CDL General Knowledge Test (50 Questions Answers)

CDL General Knowledge Test (50 Questions Answers): If you are preparing to take the Commercial Driver’s License Exam, you’ve visited the right page. Our CDL General Knowledge Test (50 Questions) is an essential part of your preparation for the exam. It’s been proven that the more questions you answer before taking the exam, the better you will ultimately do on the final test.

If you have enough time to prepare, take each test on separate days and bring them to a quiet room, under simulated test conditions. When you’re done, check your answers and then check your score. As you go through the CDL Quiz, you will find that there are some areas that may require additional review, based on your previous knowledge or the results of the CDL practice tests.

CDL General Knowledge Test (50 Questions)

Test Name	CDL Practice Test 2024
Language	English
License	CDL (Class A, B, or C),
Total Questions	50 Knowledge Practice Test
Test For	Commercial Driver License
Test Preparation	Driving Knowledge
Country	USA
Explanation	No

0 votes, 0 avg

CDL General Knowledge Test 5

1 / 50

n some emergencies, you may have to drive off the road and onto the shoulder in order to avoid collision with another vehicle. If possible, you should avoid

A) All of the above

B) using the brake until your speed has dropped to about 20 mph

C) coming to a complete stop before returning to the road.

D) keeping one set of wheels on the pavement.

2 / 50

Which of the following contains more alcohol?

A) A 5-ounce glass of wine with an alcohol content of 12% by volume

B) A 12-ounce mug of beer with an alcohol content of 5% by volume

C) All three contain the same amount of alcohol.

D) A 1 1/2nce shot of 80-proof liquor

3 / 50

Which of the following statements about tie downs is true?

A) The combined strength of all cargo tie downs must be strong enough to lift one-and-a-half-times the weight of the piece of cargo tied down

B) Cargo should have at least one tie down for each 20 feet of cargo.

C) Tie downs can be of any type or strength.

D) They go from the upper part of the cargo to the floor and/or walls of the cargo compartment.

4 / 50

____________ protect you from your cargo in case of collision and should be inspected for good condition.

A) Front-end header boards

B) Blocking devices

C) Tie downs

D) Bracing devices

5 / 50

f you are transporting livestock,

A) use false bulkheads with less than a full load.

B) give livestock enough room to roam freely.

C) rollover is less likely.

D) there is always a high center of gravity.

6 / 50

Which of the following statements about tank vehicles is true?

A) Tank vehicles transport liquids only.

B) The term “tank vehicle” refers only to those vehicles having a permanently attached tank.

C) All tank vehicles have some sort of bulkhead or baffle.

D) Special skills are required to haul liquid tanks.

7 / 50

In the event of an engine fire,

A) keep the engine running and use extinguishers.

B) always open the hood to release the fire.

C) always open the hood and shoot extinguishers through louvers or from the underside of the vehicle.

D) try to keep the hood closed and shoot extinguishers through louvers or from the underside of the vehicle.

8 / 50

Which of the following statements about a vehicle with a high center of gravity is true?

A) The cargo should be rearranged so that the heaviest parts of the cargo are under the lightest parts.

B) The vehicle is less dangerous on curves.

C) The cargo is evenly distributed and as low as possible.

D) The vehicle is less likely to tip over.

9 / 50

Which of the following is an effect of drinking and driving?

A) All of the above

B) Running stop signs

C) Making quick, jerky movements

D) Driving in the wrong lane

10 / 50

You have been driving for a long time and you are feeling tired. What should you do?

A) Take a half-hour coffee stop

B) Take an over-the-counter drug that will keep you awake.

C) Push on until your next stop and rest.

D) Make an early stop and sleep or pull off the road and nap.

11 / 50

You must keep shipping papers for hazardous materials

A) in a pouch on the driver’s door.

B) under the passenger’s seat.

C) with the hazardous materials.

D) in the glove compartment.

12 / 50

You are driving a vehicle when two cars collide a short distance ahead of you. In order to safely avoid the accident, you should

A) make a sharp turn to clear the accident area

B) always apply the brakes immediately

C) grip the wheel firmly with both hands and turn only the amount of space needed to clear whatever is in your way

D) urn quickly with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the horn

13 / 50

A skid happens when tires lose their grip on the road. To prevent skidding, you should

A) brake hard at all stops.

B) adjust to conditions while driving.

C) accelerate to give power to the drive wheels.

D) turn the wheel sharply for all turns.

14 / 50

f you do not have a Hazardous Materials Endorsement on your Commercial Driver License, you can

A) not transport any type of hazardous material.

