CCDL Permit Prep

General Knowledge · page 15 of 19

General Knowledge questions 281–300

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. When driving at night with low-beam headlights, your speed must allow stopping:

    • AWithin the truck's length
    • BWithin twice your sight distance
    • CWithin the distance illuminated aheadCorrect
    • DAt any speed with good reflexes

    Keep the vehicle’s stopping distance within the distance illuminated ahead. Low beams limit sight distance at night, so reduce speed when the available view is shorter.

    FMCSA 2005 CDL Testing System Model Manual (July 2014) · Section 2.11.4 — Night Driving; Oregon Manual § 2.11.4 cross-check · verified 2026-09-19

  2. During the pre-trip shown, a steer tire has tread depth of 3/32 inch. You must:

    • AReplace it before drivingCorrect
    • BDrive but recheck at lunch
    • CRotate it to a rear axle later that week
    • DAdd air to compensate

    49 CFR 393.75 requires at least 4/32 inch in a major tread groove on a front tire of a bus, truck, or truck tractor. A 3/32-inch steer tire is below that operating minimum and must be corrected before driving. This equipment violation is not, by itself, a claim about a roadside out-of-service classification.

    49 CFR § 393.75 · 393.75(b) — Front-tire tread depth · verified 2026-09-07

  3. Entering the work zone shown, professional drivers:

    • AUse the closed lane if empty
    • BMaintain the flow of traffic exactly
    • CSlow early and increase following distanceCorrect
    • DPass equipment quickly to exit sooner

    Work zones concentrate lane shifts, workers, and abrupt stops; slowing early and building space prevents striking queues that form without warning.

    FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Manual · Section 2 - Driving Safely · verified 2026-09-08

  4. What form records the results of a roadside inspection of your vehicle?

    • AThe daily record of duty status
    • BThe Driver Vehicle Examination ReportCorrect
    • CThe annual periodic inspection decal
    • DThe bill of lading for the load

    Federal inspectors record vehicle and intermodal equipment inspections on the Driver Vehicle Examination Report, which is the document you carry away from the scale.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Inspection of motor vehicles in operation · verified 2026-09-08

  5. What must you do with a roadside inspection report you receive?

    • AKeep it in the cab until the next inspection
    • BFile it with the state police within a week
    • CDeliver a copy to the carrier at the next terminalCorrect
    • DReturn it to the inspector after the repairs

    The driver delivers the report to the motor carrier on arrival at the next terminal, and if no terminal is reached within 24 hours the report is mailed or transmitted immediately.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Motor carrier disposition of inspection reports · verified 2026-09-08

  6. After an inspection under 49 CFR 396.9, how long does the motor carrier have to certify that listed violations were corrected?

    • A12 months from the date of the inspection
    • B48 hours from the date of the inspection
    • C90 days from the date of the inspection
    • D15 days from the date of the inspectionCorrect

    Within 15 days after the inspection, the motor carrier or intermodal equipment provider must certify that all listed violations were corrected. The rule also sets record-retention and return requirements.

    eCFR 49 CFR 396.9 — Inspection of motor vehicles in operation · 396.9(d) — Certification of correction · verified 2026-09-07

  7. A vehicle is marked out of service at a scale. When may it be driven again?

    • AAfter every required repair is completedCorrect
    • BAfter the driver signs the inspection report
    • CAfter the next scheduled maintenance date
    • DAfter the load is delivered to the consignee

    Nobody may operate a vehicle marked out of service until all repairs required by the notice are done, and towing it counts as operating unless a crane or hoist lifts it.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Vehicles declared out-of-service · verified 2026-09-08

  8. Who may remove the out-of-service sticker from a vehicle?

    • AAny driver assigned to that vehicle
    • BNo one may remove it before the required repairs are finishedCorrect
    • CThe dispatcher who scheduled the load
    • DThe shipper whose freight is aboard

    The sticker stays on the vehicle until the repairs named in the out-of-service notice are complete; removing it early is itself a violation.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Out-of-service sticker removal · verified 2026-09-08

  9. You find an unsafe condition on the highway. How far may you drive the vehicle?

    • ATo the carrier's home terminal in any case
    • BTo the end of the scheduled run
    • COnly to the nearest place repairs can safely be made, and only if moving is less hazardous than leaving it on the highwayCorrect
    • DTo the next inspection station on the route

    An unsafe vehicle may continue only to the nearest place repairs can safely be made, and only when that is less hazardous than leaving it on the highway.

    49 CFR § 396.7 · Unsafe operations forbidden · verified 2026-09-08

  10. Who is authorized to inspect a carrier's vehicles while they are in operation?

    • AThe carrier's own safety director only
    • BAny employee of the shipper
    • CThe consignee receiving the freight
    • DSpecial agents of the FMCSACorrect

    Special agents of the FMCSA may enter upon and inspect vehicles in operation, which is why a roadside inspection does not need the carrier's consent.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Personnel authorized to perform inspections · verified 2026-09-08

  11. Why should you care about a roadside inspection under the federal inspection rule?

    • AAn unsafe vehicle can be placed out of service until required repairs are completeCorrect
    • BIt shortens the annual inspection cycle
    • CIt removes the need for a daily report
    • DIt raises the vehicle's weight allowance

    Authorized personnel must mark a vehicle out of service when its condition or loading would likely cause an accident or breakdown. It may not be operated until the repairs required by the out-of-service notice are completed.

