North Dakota CDL: Passenger Vehicles Practice Test

Not quite. The answer is All of the above

If the coach bus has a restroom (lavatory), check the following during your pre-trip inspection of the vehicle: (1) The restroom must be clean overall. (2) The Vacant/Occupied indicator must be present, clean, undamaged, and working properly. (3) The restroom lights must work properly when the restroom door is closed. (4) The restroom must be properly stocked with enough soap and toilet paper for the trip, and (these days) hand sanitizer as well.

Not quite. The answer is safe for cars in good weather.

Each curve has a safe "design speed," which is its safe speed for cars in good weather. However, at that speed, a bus is more prone to rolling over. And it may not be safe for any vehicles to travel at that speed in bad weather. In particular, a bus could go sliding right off the road. For safety on curves, slow down below the posted speed. If your bus is leaning outward on a banked curve, you are driving too fast.

Not quite. The answer is regularly as part of your scan for potential hazards.

While driving, scan the interior of your bus as well as the road ahead, to the sides, and to the rear. Check your mirrors regularly. You need to make regular checks of your mirrors to be aware of traffic and to keep an eye on your vehicle. Check more often in special situations.

Not quite. The answer is make things look smaller and farther than they really are.

A convex mirror has a wider field of view than a flat mirror. However, objects viewed in a convex mirror look smaller and farther away than they really are. Remember this when you're trying to judge the distance of an object that you're viewing in a convex mirror.

Not quite. The answer is watch for poles and tree branches.

School and mass transit buses sometimes scrape off mirrors or hit passing vehicles when pulling out from a bus stop. Remember the clearance your bus needs, and watch for poles and tree limbs at stops. Know the size of the gap your bus needs to accelerate and merge with traffic. Wait for the gap to open before you leave the stop. Never assume that other drivers will brake to leave you room when you signal or start to pull out.

Not quite. The answer is not shift gears

If your bus has a manual transmission, do not shift gears while crossing a raised railroad crossing. Shifting gears on a raised railroad crossing increases the chance that your vehicle will stall and get stuck on the tracks.

Not quite. The answer is Yes.

Passenger buses can carry up to 100 pounds of each class of hazardous materials and up to 500 pounds total. However, there are some exceptions. Division 2.3 (poison gas) and liquid Class 6 (poison) cannot be carried in any amounts. Explosives and radioactives cannot be carried in the passenger area.

Not quite. The answer is Tornado

In most extreme situations, it is safer for the passengers to remain inside the bus – but not in the case of a tornado. First, you can't hope to outrun a tornado. The tornado can skip from one point and touch down at another point unpredictably. Second, the tornado can destroy much of what lies in its path. Therefore, when a tornado is around, evacuate the bus, and get everyone to shelter in the basement or other safe room of a nearby building. If no such shelter is available, get the passengers into a ditch or ravine (but not underneath a bridge or overpass), and instruct them to lie face down with their hands over their head. In the extremely unlikely event that lightning hits your bus, it should pass around the metal exterior of the bus. However, stay off the radio. Lightning can travel down antennas and through electronic gear. Have your passengers stay inside the bus, and stay away from the sides of the bus.

Not quite. The answer is don't talk with riders.

While driving, stay focused on the driving task. Keep an eye on your riders, but don't talk with them or engage in any other distracting activities.

Not quite. The answer is 50 feet

When you approach a drawbridge without a signal light or traffic control attendant, you must stop at least 50 feet before the draw of the bridge to make sure that the drawbridge is closed and safe to cross.

Not quite. The answer is small-arms ammunition

Passenger buses can carry up to 100 pounds of certain hazardous materials, such as small-arms ammunition labeled "Limited Quantity," emergency hospital supplies, and drugs. However, there are some exceptions. Division 2.3 (poison gases) and liquid Class 6 (poisons) cannot be carried in any amounts. Class 1 (explosives) and Class 7 (labeled radioactives) cannot be carried in the passenger area.

Not quite. The answer is 15 to 50 feet

At a railroad crossing, you must stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail. Don't proceed across until you are sure that no trains are coming. (Don't trust the railroad crossing signals alone; signals can malfunction.)

Not quite. The answer is do any of the above.

If you have a drunk or disruptive passenger, you have a few options for the safety of all concerned. If possible, follow your carrier's guidelines for dealing with such passengers. Otherwise, you may drop the passenger off at the next scheduled stop or in any clean, well-lighted place where there are many people.

Not quite. The answer is all of the above.

Relatively small amounts of hazardous materials that are packaged to reduce risk may be classified as a “Limited Quantity (LQ).” Examples include aerosol cans and chemicals (such as bleaches) that are intended to be sold retail to consumers. LQ materials are exempt from the usual shipping paper requirements for hazmat. Also, a vehicle transporting only LQ packages does not have to be placarded. The maximum allowed amounts and the federal packaging requirements for LQ depend on the hazard class of the material. The outer packaging of each LQ package must bear the diamond-shaped Limited Quantity mark. This mark replaces the older “Other Regulated Materials – Domestic (ORM-D)” designation, which was phased out by December 31, 2020. Unlike ORM-D, Limited Quantity packages may be shipped internationally, subject to United Nations (UN) and other international requirements.

Not quite. The answer is in front of the standee line.

No rider may stand forward of the rear of the driver’s seat. Buses designed to allow standing must have a two-inch line on the floor or some other means of showing riders where they cannot stand. This is called the standee line. All standing riders must stay behind it.

Not quite. The answer is slow down.

You should always be able to stop within the distance you can see ahead. Your low-beam headlights let you see only about 250 feet ahead. At 55 mph, your vehicle will travel 250 feet in just 3.1 seconds – not enough time to notice and safely avoid a hazard that's within 250 feet of you. At 30 mph, your vehicle will travel 250 feet in 5.7 seconds.

Not quite. The answer is You need about four times as much braking distance at 40 mph as at 20 mph.

When you increase your speed, your braking distance increases as the square of the speed increase. If you double your speed, your braking distance will be four times as great.

Not quite. The answer is driving safely and transporting passengers safely.

You must have a Passenger (P) endorsement on your CDL to drive a vehicle with 16 or more occupants including yourself. To obtain this endorsement, you must meet several requirements including passing a knowledge test and a skills test in a vehicle that is representative of the class of vehicle you will be driving professionally. The knowledge test covers safe commercial driving and safe transportation of passengers. These subjects are covered in chapters 2 and 4 of the North Dakota Commercial Drivers License Manual. Note: If you plan to drive buses with air brakes, you must also pass a separate knowledge test on air brakes, and the vehicle for the skills test must have air brakes. Otherwise your North Dakota CDL will include restriction L, which will limit you to driving vehicles without air brakes.

Not quite. The answer is small-arms ammunition marked "Limited Quantity."

Buses may carry small-arms ammunition marked "Limited Quantity" (relatively small quantity of hazmat; formerly "ORM-D"), emergency hospital supplies, and drugs. Buses may carry small amounts of some other hazardous materials if the shipper cannot send them any other way. Buses may not carry more than 100 pounds of any class or more than 500 pounds total.

Not quite. The answer is all of the above.

Many charter and intercity carriers have passenger comfort and safety rules. Mention these rules to your passengers at the start of the trip. While driving, scan the interior of your bus as well as the road ahead, to the sides, and to the rear. You may have to remind riders about the safety rules, or warn them to keep their arms and heads inside the bus.