General Knowledge · Practice test 14

Question 1Not answered

Why should you use your headlights, even during the day, when driving in shaded areas like a tunnel or heavy tree cover?

1. It is only relevant to motorcycles, not trucks
2. Headlights should be turned off in shaded areas to help save the battery
3. Daytime headlight use has no effect on visibility to others
4. They make your vehicle more visible to others in reduced light conditions

Question 2Not answered

Before backing into a loading dock, what should you check regarding the dock itself?

1. Only that the dock door is open, nothing else needs checking
2. The dock's paint color, since that indicates load type
3. Whether another truck backed in successfully at that same dock earlier that day, though that is not correct
4. That the dock plate, bumpers, and surrounding area are clear and appropriate for your trailer height

Question 3Not answered

How does your line of sight need to change when driving a truck compared to a car, given the higher seating position?

1. It only matters when driving downhill
2. Higher seating eliminates all blind spots
3. You can often see farther over traffic, but close objects near the front of the vehicle may be harder to see
4. Your line of sight only changes when driving an empty trailer, not a loaded one, a habit that's hard to unlearn around position

Question 4Not answered

Which factor most increases the total stopping distance of a heavy vehicle compared to a car traveling at the same speed?

1. Its shorter wheelbase
2. Its greater weight, which lengthens braking distance
3. Its lower center of gravity, which keeps more weight over the front axle during hard braking
4. Its smaller tires

Question 5Not answered

Why must a driver who tests positive for a controlled substance be removed from safety-sensitive duties before returning to driving?

1. The removal is permanent and cannot be reversed under any process at all
2. It is only a company policy with no federal basis
3. It applies only to drivers with more than one prior violation
4. To protect public safety and to complete a required return-to-duty process

Question 6Not answered

Besides tapping your brakes, what is another way to let other drivers know you intend to turn?

1. Slowing to a near stop well before the intersection with no signal
2. Using your turn signal early enough for following traffic to react
3. Waiting until you are turning the wheel to activate the signal
4. Speeding up right before the turn so it happens quickly

Question 7Not answered

Why do the hours-of-service rules include exceptions, such as the adverse driving conditions exception?

1. To eliminate all daily driving limits during any bad weather
2. To apply only to drivers hauling hazardous materials
3. To let drivers extend their hours by a fixed two hours on any day they choose, though it only feels that way with exception
4. To allow limited extra driving time when unexpected conditions, like sudden weather, slow a trip beyond the driver's control

Question 8Not answered

How should you respond if you feel the drive wheels of your truck start to spin and lose traction while accelerating?

1. Press the accelerator harder to power through the loss of traction
2. Ease off the accelerator until traction returns
3. Apply the trailer brakes only
4. Shift to a higher gear immediately

Question 9Not answered

Why do you need more space to stop safely when carrying a heavier load, even with correctly adjusted brakes?

1. Weight has no relationship to the space needed to stop
2. Heavier loads only increase stopping distance above a certain fixed speed, something that trips up drivers unfamiliar with brakes
3. More weight increases the vehicle's momentum, requiring a longer distance for the brakes to overcome it
4. It only matters for vehicles without ABS

Question 10Not answered

How does a period of consecutive off-duty time affect a driver's weekly hours-of-service window?

1. The weekly window can never be reset once it starts
2. A long enough consecutive rest period can reset the weekly on-duty limit, opening up a fresh window
3. Off-duty time only resets the daily window, never the weekly one
4. Any amount of off-duty time, even a few minutes, resets the entire week, which isn't obvious without real window experience

Question 11Not answered

If the trailer begins to sway or fishtail behind you, what is a key part of the correct response?

1. Accelerate to pull the trailer back in line
2. Brake hard immediately to stop the sway
3. Ease off the accelerator gradually rather than braking hard or steering sharply
4. Accelerate gently to pull the trailer straight back in line behind the tractor

Question 12Not answered

Who should you notify as part of your company's procedure after any crash, even a minor one?

1. Your dispatcher or safety department, following your carrier's reporting procedure
2. Only your immediate supervisor, since dispatch handles it from there automatically
3. No one, unless the crash involves an injury
4. Only your personal insurance company

Question 13Not answered

What makes a parked car with its front wheels turned toward the street a hazard to watch for?

1. It indicates the car has a flat tire
2. It means the driver is loading cargo
3. It has no particular meaning for other drivers
4. It may be about to pull out into traffic

Question 14Not answered

What is the consequence for a commercial driver who refuses a required drug or alcohol test?

1. There is no consequence as long as the driver explains why they refused
2. Refusal only matters for post-crash testing, not random testing
3. It is generally treated the same as testing positive
4. It only results in a warning for a first-time refusal

Question 15Not answered

When double-clutching to upshift, why do you briefly return the gearshift to neutral before engaging the next gear?

1. To check the oil pressure gauge
2. To let the engine and gear speeds match so the gears mesh without grinding
3. To reduce fuel consumption
4. To warn other drivers with your brake lights before you have finished shifting

Question 16Not answered

What information should be exchanged with another driver after a minor accident?

