Alaska CDL Practice Test

Not quite. The answer is If you have a CB radio, use it to notify the police before you exit your vehicle.

If you have a cell phone or CB radio, the first thing you should do is call for assistance before you get out of your vehicle. If not, first protect the area by turning on your four-way flashers and placing reflective triangles to warn other traffic. Then ask someone to call the police for you.

Not quite. The answer is used when it is safe and legal to do so.

High beams will help you see farther ahead at night, making you a safer driver. However, to prevent blinding other drivers, dim your headlights whenever you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or within 500 feet of a vehicle you are following.

Not quite. The answer is both of the above.

During Step 3 of the Seven-Step Inspection Method, confirm that the steering wheel, clutch, gas pedal, brakes, transmission, horn, windshield wipers, lights, and turn signals are all in good condition and neither sticking nor too loose. There are other actions you must perform in this step as well.

Not quite. The answer is release the parking brake as you apply engine power.

If you start to move your vehicle when facing uphill, you need to take steps to keep from rolling back. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, partly engage the clutch before you take your right foot off the brake. Put on the parking brake whenever necessary to keep from rolling back. Release the parking brake only when you have applied enough engine power to keep from rolling back. On a tractor-trailer equipped with a trailer brake hand valve, the hand valve can be applied to keep from rolling back until you've built up engine power.

Not quite. The answer is empty.

Trucks brake best when they are used as they were designed: to carry a properly balanced load. When a combination vehicle is empty or lightly loaded, its braking distance increases. The very stiff suspension springs and strong brakes give poor traction and make it very easy to lock the wheels.

Not quite. The answer is The coolant temperature gauge will rise to normal operating temperature.

As part of your pre-trip inspection, start the engine and check the gauges. Oil pressure should rise to normal levels in seconds. Air pressure should build from 50 to 90 psi within 3 minutes. Coolant temperature should start rising gradually to the normal operating range. In diesel engines, manifold exhaust gas temperatures can easily reach hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit.

Not quite. The answer is grayish white.

In the wintertime, road salt used to clear snow and ice makes a road look grayish white. Therefore, if the road ahead looks black and shiny, be suspicious. It may be covered with a thin layer of ice known as black ice, which can be very slippery.

Not quite. The answer is All of the above

When planning or following a route, you have a lot more to consider than a car driver does. GPS navigation apps designed for truckers are programmed to deal with many of those issues. If you input the dimensions and weight of your truck, the navigation app will select an appropriate route so you won't violate road restrictions on trucks, height restrictions, or legal truck weight limits. For loads of hazardous materials, some apps will select a route that avoids roads on which hazmat transportation is prohibited. Apps can also help you locate truck stops, diesel fuel stations, weigh stations, and DOT inspection stations. However, always bear in mind that GPS navigators aren't perfect. Truckers sometimes complain that their navigators misled them with wrong or confusing navigation instructions. For this reason, it's wise to double-check the GPS navigator's directions against hardcopy paper maps, such as those in the Rand McNally Deluxe Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. Like the GPS navigators, the Atlas also contains information on restricted routes, low-clearance locations, and weigh station locations.

Not quite. The answer is The total weight of a single vehicle and its load

GVW is the simplest of the vehicle weight terms, defined as the weight of just a single vehicle and the load that it is carrying.

Not quite. The answer is 40%.

Rapid acceleration and changes in speed can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40 percent. Cruise control can help maintain a fuel-efficient steady speed on the highway.

Not quite. The answer is Depress the clutch pedal all the way to the floor.

In large CMVs, manual transmissions are usually unsynchronized. You can shift gears by double clutching or floating the gears. To shift into low gear when your vehicle is stopped and the engine is idling, you can engage the clutch brake. This stops the transmission's input shaft (connected to the engine) from rotating so you can smoothly shift into low gear. To engage the clutch brake, depress the clutch pedal all the way to the floor. Never engage the clutch brake while your vehicle is moving; doing so can damage the clutch brake.

Not quite. The answer is Both of the above are true.

Alcohol first affects a driver's judgment and self-control, and then it affects coordination, vision, and muscle control. These are all essential driving skills. Impairment of these skills significantly increases the chance of an accident. For a first offense of driving a commercial vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will lose your CDL for at least one year. In fact, you will also lose your CDL for a first offense of driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or higher, even though 0.04% is below the legal limit for licensed adult car drivers.

Not quite. The answer is Brakes absorb more heat to stop heavier vehicles.

Brakes use friction to convert the kinetic energy of your moving vehicle into heat. However, overuse of the brakes (which can happen if you don't use engine braking enough) can generate so much heat that brakes can fade (lose their effectiveness) or fail.

Not quite. The answer is 4 seconds

The formula for following distance is one second per ten feet of vehicle, plus an extra second if you are traveling over 40 mph. Therefore, for a 40-foot vehicle traveling at 35 mph, you should leave a following distance of four seconds.

Not quite. The answer is Pulling forward while backing a trailer to reposition it

When backing a vehicle, especially a tractor-trailer, you may need to pull forward to straighten the vehicle or reposition it for a better angle. This corrective maneuver is called a pull-up. Note, however, that you should be able to back your vehicle successfully without too many such corrections. During your CDL skills test, your examiner may penalize you for too many pull-ups.

Not quite. The answer is 10 feet behind and up to 500 feet behind your vehicle.

This is required by federal regulation 49 CFR 392.22. This regulation also specifies where to place warning devices on other types of roadways such as undivided two-way roads and hills. These situations are also covered in the section on "Communicating Your Presence" in the Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual.

Not quite. The answer is 320 feet

Distracted driving is dangerous. 55 mph equals 80.7 feet per second. In 4 seconds, your CMV will travel 4 × 80.7 = 323 feet. For that entire distance, your eyes will be watching your phone, not the road. Studies have shown that drivers take an average of 3.8 seconds to dial their cell phones. The length of a football playing field (i.e., not counting the two end zones) is 300 feet.

Not quite. The answer is Leave your high beams on.

To avoid blinding other drivers, dim your headlights whenever you're within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or within 500 feet of a vehicle you are following.

Not quite. The answer is Before you drive, make sure that the cab heater is working.

Make sure your vehicle is ready before you drive it in winter weather. Among other things, check that the cab heater is working, and make sure you know how to operate it. However, don't overuse the heater. An excessively warm cab can make you drowsy while you're behind the wheel, which is dangerous. Keep cool to stay alert. If you expect to use other heaters also (e.g., mirror heaters, battery box heaters, or fuel tank heaters), check their operation as well before you drive.

Not quite. The answer is any detectable amount.

If your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is found to be 0.04% or more, you can be charged with driving under the influence (DUI). (An average 180-pound man may reach a BAC above 0.04% after drinking just two cans of beer.) If you are found to have any detectable amount of alcohol in your system under 0.04%, you will be placed out-of-service for 24 hours.