CCDL Permit Prep

General Knowledge · page 10 of 19

General Knowledge questions 181–200

Part of the 376-question General Knowledge pool. Each answer cites the FMCSA CDL Manual or the federal rule it comes from.

Practise these as a timed set

  1. Too little weight on the drive axles of a combination vehicle can cause:

    • AThe trailer to float
    • BBetter fuel economy with no downside
    • CPoor traction, so the drive wheels may spin easilyCorrect
    • DFaster stopping

    With too little weight on the drive axles, the tires grip poorly and can spin, especially on wet or slippery roads.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 3.1 - Axle Weight And Balance · verified 2026-09-08

  2. Federal rules say you must inspect your cargo and its securing devices within the first:

    • A10 miles of the trip
    • B500 miles of the trip
    • C50 miles of the tripCorrect
    • D200 miles of the trip

    Cargo must be checked within the first 50 miles and re-checked every 150 miles or 3 hours, because securing can loosen as you drive.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 3.2 - Inspecting Cargo En Route · verified 2026-09-08

  3. Cargo weight should be balanced side to side because an unbalanced load can:

    • AImprove fuel economy by reducing wind drag
    • BMake the vehicle harder to handle and more likely to rollCorrect
    • CMake the radio louder
    • DLower the cargo's value

    A load that is heavier on one side shifts the balance and raises rollover risk, so spread weight evenly across the vehicle.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 3.1 - Balancing The Load Side To Side · verified 2026-09-08

  4. To make this right turn in a long combination vehicle without off-tracking over the curb, you should:

    • ASwing wide left first, then turn right
    • BKeep the rear near the curb and turn wideCorrect
    • CTurn sharply from the far lane
    • DCut the corner tightly

    Keep the trailer's rear close to the curb and turn wide at the end so the rear wheels do not climb the curb due to off-tracking.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.3 - Turning - Off-Tracking · verified 2026-09-08

  5. Before backing this tractor-trailer into the dock, the safest first step is to:

    • ARely only on the mirrors
    • BGet out and walk around to check behind the vehicleCorrect
    • CBack quickly while the area is clear
    • DHave a bystander stand behind the trailer

    Always do a walk-around (Get Out And Look) before backing, since mirrors leave blind spots and conditions can change.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.4 - Backing Safely · verified 2026-09-08

  6. At highway speed in this loaded truck, the space you most need to manage is:

    • ANo space management is needed
    • BThe space aheadCorrect
    • CThe space behind only
    • DThe space above the cab

    A loaded truck needs much more distance to stop, so keeping ample space ahead is the most important space to manage.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.9 - Managing Space - Space Ahead · verified 2026-09-08

  7. Before starting down this long, steep grade in a heavy truck, you should:

    • AKeep the brakes applied the whole way
    • BShift to neutral to save fuel while descending the grade
    • CWait to pick a gear until partway down
    • DSelect a low gear before the descent and use light, intermittent brakingCorrect

    Choose a low gear before the grade so engine braking controls speed, using brief snub braking to avoid overheating the brakes.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.14 - Mountain Driving - Selecting A Safe Gear · verified 2026-09-08

  8. Your truck carries a required Class 3 flammable-liquid placard. No federal crossing exception applies. What must you do?

    • ASlow but keep rolling through the crossing
    • BStop 15 to 50 feet away, then cross if clearCorrect
    • CStop only if a train is visible
    • DSpeed up to clear the tracks

    For this specified placarded vehicle, make the 15–50-foot stop, look and listen, and proceed only when clear without changing gears on the crossing. The absence of a visible train does not remove the stop duty.

    49 CFR § 392.10 · 392.10(a) listed vehicles and (b) exceptions · verified 2026-09-07

  9. Your service brakes fade on a long downgrade and an escape ramp is available. What should you do?

    • AMove into the oncoming lane to avoid the ramp
    • BContinue downhill and pump the overheated brakes
    • CEnter the escape ramp and let it stop the truckCorrect
    • DShift into a higher gear and continue downhill

    An escape ramp is built to stop runaway trucks; use it rather than risk losing control on the rest of the downgrade.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.14 - Escape Ramps · verified 2026-09-08

  10. Following this car at 50 mph in a 40-foot truck, your following distance should be about:

    • AUse the same gap as a passenger car
    • BAllow only one second behind the car
    • CAllow about five seconds for your length and speedCorrect
    • DAllow only two seconds at this speed

    Allow one second per 10 feet of vehicle length, adding a second above 40 mph, so a 40-foot truck needs roughly five seconds.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2.7 - Speed And Distance Ahead · verified 2026-09-08

  11. What is the '14-hour rule' for property-carrying drivers?

    • AA driver may not drive after being on duty 14 consecutive hours following 10 hours off dutyCorrect
    • BA driver may not drive more than 14 hours in a 24-hour period
    • CA driver may work a maximum of 14 days per month
    • DA driver must take a 14-hour break every 70 hours

    The 14-hour rule means a property-carrying driver may not drive after they have been on-duty (including all non-driving time) for 14 consecutive hours since coming on duty following a 10-hour off-duty period. The clock does not stop.

    49 CFR § 395.3(a)(2) · Hours of Service — 14-Hour Rule · verified 2026-09-08

  12. A property-carrying driver has reached 70 on-duty hours in 8 days. Which off-duty period can restart the whole cycle without waiting for older hours to leave the rolling total?