B) drive a vehicle that carries hazardous materials if it does not require placards.

C) transport hazardous materials if your employer lets you.

D) only transport liquid hazardous materials.

15 / 50

For cargo, blocking is

A) unattached to the cargo deck.

B) needed in the front of a piece of cargo only

C) shaped to fit loosely over the cargo

D) used in the front, back and/or sides of a piece of cargo

16 / 50

Outage is

A) the weight of the liquid in transit

B) caused by liquid surge.

C) the space allotted for expanding liquids.

D) a full liquid tanker.

17 / 50

To stop quickly and safely, you can use which of the controlled braking methods?

A) Apply the brakes and make large steering adjustments.

B) Apply the brakes as hard as you can to lock the wheels.

C) Apply the brakes but keep them released before and after you make steering adjustments.

D) Apply the brakes as hard as you can without locking the wheels.

18 / 50

You see an accident on the road and wish to help. The steps you take to prevent further damage or injury are: protect the area, care for the injured, and

A) notify authorities.

B) keep the injured person(s) cool.

C) park your vehicle near the accident.

D) always move the severely injured person(s) away from the accident.

19 / 50

Which of the following should you NOT do in the event of air brake failure where there was a major air leak in the system?

A) Pump the brakes

B) Find an escape route

C) Shift down

D) Use the parking or emergency brake

20 / 50

Which of the following about covering cargo is NOT true?

A) You need to protect people from spilled cargo.

B) You should look at your cargo in the mirrors often while driving.

C) You need to protect the cargo from the weather.

D) Flapping covers need not be tied down as long as the bulk of the cargo is covered.

21 / 50

In the event of a cargo fire in a van or box trailer, you should

A) park close to the road so other vehicles can see the danger and call for assistance.

B) keep the doors shut.

C) drive to the closest service station for assistance.

D) keep the doors open

22 / 50

Dry bulk tanks and hanging meat

A) handle better than most cargo on sharp turns.

B) are unstable loads.

C) do not require special care.

D) have low centers of gravity.

23 / 50

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

A) 5-8 seconds

B) 1-2 seconds

C) 12-15 seconds

D) 18-21 seconds

24 / 50

Which of the following is true about drinking and driving?

A) A drink will wake up a sleepy driver.

B) Alcohol increases your ability to drive farther.

C) Alcohol will reduce your ability to drive.

D) Coffee and a little fresh air will help sober up a driver who is about to drive.

25 / 50

Shippers must write the name of the hazard class of hazardous products

A) only on the shipping papers.

B) only on the special-fitting tags for the containers

C) only on the diamond-shaped labels on the containers.

D) on the shipping papers and on the diamond-shaped labels or special tags on the container.

26 / 50

Which of the following statements about driving an over-length, over- width, and/or over-weight load is NOT true?

A) Driving is usually limited to certain times.

B) You do not need a special permit.

C) Special equipment may be necessary.

D) You may require a police escort.

27 / 50

When transporting cargo, inspect the materials and securing devices

A) before the trip only.

B) before the trip, within 50 miles after beginning the trip, after every 3 hours or 150 miles, and during every driving break.

C) before and after the trip.

D) within 50 miles after beginning the trip and during every driving break.

28 / 50

When driving baffled liquid tanks,

A) forward and backward liquid surge is controlled.

B) bulkheads are included which stop side to side liquid surge.

C) here is no risk involved in taking curves or making sharp turns at the posted limits.

D) there is no risk of rollover.

29 / 50

Possession or use of drugs while on duty is prohibited by law except when

A) using amphetamines.

B) your doctor informs you that the certain drug prescribed will not affect safe driving abilities.

C) using alcohol.

D) using over-the-counter drugs

30 / 50

Which of the following is a good thing to do when driving at night?

A) Wear sunglasses to reduce headlight glare.

B) Keep your instrument lights bright.

C) Keep your speed slow enough that you can stop within the range of your headlights.

D) Look directly at oncoming headlights briefly.

31 / 50

You should use your mirrors to check

A) traffic gaps when merging.

B) All of the above

C) where the rear of your vehicle is while turning.

D) the condition of tires.

32 / 50

Which of the following statements about loading heavy or dense liquid is true?

A) Heavy or dense liquids do not expand.

B) The weight of the actual liquid does not matter.

C) You must be aware of legal weight limits

D) Tanks carrying heavy liquids can sometimes be filled completely.

33 / 50

The Federal Hazardous Materials Table names materials that are hazardous. If you are transporting any of these materials,

A) everyone who handles the material should know.

B) the shipper and the driver should know.

C) only the driver should know

D) only the shipper should know.

