General Knowledge · Practice test 8

Question 1Not answered

What is one purpose of random controlled substance and alcohol testing programs for commercial drivers?

1. To test only drivers who have already had a prior violation on record, which only seems true until you deal with drivers
2. To deter and detect drug or alcohol use without advance warning to the driver
3. To replace pre-employment testing entirely
4. To test drivers only after they are involved in a crash

Question 2Not answered

Why is it important to know your transmission's shift pattern before driving a new vehicle?

1. Grinding gears or missing a shift is more likely if you are unfamiliar with the pattern
2. Shift patterns only matter for automatic transmissions, not manual ones, a habit that's hard to unlearn around vehicle
3. It affects only the radio and dashboard layout
4. It is only relevant for automatic transmissions

Question 3Not answered

Why should you pay extra attention when driving near a school zone or playground, even without a posted warning?

1. School zones always have lower vehicle traffic than other areas
2. Playgrounds have no real connection to road safety for drivers
3. Extra attention is only legally required when a crossing guard is present
4. Children can be unpredictable and may enter the road without warning

Question 4Not answered

Your accelerator pedal becomes stuck while driving at highway speed. What is an appropriate response?

1. Pump the accelerator repeatedly to try to free it
2. Turn the engine off and let go of the steering wheel
3. Continue driving normally, since easing off the pedal usually frees it back up, an easy mistake to make with response
4. Shift to neutral or turn off the engine if needed, while keeping steering control, and brake to slow down

Question 5Not answered

A driver behind you is following too closely (tailgating). What is a reasonable response?

1. Speed up so the gap increases quickly
2. Brake sharply to warn them off
3. Increase your following distance ahead so you can slow down more gradually if needed
4. Change lanes repeatedly to try to shake the tailgating driver off your bumper, which most training glosses over about response

Question 6Not answered

What is the purpose of practicing emergency procedures mentally, such as imagining your response to a blowout, before they actually happen?

1. It is only useful for new drivers, not experienced ones
2. It has no real value since every emergency is different
3. It helps you react correctly under the stress of a real emergency instead of freezing or overreacting
4. It only helps once a driver has already faced that exact emergency before, which sounds right but isn't, at least for happen

Question 7Not answered

You feel too drowsy to drive safely, but you are still within your legal hours-of-service limit. What should you do?

1. Keep driving since you are still within your legal hours-of-service limit for that shift, an easy mistake to make with limit
2. Stop driving and rest, since being legally allowed to drive does not mean it is safe to continue
3. Open the window and drive faster to stay alert
4. Drink caffeine and continue at the same pace

Question 8Not answered

Why does a heavily loaded truck need a greater stopping distance than an empty one at the same speed?

1. More weight means more momentum, which takes longer for the brakes to overcome
2. Loaded trucks only need more stopping distance above highway speed, not below it
3. It only matters if the load is unsecured
4. Weight has no real effect on stopping distance

Question 9Not answered

Your front wheels begin to skid while braking on a wet road. What is the correct response?

1. Ease off the brake and straighten the wheels until traction returns, then brake more gently
2. Accelerate to pull the front end straight
3. Keep braking at the same pressure while turning harder into the skid
4. Turn the wheel sharply away from the direction the vehicle is sliding, then hold it there

Question 10Not answered

During a dust storm or extremely low-visibility event, what is generally the safest response?

1. Pull off the road as far as possible, turn off your lights, and wait it out
2. Follow the taillights of the vehicle ahead closely to stay on the road, though that is not correct
3. Slow down slightly but keep driving with your hazard lights on
4. Speed up to clear the low-visibility area as quickly as possible

Question 11Not answered

Before driving a mountain route in winter, why should you check whether tire chains are required?

1. It has no bearing on trip planning, since most mountain routes stay open all winter, which sounds right but isn't, at least for required
2. Some mountain routes legally require chains in winter conditions, and being unprepared can leave you unable to continue safely or legally
3. Chain requirements apply only to passenger vehicles, not commercial trucks
4. Chains are only ever a matter of driver preference, never a requirement

Question 12Not answered

If your cargo spills onto the roadway after a crash, what is a key first concern beyond checking for injuries?