1. No information needs to be exchanged if there's no visible damage
2. Only your license plate number, since the rest is on file with the DMV, a habit that's hard to unlearn around accident
3. Only vehicle color and make, nothing else
4. Names, contact information, insurance details, and vehicle/license plate information

Question 17Not answered

While inspecting the trailer coupling area, what should you check the fifth wheel locking jaws for?

1. That they are loose enough to allow the trailer to slide slightly
2. That they are painted a bright color for visibility
3. That they match the color of the tractor frame
4. That they are fully closed and locked around the kingpin

Question 18Not answered

When starting to move from a stop on level ground, what is the most common mistake new drivers make with the clutch?

1. Pressing it with the wrong foot
2. Releasing it too quickly and stalling the engine or lurching forward
3. Using it while the parking brake is set, which is required
4. Holding it down too long after the truck is already moving smoothly

Question 19Not answered

What generally happens if you try to shift into a gear that is too high for your current road speed?

1. The vehicle speeds up faster than normal to match the new gear
2. The engine may lug, struggling to pull the load, or the gears may grind and refuse to engage
3. The transmission automatically shifts back down without the driver needing to do anything
4. Fuel economy improves immediately regardless of engine strain

Question 20Not answered

What should you factor into your trip plan regarding known low bridges or weight-restricted roads on your route?

1. Assume GPS routing will always correctly avoid them
2. Identify them in advance and plan an alternate path around any your vehicle cannot safely use
3. Low bridges and weight limits apply only on state highways, not interstates, which some drivers pick up wrong about route
4. It is unnecessary to check this before departing

Question 21Not answered

Why is space management especially important when your vehicle is being tailgated by another driver?

1. Increasing your own following distance ahead gives you more room to slow gradually rather than braking suddenly
2. The correct response is always to speed up to put distance between you and them, a common blind spot when it comes to driver
3. Tailgating only matters if it happens on a two-lane road
4. Tailgating from behind only matters if you also need to brake suddenly

Question 22Not answered

In fog, why should you increase your following distance even more than you would in normal conditions?

1. Reduced visibility means you may not see a hazard or stopped vehicle until you're already close to it
2. Fog reduces tire traction directly, so following distance is unrelated
3. Extra following distance is only needed in dense fog, not in a light mist, though the reality of conditions says otherwise
4. Fog has no effect on stopping distance, only on visibility of road signs

Question 23Not answered

During your pre-trip walk-around, you notice the steering wheel has more than the allowed amount of free play before the wheels start to turn. What does this indicate?

1. The power steering fluid is simply low and can be topped off after the trip
2. The steering linkage may be worn or loose and needs inspection before driving
3. It only matters at highway speed, not for local driving
4. This is normal on larger trucks and requires no action

Question 24Not answered

Why should you leave extra space behind your vehicle when stopped in traffic, not just in front?

1. It mainly gives you room to pull forward if someone bumps you from behind, not to prevent a hit, something that rarely comes up around front
2. Space behind only matters when the vehicle is parked overnight
3. It gives you room to maneuver forward if you're bumped from behind, and helps if you need to move without backing immediately
4. It is only relevant for vehicles towing a trailer

Question 25Not answered

What is the first priority at the scene of an accident you are involved in?

1. Protect the area and prevent further crashes, such as by setting out warning devices
2. Exchange insurance information first
3. Call your dispatcher before doing anything else
4. Move all vehicles immediately, regardless of injuries, so traffic can start flowing again right away

Question 26Not answered

What is an indirect clue that might warn you of a hazard before it becomes obvious, like a ball rolling into the street?

1. Signs of children playing nearby, such as bikes or toys near the curb, which suggest a child could follow
2. Indirect clues are not useful and should be ignored in favor of only obvious hazards, though that is not correct
3. Indirect clues only matter on highways, not residential streets
4. Only direct sightings of a hazard count as useful warning information

Question 27Not answered

What is the purpose of recording your duty status throughout the day as a commercial driver?

1. It is only used to calculate pay, not for safety purposes
2. Duty status records mainly exist for payroll purposes, not for safety tracking
3. Duty status records are optional paperwork with no real safety purpose
4. It exists mainly to track fuel usage during the shift

Question 28Not answered

What happens to a vehicle's stopping distance when speed doubles, all else being equal?

1. Stopping distance stays about the same regardless of speed
2. Stopping distance increases by much more than double, since braking distance grows with the square of speed
3. Stopping distance exactly doubles as well
4. Stopping distance only doubles along with speed, not increases by more than that, a detail that's easy to miss with equal

Question 29Not answered

Why is it useful to check your mirrors periodically even when you do not plan to change lanes or turn?

1. Mirrors only matter right before a turn, not the rest of the drive, which sounds right but isn't, at least for turn
2. It is required only on multi-lane highways
3. It builds general awareness of what is happening around your vehicle at all times
4. It is unnecessary unless a maneuver is about to happen

Question 30Not answered

Why does cargo placed too high in a trailer make a vehicle harder to control?

1. It raises the center of gravity, increasing the risk of a rollover in curves
2. It only affects braking distance, not how the vehicle handles going into a turn
3. It has no effect on handling
4. It only reduces fuel economy