CDL Class A-General Knowledge ( Florida Manual & Answers)

What is the most important reason for doing a vehicle inspection?

Safety-is the most important reason you inspect your vehicle safety for yourself and for other road users.

What things should you check during a trip?

Watch gauges for signs of trouble:

Use your senses to check for problems ( Look, listen, smell, feel)

Name some key steering system parts.

Steering wheel, Tie Rod, Steering Shaft, Power Steering Cylinder, Steering Arm, Hydraulic Fluid Reservoir, Gear Box, Drag Link, Pitman Arm, Steering Knuckle, Spindle.

Name some suspension system defects.

Cracked or broken spring hangers. Missing or broken leaves in any leaf spring. ( If 1/4 or more are missing, it will put the vehicle out of service)

What three kinds of emergency equipment you must have.

Fire extinguishers,

spare electrical fuses ( unless equipped with circuit breakers)

Warning devices for parked vehicles:

three reflective triangles or at least six fuses or three liquid burning, flares.

What is the minimum tread depth for front tires? For other tires?

4/32-inch In Front, 2/32-inch other tires

Name some things you should check on the front of your vehicle during the walk around inspection.

Check low beams are on

Both of the four-way flashers are working

Push dimmer switch and check that highbeams work

Turn off headlight and four-way emergency flashers

Turn on parking, Clarence, side marker, and identification lights

Turn on right turn signal

What should wheel bearing seals be checked for?

leaks

How many red reflective triangles should you carry?

3

How do you test hydraulic brakes for leaks?

Pump the brake pedal three times, then apply firm pressure to the pedal and hold for five seconds. The pedal should not move.

Get it fixed before driving.

Why put the starter switch key in your pocket during the vehicle inspection?

For your saftey

Look at the gauges...

Oil pressure: Should come up to normal within seconds after engine is started.

Air pressure. Pressure should build from 50 to 90 psi within three minutes.

Governor: Cut-out 120-140 psi.

GCWR - Gross Combination Weight Rating

GVWR-Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

GCWR: Manufacturer of the power

GVWR: Manufacturer as the load

GVW: Towed

How do you identify wheel and rim problems?

Rust around wheel, nuts, missing clamps, spacers, studs, or lugs.

Mismatched, bent, or cracked lock rings

Wheels or rims that have had welding repairs are not safe .

How do you identify bad brake drums or shoes?

Crack drums, shoes, or pads with oil, grease, or brake fluid on them

Shoes that are dangerously thin, missing or broken .

Steering system defects

Steering wheel play of more than 10 degrees ( approximately 2 inches movement at the rim of a 20 inch steering wheel ) can make it hard to steer.

Suspension system defects are:

Cracked or broken spring hangers

Missing or broken leaves in any leaf spring.

1/4 or more are missing will put the vehicle out of service.

Review last vehicle inspection report

The motor carrier must repair any items in the report that affect safety and certify on the report that repairs were made or were unnecessary.

You must sign the report only if defects were noted and certified to be repaired or not needed to be repaired .

Start engine and inspect inside the cab

Make sure parking brake is on. Put gearshift in neutral ( or park if automatic. ) start engine; listen for unusual noises.

ABS indicator lights on - should come on and then off. If it stays on, it's not working properly .

Test service brake, stopping action

Go about 5 mph.

Push brake pedal firmly.

Pulling to one side or the other can main break trouble

Any unusual brake pedal or delayed stopping action can be trouble

Get it fixed.

Safety inspection

Drivers of trucks and truck tractors when transporting cargo must inspect the securement of the cargo within the first 50 miles of a trip and every 150 miles or every three hours ( whichever comes first )

How far ahead should you look when you are on the open highway?

12 to 15 seconds ahead.

At lower speed, one block.

At highway speeds quarter of a mile

Look for traffic

Look for vehicles, coming onto the highway, into your lane, or turning.

If a traffic light has been green for a long time, it would probably change before you get there. Start slow down and be ready to stop.

What's your most important way to see the sides and the rear of your vehicle?

Using your convex mirror view and panel mirror view

However, There are blind spots that your mirrors cannot show you

What does communicating mean in safe driving?

signaling your intentions:

Signal early.

Signal continuously.

Cancel your signal ( Turning off your signal after you've turned ).

Where should you place reflectors when stopped on a divided highway?

10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet toward the approaching traffic

What three things add up to total stopping distance?

Perception + Reaction + Breaking

If you go twice as fast, will your stopping distance increase by two or four times?

4 times greater.

20-60 mph and the impact and breaking distance is 9 times greater.

Empty trucks have the best breaking. True or false?

False

Empty trucks require greater stopping distance because an empty vehicle has less traction .

