of alcohol

On which fires can you use the ABC fire extinguisher?

Electrical fires, burning fires, burning cloth

What about speed management is true?

You should choose a speed that lets you stop within the distance that you can see ahead

Cargo that can shift should have at least ______ tie downs

2

If a straight vehicle (no trailer or articulation) goes into a front wheel skid, it will:

Go straight ahead even if the steering wheel is turned

What is the proper use of vehicle lights and flashers?

Flashing your brake lights to warn someone behind you of a hazard that will require slowing down, turning on your headlights during the day when visibility is reduced due to rain or snow, flashing your brake lights to warn someone behind you that you are going to stop on the road

What about crossing or entering traffic with a heavy vehicle is true?

Heavy vehicles need larger gaps in traffic than cars

You are checking your wheels and rims for a pre-trip inspection. What is true?

Rust around the wheel nuts may mean that they are loose

Controlled braking:

Is used to keep a vehicle from skidding

Your vehicle has hydraulic brakes. While traveling on a level road, you press the brake pedal and find that it goes to the floor. What is true?

Pumping the brake pedal may bring the pressure up so you can stop the vehicle

What about escape ramps is true?

they protect equipment and cargo from severe damage, they are designed to prevent injury to drivers and passengers, they are used to stop vehicles that lose their brakes on downhill grades

What tells you that cargo contains hazardous materials?

A four inch, diamond shaped hazardous materials label on the container, the name of the hazard class on the shipping paper, a hazardous materials placard on the vehicle

To prevent shifting, there should be at least one tie down for every ______ feet of cargo

10

Cargo covers:

Protect people from spilled cargo, protect cargo from weather, may be required by law

What about acceleration is true?

Improper acceleration can cause mechanical damage

You are driving a heavy vehicle with a manual transmission. You have to stop the vehicle on the shoulder while driving on an upgrade. What is a good rule to follow when putting it back into motion?

Use the parking brake to hold the vehicle until the clutch engages

What can cause a fire?

Loose fuel connections, under-inflated tires, electrical short-circuits

You are checking your steering and exhaust systems for a pre-trip inspection. What is true?

Steering wheel play of more than 10 degrees (2 inches on a 20-inch steering wheel) can make it hard to steer

A vehicle is loaded with most of the weight on the steering axle. What may result?

Hard steering and possible breakdown

If you are convicted for driving under the influence while driving a commercial vehicle, and this is your first offense, you will most likely get:

At least a one-year suspension of your CDL

Some liquid tanks are divided into several smaller tanks by:

Bulkheads