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 2025
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

144

CDL General Knowledge Test 5

1 / 50

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

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

B) move to the left.

C) brake immediately.

D) move to the right.

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

B) make a sharp turn to clear the accident area

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

D) always apply the brakes immediately

3 / 50

The Gross Combination Weight Rating is the

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

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

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

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

4 / 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 cargo is evenly distributed and as low as possible.

C) The vehicle is less dangerous on curves.

D) The vehicle is less likely to tip over.

5 / 50

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

A) keep the doors open

B) drive to the closest service station for assistance.

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

D) keep the doors shut.

6 / 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) keep the injured person(s) cool.

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

C) notify authorities.

D) park your vehicle near the accident.

7 / 50

Two possible causes of tire fires are

A) improper fueling or loose fuel connections.

B) under-inflated tires and duals that touch.

C) improperly loaded cargo and driver smoking.

D) short circuits and duals that touch.

8 / 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) the opposite direction of the obstacle.

B) to the right of the obstacle.

C) to the left of the obstacle.

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

9 / 50

You should use your mirrors to check

A) traffic gaps when merging.

B) the condition of tires.

C) All of the above

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

10 / 50

For electrical fires and burning liquids, use

A) whatever is available at the time.

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

C) a B:C type fire extinguisher only.

D) water

11 / 50

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

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

B) Stay off the brake.

C) Check all tires after stopping.

D) Hold the steering wheel firmly.

12 / 50

You must keep shipping papers for hazardous materials

A) under the passenger’s seat.

B) in the glove compartment.

C) in a pouch on the driver’s door.

D) with the hazardous materials.

13 / 50

A coupling device capacity is the

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

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

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

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

14 / 50

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

A) 1-2 seconds

B) 12-15 seconds

C) 18-21 seconds

D) 5-8 seconds

15 / 50

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

A) Special equipment may be necessary.

B) You may require a police escort.

C) Driving is usually limited to certain times.

D) You do not need a special permit.

16 / 50

To correct a drive-wheel braking skid you should

A) keep your foot off the clutch.

B) countersteer.

C) turn slowly

D) brake harder.

17 / 50

Outage is

A) the weight of the liquid in transit

B) a full liquid tanker.

C) caused by liquid surge.

D) the space allotted for expanding liquids.

18 / 50

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

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

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

C) Heavy or dense liquids do not expand.

D) You must be aware of legal weight limits

19 / 50

Which of the following is true about drinking and driving?

A) A drink will wake up a sleepy driver.

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

C) Alcohol increases your ability to drive farther.

D) Alcohol will reduce your ability to drive.

20 / 50

In the event of an engine fire,

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

B) keep the engine running and use extinguishers.

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

D) always open the hood to release the fire.

21 / 50

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

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

B) transport hazardous materials if your employer lets you.

C) only transport liquid hazardous materials.

D) not transport any type of hazardous material.

22 / 50

When driving baffled liquid tanks,

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

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

C) there is no risk of rollover.

D) forward and backward liquid surge is controlled.

23 / 50

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

A) using over-the-counter drugs

B) using amphetamines.

C) using alcohol.

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

24 / 50

if you are driving a long distance, you should

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

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

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

D) do some physical exercises after the trip.

25 / 50

Which of the following contains more alcohol?

A) All three contain the same amount of alcohol.

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

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

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

26 / 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) Shift down

B) Pump the brakes

C) Find an escape route

D) Use the parking or emergency brake

27 / 50

To prevent truck fires, you should inspect your vehicle

A) before, during, and after the trip.

B) after the trip only.

C) before the trip only.

D) before and after the trip.

28 / 50

When transporting cargo, inspect the materials and securing devices

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

B) before and after the trip.

C) before the trip only.

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

29 / 50

f you are transporting livestock,

A) rollover is less likely.

B) give livestock enough room to roam freely.

C) there is always a high center of gravity.

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

30 / 50

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

A) accelerate to give power to the drive wheels.

B) brake hard at all stops.

C) adjust to conditions while driving.

D) turn the wheel sharply for all turns.

31 / 50

Dry bulk tanks and hanging meat

A) have low centers of gravity.

B) do not require special care.

C) are unstable loads.

D) handle better than most cargo on sharp turns.

32 / 50

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

A) increase acceleration.

B) turn sharply.

C) let the vehicle slow down.

D) brake hard.

33 / 50

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

A) All of the above

B) The vehicle’s stopping distance decreases.

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

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

34 / 50

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

A) only the driver should know

B) the shipper and the driver should know.

C) everyone who handles the material should know.

D) only the shipper should know.

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

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

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

36 / 50

Since you cannot inspect sealed loads, you

A) can exceed gross weight and axle weight limits.

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

C) therefore need special tie down devices.

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

37 / 50

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

A) underloaded front axles.

B) too little weight on the driving axles.

C) too much weight on the steering axle.

D) a high center of gravity.

38 / 50

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

A) Look directly at oncoming headlights briefly.

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

C) Wear sunglasses to reduce headlight glare.

D) Keep your instrument lights bright.

39 / 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.

40 / 50

If your vehicle is involved in an accident, try to

A) get it to the side of the road.

B) stop all traffic in other lanes.

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

D) honk your horn to warn other vehicles.

41 / 50

For cargo, blocking is

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

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

C) unattached to the cargo deck.

D) shaped to fit loosely over the cargo

42 / 50

Which of the following statements about tank vehicles is true?

A) Special skills are required to haul liquid tanks.

B) Tank vehicles transport liquids only.

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

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

43 / 50

Which of the following about covering cargo is NOT true?

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

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

C) You need to protect people from spilled cargo.

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

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

B) keeping one set of wheels on the pavement.

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

D) All of the above

45 / 50

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

A) Push on until your next stop and rest.

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

C) Take a half-hour coffee stop

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

46 / 50

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

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

B) only on the shipping papers.

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

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

47 / 50

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

A) Making quick, jerky movements

B) All of the above

C) Driving in the wrong lane

D) Running stop signs

48 / 50

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

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

B) Apply the brakes and make large steering adjustments.

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

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

49 / 50

Which of the following statements about tie downs is true?

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

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

C) 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

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

50 / 50

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

A) Tie downs

B) Blocking devices

C) Bracing devices

D) Front-end header boards

Your score is

The average score is 77%

CDL Knоwlеdgе Test (50 Questions Each)

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