What is hydroplaning?

It's like water skiing the tires lose their contact with the road and have little or no traction.

What is black ice?

Is a thin layer that is clear enough that you can see the road underneath it. It makes the road look wet.

When accelerating: With a manual transmission vehicle you should.

Partly engaged the clutch before you take your right foot off the break.

Put on the parking brake whenever necessary to keep from rolling back .

When steering

Hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands.

When Stopping

Push the brake pedal down gradually.

The amount of brake pressure you need to stop. The vehicle will depend on the speed of the vehicle and how quickly you need to stop.

What are some simple safety rules for backing up?

1. Start in the proper position

2. Look at your path.

3. Back slowly.

4. Back towards the driver side whenever possible.

5. Use a helper whenever possible.

What is the basic method for shifting up?

Release, accelerator, push in the clutch and shift to neutral at the same time

Release clutch.

Let engine and gears slow down to the RPM required for the next gear

( this takes practice )

Push in clutch and shift to the higher gear at the same time .

Release clutch and press accelerator at the same time.

What are the two ways of knowing when to shift up?

Use engine speed rpm

Use road speed mph

What are the basic procedures for shifting down?

Release, accelerator, pushing clutch, and shift to neutral at the same time.

Release clutch.

Press, accelerator, increase engine and gear speed to the RPM required in the lower gear.

Push and clutch and shift to lower gear at the same time

What are special conditions where you should downshift?

Before starting down a hill and before entering a curve.

What does Retarders do?

Retarders help slow a vehicle, reducing the need for using your brakes.

They reduced brake wear and give you another way to slow down.

4 types of Retarders are:

( exhaust, engine, hydraulic, and electric )

Caution: when your drive wheels have poor traction, the retarder may cause them to skid.

Turn the accelerator off whenever the road is wet, icy, or snow covered

What's the most important hand signal that you and your helper should agree on?

Stop

When should you downshift automatic transmissions?

when going down grades.

You can select a low range to get greater engine braking when going down grades .

Retarders keep you from skidding when the road is slippery. True or false?

FALSE.

When your drive wheels have poor traction, the retarder may cause them to skid. Therefore, you should turn the retarder off whenever the road is wet, icy, or snow covered

Merges

Use your mirrors to make sure the gap in traffic is large enough for you to enter safely

Convex Mirrors

Show a wider area than flat mirrors.

But everything appears smaller and a convex mirror than it would if you were looking at it directly .

What are the three good rules for using turn signals?

Signal early

Signal continuously

Cancel your Signal

Slowing down

A few light taps on the brake pedal enough to flash the brake lights should warn following drivers

Use the four-way emergency flashes for times when you are driving very slow or are stopped.

Trouble ahead

If you see a hazard that will require slowing down, warned the drivers behind by flashing your brake lights

When passing

Assume they don't see you.

They could suddenly move in front of you. When it is legal, tap the horn lightly Or, at night, flasher lights from low to high beam and back.

When it's hard to see at Don, dusk, and rain, or snow....

Use the headlights, not just the identification or Clearence lights. Use the LOW BEAMS; high beams can bother people in the daytime as well as night.

When parked at the side of the road.

Be sure to turn on the four-way emergency flashers. This is important at night.

If you must stop on or buy a one-way or divided highway, place warning devices...

10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet to the approaching traffic.

Two-way or undivided highway

10 feet of the front or rear corners to mark the location of the vehicle and 100 feet behind and ahead of the vehicle, on the shoulder or in the lane you stopped in.

Obstructive view on a hill/curve

100-500 feet

Breaking distance

The distance your vehicle will travel, and ideal conditions while you are breaking. At 55 mph on dry pavement with good brakes, it can take about 216 feet.

Total stopping distance

At 55 mph, your vehicle will travel a minimum of 419 feet.

The effect of speed on stopping distance

When you double your speed from 20 to 40 mph the impact is four times greater.

Triple the speed from 20 to 60 mph and the impact in breaking distance is nine times greater.

At 60 mph you're stopping distance is greater than the length of a football field

Slippery surfaces

Reduce speed by 1/3 from about 55mph to 35mph on a wet road if snow by half of icy then to a crawl

Vehicle icing

Feel the front of the mirror, mirror, support, or antenna. If there is ice on these, the road surface is probably starting to ice up.

When hydroplaning

You can regain control by releasing the accelerator and pushing in the clutch.

Hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as...

30 mph if there is a lot of water. If tire pressure is low or the tread is worn.

Speed and curves

Slow to a safe speed before you enter a curve.

