Department of Motor Vehicles

Use these questions to test your knowledge of information covered in the Commercial Driver's Manual.

Section 2

Subsection 2.1

1. What is the most important reason for doing a vehicle inspection?
2. What things should you check during a trip?
3. Name some key steering system parts.
4. Name some suspension system defects.
5. What three kinds of emergency equipment must you have?
6. What is the minimum tread depth for front tires? For other tires?
7. Name some things you should check on the front of your vehicle during the walk-around inspection.
8. What should wheel bearing seals be checked for?
9. How many red reflective triangles should you carry?
10. How do you test hydraulic brakes for leaks?
11. Why put the starter switch key in your pocket during the pre-trip inspection?

Subsections 2.2 and 2.3

1. Why should you back toward the driver's side?
2. If stopped on a hill, how can you start moving without rolling back?
3. When backing, why is it important to use a helper?
4. What's the most important hand signal that you and the helper should agree on?
5. What are the two special conditions where you should downshift?
6. When should you downshift automatic transmissions?
7. Retarders keep you from skidding when the road is slippery. True or False?
8. What are the two ways to know when to shift?

Subsections 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6

1. How far ahead does the manual say you should look?
2. What are the two main things to look for ahead?
3. What's your most important way to see the sides and rear of your vehicle?
4. What does "communicating" mean in safe driving?
5. Where should your reflectors be placed when stopped on a divided highway?
6. What three things add up to total stopping distance?
7. If you go twice as fast, will your stopping distance increase by two or four times?
8. Empty trucks have the best braking. True or False?
9. What is hydroplaning?
10. What is "black ice"?

Subsections 2.7 and 2.8

1. How do you find out how many seconds of following distance space you have?
2. If you are driving a 30-foot vehicle at 55 mph, how many seconds of following distance should you allow?
3. You should decrease your following distance if somebody is following you too closely. True or False/
4. If you swing wide to the left before turning right, another driver may try to pass you on the right. True or False?
5. What is a hazard?
6. Why make emergency plans when you see a hazard?

Subsections 2.9 and 2.10

1. What are some trips to follow so you won't become a distracted driver?
2. How do you use in-vehicle communications equipment cautiously?
3. How do you recognize a distracted driver?
4. What is the difference between aggressive driving and road rage?
5. What should you do when confronted with an aggressive driver?
6. What are some things you can do to reduce your stress before and while you drive?

Subsections 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, and 2.14

1. You should use low beams whenever you can. True or False?
2. What should you do before you drive if you are drowsy?
3. What effects can wet brakes cause? How can you avoid these problems?
4. You should let air out of hot tires so the pressure goes back to normal. True or False?
5. You can safely remove the radiator cap as long as the engine isn't overheated. True or False?

Subsections 2.15 and 2.16

1. What factors determine your selection of a "safe" speed when going down a long, steep downgrade?
2. Why should you be in the proper gear before starting down a hill?
3. Describe the proper braking technique when going down a long, steep downgrade.
4. What type of vehicles can get stuck on a railroad-highway crossing?
5. How long does it take for a typical tractor-trailer unit to clear a double track?

Subsections 2.17, 2.18 and 2.19

1. Stopping is not always the safest thing to do in an emergency. True or False?
2. What are some advantages of going right instead of left around an obstacle?
3. What is an "escape ramp?"
4. If a tire blows out, you should put the brakes on hard to stop quickly. True or False?
5. How do you know if your vehicle has antilock brakes?
6. What is the proper braking technique when driving a vehicle with antilock brakes?
7. How do antilock brakes help you?

Subsections 2.20 and 2.21

1. What are some things to do at a crash scene to prevent another crash?
2. Name two causes of tire fires.
3. What kinds of fires is a B:C extinguisher not good for?
4. When using your extinguisher, should you get as close as possible to the fire?
5. Name some causes of vehicle fires.

Subsections 2.22, 2.23 and 2.24

1. Common medicines for colds can make you sleepy. True or False?
2. What should you do if you become sleepy while driving?
3. Coffee and a little fresh air will help a drinker sober up. True or False?
4. What is a hazardous materials placard?
5. Why are placards used?
6. What is "sleep debt"?
7. What are the danger signals of drowsy driving?

Section 3

1. What four things related to cargo are drivers responsible for?
2. How often must you stop while on the road to check your energy?
3. How is Gross Combination Weight Rating different from Gross Combination Weight?
4. Name two situations where legal maximum weights may not be safe.
5. What can happen if you don't have enough weight on the front axle?
6. What is the minimum number of tiedowns for any flat bed load?
7. What is the minimum number of tiedowns for a 20-foot load?
8. Name the two basic reasons for covering cargo on an open bed.
9. What must you check before transporting a sealed load?

Section 4

1. Name some things to check in the interior of a bus during a pre-trip inspection.
2. What are some hazardous materials you can transport by bus?
3. What are some hazardous materials you cannot transport by bus?
4. What is a standee line?
5. Does it matter where you make a disruptive passenger get off the bus?
6. How far from a railroad crossing should you stop?
7. When must you stop before crossing a drawbridge?
8. Describe from memory the "prohibited practices" listed in the manual.
9. The rear door of a transit bus has to be open to put on the parking brake. True or False?

Section 5

Subsection 5.1

1. Why must air tanks be drained?
2. What is a supply pressure gauge used for?
3. All vehicles with air brakes must have a low air pressure warning signal. True or False?
4. What are spring brakes?
5. Front wheel brakes are good under all conditions. True or False?
6. How do you know if your vehicle is equipped with antilock brakes?