    • AThey take 10 consecutive hours off
    • BThey take 34 consecutive hours off dutyCorrect
    • CThey rest for 8 hours in the sleeper berth
    • DThey take 24 hours off duty

    A 34-consecutive-hour off-duty restart can begin a fresh cycle. It does not require two periods from 1 to 5 a.m. A driver can also regain hours as older duty time leaves the rolling eight-day total, but that is not a restart. A ten-hour daily rest alone does not reset the cycle.

    49 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles · 395.3(c) · verified 2026-09-25

  13. Which combination describes the federal short-haul exception for a property-carrying driver?

    • ACarrying loads under 5,000 lbs within state borders
    • BOperating within 50 miles and returning to the home terminal within 10 hours
    • CMaking deliveries only within a municipality, regardless of the total hours worked that day
    • DOperating within 150 air miles of the normal work-reporting location, returning there, and being released within 14 consecutive hoursCorrect

    Under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), the exception applies when the driver operates within a 150 air-mile radius, returns to the normal work-reporting location, and is released from duty within 14 consecutive hours.

    49 CFR § 395.1(e)(1) · Hours of Service — Short-Haul Exemption · verified 2026-09-08

  14. What is the 30-minute rest break requirement for property-carrying drivers?

    • AA 30-minute break that is required after every 4 hours of continuous driving
    • BA mandatory 30-minute meal break that must be taken at an approved rest stop
    • CA 30-minute break from driving after 8 cumulative driving hoursCorrect
    • DA 30-minute break that is required after every 300 miles the driver travels

    For a property-carrying driver subject to this rule, the trigger is 8 cumulative hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption. It is not 8 elapsed hours since going on duty. A consecutive half hour of on-duty non-driving time can satisfy the rule, as can off-duty or sleeper-berth time.

    FMCSA Summary of Hours of Service Regulations · 30-Minute Driving Break · verified 2026-09-07

  15. A passenger-carrying driver may drive a maximum of how many hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty?

    • A10 hoursCorrect
    • B11 hours
    • C12 hours
    • D15 hours

    Passenger-carrying drivers are limited to 10 hours of driving after 8 consecutive hours off duty, compared to the 11-hour limit for property-carrying drivers.

    49 CFR § 395.5(a)(1) · Hours of Service — Passenger Carrier Rules · verified 2026-09-08

  16. What is an 'adverse driving conditions' exemption under HOS rules?

    • AAn exemption from keeping a logbook during poor weather
    • BExempts the driver from the 14-hour clock when parked during a storm
    • CPermits a driver to stop for any amount of time without counting it as on-duty time
    • DExtends the maximum driving limit by up to 2 hours for unexpected hazardsCorrect

    Under the adverse conditions exemption (49 CFR 395.1(b)), drivers may extend the driving window by up to 2 hours when they encounter unexpected adverse driving conditions that could not have been known at dispatch time.

    49 CFR § 395.1(b) · Hours of Service — Adverse Conditions · verified 2026-09-08

  17. What must a driver record on a paper Record of Duty Status (RODS/logbook)?

    • AOnly driving time and total miles
    • BOnly departure and arrival times, omitting the required duty-status and remarks entries
    • CFuel purchases and maintenance stops
    • DAll on-duty, off-duty, sleeper berth and driving time, plus duty-status remarksCorrect

    A paper logbook must record all four duty status categories: off duty, sleeper berth, driving, and on-duty (not driving), plus total miles, shipping document numbers, and truck ID.

    49 CFR § 395.8 · Hours of Service — Recordkeeping · verified 2026-09-08

  18. A property-carrying driver plans two qualifying rest periods under the federal split-sleeper rule. Which pair meets the minimum duration and location requirements?

    • A7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and a separate 3 consecutive hours off dutyCorrect
    • B7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and a separate 2 consecutive hours off duty
    • C5 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and a separate 5 consecutive hours off duty
    • D9 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and a separate 1 hour off duty

    One period must include at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth; the other must last at least 2 consecutive hours off duty, in the berth, or both. The pair must total at least 10 hours. The 7-and-3 pair qualifies. The 7-and-2 pair is too short, 5-and-5 lacks a seven-hour berth period, and 9-and-1 lacks a two-hour period. When properly paired, both periods are excluded from the 14-hour window calculation.

    FMCSA Summary of Hours of Service Regulations · Sleeper Berth Provision · verified 2026-09-07

  19. A property-carrying driver covered by the federal break rule parks after 8 cumulative driving hours. The driver spends 12 minutes off duty, then 18 minutes on paperwork without moving the truck. Has this satisfied the driving-break requirement?

    • AYes, the two consecutive non-driving periods total 30 minutesCorrect
    • BNo, all 30 minutes must be logged off duty
    • CNo, paperwork restarts the break clock
    • DYes, any stop after 8 driving hours qualifies regardless of duration

    The consecutive 12-minute and 18-minute periods provide 30 minutes without driving. Different non-driving duty statuses may be combined when there is no driving between them. This satisfies this break rule only; the driver must still have time available under the daily and cycle limits and be fit to drive.

    FMCSA Summary of Hours of Service Regulations · 30-Minute Driving Break · verified 2026-09-07

  20. When your brakes fail on a downgrade, the best option is to:

    • APump the brake pedal rapidly to build pressure
    • BUse an escape ramp if available; otherwise choose the least hazardous escape routeCorrect
    • CSteer into the guardrail to slow down gradually
    • DDownshift immediately even if the engine over-revs

    Use an escape ramp when one is available. If none is available, choose the least hazardous escape route, such as an open field or a side road that flattens or turns uphill.

    FMCSA CDL Testing System — Emergency Maneuvers · Emergency Maneuvers — Brake Failure · verified 2026-09-08