34 / 50

A coupling device capacity is the

A) maximum safe weight a tire can carry at a specified pressure.

B) maximum weight the device can pull and/or carry.

C) manufacturer’s weight capacity rating of the suspension system.

D) weight transmitted to the ground by one axle or one set of axles.

35 / 50

Two possible causes of tire fires are

A) improper fueling or loose fuel connections.

B) short circuits and duals that touch.

C) under-inflated tires and duals that touch.

D) improperly loaded cargo and driver smoking.

36 / 50

Which of the following should you NOT do if you suspect that one of your vehicle’s tires has blown out?

A) Hold the steering wheel firmly.

B) Check all tires after stopping.

C) Keep driving until you are certain it was one of your vehicle’s tires that blew.

D) Stay off the brake.

37 / 50

If your vehicle is involved in an accident, try to

A) stop all traffic in other lanes.

B) keep one empty lane between your vehicle and other traffic.

C) get it to the side of the road.

D) honk your horn to warn other vehicles.

38 / 50

if you are driving a long distance, you should

A) stop often and take short breaks before you feel really drowsy or tired.

B) do some physical exercises after the trip.

C) take a short break once or twice during the trip when you are feeling tired or drowsy.

D) avoid short breaks, but keep the window open.

39 / 50

Poor weight balance can make vehicle handling unsafe. Hard steering is caused by

A) too little weight on the driving axles.

B) underloaded front axles.

C) a high center of gravity.

D) too much weight on the steering axle.

40 / 50

For electrical fires and burning liquids, use

A) an A:B:C or B:C type fire extinguisher.

B) a B:C type fire extinguisher only.

C) whatever is available at the time.

D) water

41 / 50

Since you cannot inspect sealed loads, you

A) therefore need special tie down devices.

B) should therefore check that you do not exceed gross weight and axle weight limits.

C) must be lower than weight limits by 50 pounds.

D) can exceed gross weight and axle weight limits.

42 / 50

The Gross Combination Weight Rating is the

A) total weight of a single vehicle plus its load.

B) maximum total weight of a power unit plus trailer(s) plus the cargo as specified by the manufacturer.

C) total weight of a powered unit plus trailer(s) plus the cargo.

D) maximum total weight of a single vehicle plus its load specified by the manufacturer.

43 / 50

To prevent truck fires, you should inspect your vehicle

A) before the trip only.

B) before, during, and after the trip.

C) after the trip only.

D) before and after the trip.

44 / 50

Which of the following statements is NOT true about an overloaded vehicle?

A) The vehicle will have to go very slowly on upgrades.

B) The vehicle’s stopping distance decreases.

C) The vehicle may gain too much speed on downgrades.

D) All of the above

45 / 50

When a front-wheel skid occurs, the only way to stop the skid is to

A) brake hard.

B) let the vehicle slow down.

C) turn sharply.

D) increase acceleration.

46 / 50

To correct a drive-wheel braking skid you should

A) turn slowly

B) keep your foot off the clutch.

C) brake harder.

D) countersteer.

47 / 50

f an oncoming driver has suddenly drifted into your lane or if an obstacle suddenly blocks your path, you should

A) brake immediately.

B) move to the left.

C) apply brakes slowly and signal for a lane change.

D) move to the right.

48 / 50

Which of the following statements about unbaffled or “smooth bore” liquid tankers is NOT true?

A) Food products will most likely be transported in an unbaffled liquid tank

B) Forward and back liquid surge is reduced

C) There is nothing inside the tank to slow down the flow of liquid

D) You must be extremely cautious, especially when starting and stopping.

49 / 50

A tank vehicle with a high center of gravity

A) should take highway curves or on-ramp/off-ramp curves well below the posted speeds.

B) cannot turn over at the speed limit posted for curves.

C) should take highway curves or on-ramp/off-ramp curves at least five miles above the posted speed.

D) is top-heavy, but not easy to rollover.

50 / 50

To turn quickly and safely in the event of a traffic or vehicle emergency, you should be prepared to countersteer. This means you turn the wheel

A) away from the obstacle and then back in the other direction.

B) to the left of the obstacle.

C) the opposite direction of the obstacle.

D) to the right of the obstacle.

Your score is

The average score is 76%

CDL Knоwlеdgе Test (50 Questions Each)

School Bus Endorsement

Air Brakes Endorsement

Combination vehicles Endorsements

Doubles and Triples Endorsement

Tank Endorsement

Hazardous Material

Passenger Endorsement

Metal Coil Endorsement

CDL Metal Coil Endorsement Practice Test 2024