Subsection 5.2 and 5.3

1. What is a dual air brake system?
2. What are the slack adjusters?
3. How can you check slack adjusters?
4. How can you test the low pressure warning signal?
5. How can you check that the spring brakes come on automatically?
6. What are the maximum leakage rates?

Subsection 5.4

1. Why should you be in the proper gear before starting down a hill?
2. What factors can cause brakes to fade or fail?
3. The use of brakes on a long, steep downgrade is only a supplement to the braking effect of the engine. True or False?
4. If you are away from your vehicle only a short time, you do not need to use the parking brake. True or False?
5. How often should you drain air tanks?
6. How do you brake when you drive a tractor-trailer combination with ABS?
7. You still have normal brake functions if your ABS is not working. True or False?

Section 6

Subsection 6.1

1. What two things are important to prevent rollover?
2. When you turn suddenly while pulling doubles, which trailer is most likely to turn over?
3. Why should you not use the trailer hand brake to straighten out a jackknifing trailer?
4. What is offtracking?
5. When you back a trailer, you should position your vehicle so you can back in a curved path to the driver's side. True or False?
6. What type of trailers can get stuck on railroad-highway crossings?

Subsection 6.2

1. Why should you not use the trailer hand valve while driving?
2. Describe what the trailer air supply control does.
3. Describe what the service line is for.
4. What is the emergency airline for?
5. Why should you use chocks when parking a trailer without spring brakes?
6. Where are shut-off valves?

Subsections 6.3 and 6.4

1. What might happen if the trailer is too high when you try to couple?
2. After coupling, how much space should be between the upper and lower fifth wheel?
3. You should look into the back of the fifth wheel to see if it is locked onto the kingpin. True or False?
4. To drive you need to raise the landing gear only until it just lefts off the pavement. True or False?
5. How do you know if your trailer is equipped with antilock brakes?

Subsection 6.5

1. Which shut-off valves should be open and which closed?
2. How can you test that air flows to all trailers?
3. How can you test the tractor protection valve?
4. How can you test the trailer emergency brakes?
5. How can you test the trailer service brakes?

 Section 7

1. What is a converter dolly?
2. Do converter dollies have spring brakes?
3. What three methods can you use to secure a second trailer before coupling?
4. How do you check to make sure trailer height is correct before coupling?
5. What do you check when making a visual check of coupling?
6. Why should you pull a dolly out from under a trailer before you disconnect it from the trailer in front?
7. What should you check for when inspecting the converter dolly? The pintle hook?
8. Should the shut-off valves on the rear of the last trailer be open or closed? On the first trailer in a set of doubles? On the middle trailer of a set of triples?
9. How can you test that air flows to all trailers?
10. How do you know if your converter dolly is equipped with antilock brakes?

Section 8

1. How are bulkheads different than baffles?
2. Should a tank vehicle take curves, on ramps, or off ramps at the posted speed limits?
3. How are smooth bore tankers different to drive than those with baffles?
4. What three things determine how much liquid you can load?
5. What is outage?
6. How can you help control surge?
7. What two reasons make special care necessary when driving tank vehicles?

Section 9

Subsections 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3

1. Shippers package in order to _______ (fill in the blank) the material.
2. Drivers placard their vehicles to _______ (fill in the blank) the risk.
3. What three things do you need to know to decide which placards (if any) you need?
4. A hazardous materials identification number must appear on the ______ (fill in the blank) and on the ______ (fill in the blank). The identification number must also appear on cargo tanks and other bulk packaging.
5. Where must you keep shipping papers describing hazardous materials?

Subsection 9.4

1. Around which hazard classes must you never smoke?
2. Which three hazard classes should not be loaded into a trailer that has a heater/air conditioner unit?
3. Should the floor liner required for Division 1.1 or 1.2 materials be stainless steel?
4. At the shipper's dock you're given a paper for 100 cartons of battery acid. You already have 100 pounds of dry Silver Cyanide on board. What precautions do you have to take?
5. Name a hazard class that uses transport indexes to determine the amount that can be loaded in a single vehicle.

Subsection 9.5

1. What are cargo tanks?
2. How is a portable tank different from a cargo tank?
3. Your engine runs a pump used during delivery of compressed gas. Should you turn off the engine before or after unhooking hoses after delivery?

Subsections 9.6 and 9.7

1. If your placarded trailer has dual tires, how often should you check the tires?
2. What is a safe haven?
3. How close to the traveled part of the roadway can you park with Division 1.2 or 1.3 materials?
4. How close can you park to a bridge, tunnel, or building with the same load?
5. What type of fire extinguisher must placarded vehicles carry?
6. You're hauling 100 pounds of Division 4.3 (dangerous when wet) materials. Do you need to stop before a railroad-highway crossing?
7. At a rest area you discover your hazardous materials shipments slowly leaking from the vehicle. There is no phone around. What should you do?
8. What is the Emergency Response Guide (ERG)?

Section 10

1. Define the danger zone. How far does the danger zone extend around the bus?
2. What should you be able to see if the outside flat mirrors are adjusted properly? The outside convex mirrors? The cross view mirrors?
3. You are loading students along the route. When should you activate your alternating flashing amber warning lamps?
4. You are unloading students along your route. Where should students walk about exiting the bus?
5. After unloading at school, why should you walk through the bus?
6. What position should students be in, in front of the bus, before they cross the roadway?
7. Under what conditions must you evacuate the bus?
8. How far from the nearest rail should you stop at a highway-rail crossing?
9. What is a passive highway-rail crossing? Why should you be extra cautious at this type of crossing?
10. How should you use your brakes if your vehicle is equipped with antilock brakes (ABS)?