    49 CFR § 396.9 · Inspection of motor vehicles in operation · verified 2026-09-08

  12. Under the federal DVIR rule (49 CFR 396.11), when is a driver not required to prepare a driver vehicle inspection report?

    • AWhen the trip stayed inside one state
    • BWhen no defect or deficiency was discovered by or reported to the driverCorrect
    • CWhen the vehicle was driven under 100 miles
    • DWhen another driver reported the same vehicle

    Under 49 CFR 396.11(a)(2)(i), as amended in 2026, a driver is not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver. The exception applies to property- and passenger-carrying vehicles. It does not remove the duty to inspect or any carrier or state procedure.

    49 CFR § 396.11 · § 396.11(a)(2)(i) — No-defect exception · verified 2026-09-23

  13. Which group consists of parts included in the federal minimum list for an applicable driver vehicle inspection report?

    • AOnly the parts replaced since the last trip
    • BOnly the brakes and the tires
    • CBrakes, steering, lights, tires and coupling devicesCorrect
    • DOnly the items the dispatcher asks about

    The listed brakes, steering, lights, tires, and coupling devices are included. The full list also covers such items as the horn, wipers, mirrors, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment; this answer is a group from that list, not the complete list.

    49 CFR § 396.11 · 396.11(a)(1) minimum parts and accessories · verified 2026-09-07

  14. How long must the carrier keep a driver vehicle inspection report on file?

    • AFive years from the date it was prepared
    • BTwo weeks from the date it was prepared
    • COne year from the date it was prepared
    • DThree months from the date it was preparedCorrect

    The carrier keeps the report, the certification of repairs, and the driver's review certification for three months from the date the report was written.

    49 CFR § 396.11 · Retention period for reports · verified 2026-09-08

  15. The last required vehicle-inspection report lists defects and certified repairs. What must the driver do before driving?

    • AReview it and sign to acknowledge the certified repairsCorrect
    • BSend it to the state agency by fax
    • CCopy its contents onto the new report
    • DAttach it to the shipping paperwork

    Before driving, the driver must be satisfied the vehicle is safe and review the last required report. When that report lists defects and includes the carrier's repair certification, the driver signs to acknowledge the certification.

    49 CFR § 396.13 · Driver inspection · verified 2026-09-08

  16. How often must pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency-door marking lights on a bus be inspected?

    • AAt least every 30 days
    • BAt least every 90 daysCorrect
    • CAt least every two years
    • DOnly after a reported fault

    Federal maintenance rules require a bus operator to inspect pushout windows, emergency doors, and emergency-door marking lights at least every 90 days, and to keep the required record.

    eCFR 49 CFR 396.3 — Inspection, repair, and maintenance · 396.3(a)(1) — Bus emergency exits and marking lights · verified 2026-09-07

  17. In a combination, which units need their own periodic inspection?

    • AOnly the trailer carrying the freight
    • BOnly the power unit pulling the load
    • CEach unit, including the converter dollyCorrect
    • DOnly the units built in the last decade

    The rule counts each vehicle in a combination separately, so the tractor, the semitrailer, the full trailer and its dolly are each inspected.

    49 CFR § 396.17 · Periodic inspection of combination vehicles · verified 2026-09-08

  18. How long must a carrier keep the maintenance records for a vehicle it controls?

    • ATen years, matching the license record rule
    • BThirty days, then the file may be destroyed
    • CThree months, matching the daily report rule
    • DOne year, plus six months after it leaves the fleetCorrect

    Maintenance records are kept where the vehicle is housed for one year, and for six months after the vehicle leaves the carrier's control.

    49 CFR § 396.3 · Record retention · verified 2026-09-08

  19. How much driving time may a property-carrying driver plan into one shift?

    • A14 hours, inside a 16-hour window
    • B11 hours, inside a 14-hour windowCorrect
    • C10 hours, inside a 12-hour window
    • D8 hours, inside a 10-hour window

    After 10 consecutive hours off duty a driver may drive 11 hours, and no driving is allowed after the fourteenth consecutive hour of the shift.

    49 CFR § 395.3 · Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles · verified 2026-08-13

  20. When does the required 30-minute interruption of driving fall in your plan?

    • AImmediately after the first fuel stop
    • BBefore more than 4 hours of driving time pass
    • CBefore more than 8 hours of driving time passCorrect
    • DAt the midpoint of the 14-hour window

    Driving is not permitted once 8 hours of driving time have passed without a consecutive 30-minute break, which can be off duty, sleeper or on-duty not driving.

    49 CFR § 395.3 · Interruption of driving periods · verified 2026-08-13