Speed and traffic flow

When you're driving in heavy traffic, the safest speed is the speed of other vehicles

Roadway work zones

Decrease your speed for adverse weather or road conditions decrease your speed even further when a worker is close to the roadway

How much space should you keep in front of you?

40 foot vehicle : 4 seconds Between you and the vehicle ahead.

60 foot rig: 6 seconds

Over 40 mph for a 40-Foot vehicle

And 7 seconds for a 60 foot vehicle

If you are being tailgated, you should

Stay in the right lane, Increase your following distance.

Commercial vehicles are often wide and take up most of a lane

Keeping your vehicle centered in your lane, and avoid driving alongside others.

staying centered in a lane means

Centered in the lane to keep safe clearance on either side. If your vehicle is wide, you have little room to spare.

Strong winds most affect driving:

Coming out of tunnels

Space overhead: what affects it?

Re-paving or packed snow can cause a problem

-an empty van is higher than a loaded one

-If you aren't sure you can make it, take another route

Railroad: what kind of problems can they cause?

When pulling trailers with a low underneath, Clearence. Don't take a chance on getting hung up halfway across.

Right turns: Rules to prevent crashes

Don't turn wide to the left as you start the turn. A following driver may thank you are turning left and try to pass you on the right.

Left turns

Make sure you have reached the center of the intersection before you start the left turn.

What is a hazard?

Any road condition or other road user ( driver, bicyclist, pedestrian) that is a possible danger

Work Zones

Use your four-way flashers or brake lights to warn drivers behind you

Bridges

When the temperature drops, bridges will freeze before the road will.

Glare

Even two seconds of a glare blindness can be dangerous

A vehicle going 55 mph will travel more than half the distance of a football field during that time

Warning, signs of fatigue

If you notice any signs of fatigue, stop driving and go to sleep for the night or take a 15-20 minute nap

You are at risk when you are:

Sleep, deprived or fatigued ( six hours of sleep or less )

Many heavy motor vehicle accidents occur between midnight and 6 AM

Maintaining alertness while driving means:

Take periodic breaks about every 100 miles or 2 hours during long trips

Stop driving and get some rest or take a nap

Poor lighting

Drive slow when lighting is poor or confusing. Drive slowly enough to be sure you can stop in the distance. You can see ahead.

Use High Beams When You Can.

Use highbeams when it is safe and legal to do so. Use them when you are NOT within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle.

Best advice for driving in a fog is

DONT

Driving in Winter: Vehicle Checks

Coolant Level

Antifreeze Amount

Defrosting

Heating Equipment

You should use low beams whenever you can true or false?

False:

Use highbeams when it is safe and legal to do so use them when you are not within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle.

What should you do before you drive if you are drowsy?

Stop driving and go to sleep for the night or take a 15-20 minute nap

What effects can wet brakes cause? How can you avoid these problems?

What brakes can cause the brakes to be weak, to apply unevenly, or to grab.

Lack of breaking power, wheel, lock ups, pulling to the side or the other and jackknife .

What should you check the exhaust system for?

Check the exhaust system for loose parts in for sounds and signs of leaks

You should let air out of hot tires, so the pressure goes back to normal. True or False?

FALSE.

Pressure will be too low when the tires cool off. .

You can safely remove the radiator cap as long as the engine isn't Overheated. True or False?

TRUE.

If you can touch the radiator cat with your bare hand, it is probably cool enough to open.

What factors determine your selection of a safe speed when going down a long, sleep downgrade?

Total weight of the vehicle and cargo

Length of the grade

Steepness of the grade

Road conditions and weather .

Why should you be in the proper gear before starting down a hill?

You will not be able to shift into a lower gear. You may not even be able to get back into any gear and all engine breaking effect will be lost. Forcing an automatic transmission into a lower gear at high-speed could damage transmission.

Describe the proper breaking technique When going down a long, steep downgrade.

Apply the brakes just hard enough to feel a definite slowdown.

What type of vehicles can get stuck on a railroad highway crossing?

Low slug units, lowboy, car carrier, moving van, possum belly, livestock trailer.

Single axle trailer pulling a long trailer with its landing gear set to accommodate a tandem axle tractor .

How long does it take for a typical tractor-trailer unit to clear a double track?

More than 15 seconds

Stopping is not always the safest thing to do in an emergency. True or False?

TRUE. You can almost always turn to miss an obstacle more quickly than you can stop.

What are some advantages of going right instead of left around an obstacle?

(all) You can avoid a head-on collision; Taking the shoulder may be best; Someone may be passing to the left.

What is an escape ramp?

Ramps that are located a few miles from the top of a downgrade to help you stop.

If a tire blows out, you should put the brakes on hard to stop quickly. True or False?

FALSE. Braking when a tire has failed could cause loss of control.