1. Whether the spilled cargo itself creates an additional hazard for traffic or responders
2. Spilled cargo only becomes a concern if it happens to block a full lane, something few drivers think about with injuries
3. Whether the shipper will be upset about the delay
4. Whether the cargo can be reloaded before police arrive

Question 13Not answered

Why should you scan farther ahead on the highway than you do in city driving?

1. There is nothing to look at closer up on a highway
2. Higher speeds mean hazards close in faster, so you need more advance warning to react in time
3. Highways never have any hazards close to the vehicle
4. Scanning distance only needs to increase in heavy city traffic, not on open highways where hazards develop more slowly

Question 14Not answered

Why should a driver treat a parked car with its wheels turned toward the street as a potential hazard?

1. It only matters if the car's engine is clearly running
2. Turned wheels on a parked car only matter on a hill, nowhere else, a common blind spot when it comes to hazard
3. It is a legal violation, not a safety concern
4. It may pull out into traffic, and the turned wheels suggest the driver is preparing to move

Question 15Not answered

Why should you avoid resting your foot on the clutch pedal while driving, other than when shifting?

1. It improves fuel economy to keep light pressure on the clutch at all times
2. It can cause premature clutch wear and unintended partial disengagement
3. It is required in slow-moving traffic
4. It has no effect on the clutch at all

Question 16Not answered

As part of the whole vehicle air brake check, you creep the vehicle forward and press the brake pedal firmly. What are you looking for?

1. That the radio works properly
2. Any tendency to veer to one side, or a brake grabbing or dragging unevenly
3. That the fuel gauge reads correctly
4. That the mirrors are adjusted correctly for the position you are sitting in

Question 17Not answered

During the air brake pre-trip check, why do you test how quickly the air compressor builds pressure?

1. Build-up rate has no bearing on safe operation
2. It only matters on vehicles equipped with the older style of air compressor, which most training glosses over about pressure
3. It is checked only to estimate fuel economy
4. A compressor that builds pressure too slowly may not keep up with brake usage during driving

Question 18Not answered

What driving adjustment is most important when crossing a bridge or overpass in freezing conditions?

1. Treat it as more likely to be icy than the road surrounding it, since bridges freeze first
2. No special adjustment is needed unless the bridge deck is visibly wet, an assumption that doesn't hold up with conditions
3. Speed up slightly to cross the bridge before ice can form
4. Only overpasses need caution, not bridges over water

Question 19Not answered

During the pre-trip check, you find one of the mud flaps torn nearly off. Is this a concern?

1. No, mud flaps only matter on vehicles that haul loose gravel or dirt, a common blind spot when it comes to concern
2. Only relevant for vehicles crossing into Canada
3. Yes, a torn or missing mud flap can be an out-of-service condition and lets debris fly
4. Only if it is raining at the time of inspection

Question 20Not answered

What duty status should a driver log while performing a pre-trip inspection?

1. Sleeper berth
2. Off duty, since the vehicle is not yet moving
3. On-duty, not driving
4. Driving, since the engine may be running

Question 21Not answered

In extremely cold weather, why should you check your vehicle's fuel and air systems more carefully before a trip?

1. It only matters if the vehicle will be parked outside overnight, not while driving, a common blind spot when it comes to trip
2. Checking these systems is only necessary in hot weather, not cold
3. Fuel can gel and moisture in the air system can freeze, both of which can leave you stranded
4. Cold weather has no meaningful effect on fuel or air systems

Question 22Not answered

What is a blind spot, and where do trucks typically have large ones?

1. The dashboard area blocked by the steering wheel
2. An area around the vehicle that the driver cannot see in the mirrors, especially alongside and behind the trailer
3. A term that only applies to the space directly behind a trailer, nowhere else, though that's not how ones actually works
4. The area directly in front of the windshield

Question 23Not answered

Why should you avoid resting your foot on the clutch pedal while driving?

1. It has no effect on the clutch as long as the pedal isn't pressed all the way down
2. It only matters when the vehicle is fully loaded
3. Resting your foot there actually helps the clutch last longer
4. Constant light pressure can cause the clutch to slip and wear out prematurely

Question 24Not answered

What is the most effective way to prevent a skid before it starts?

1. Use the parking brake instead of the service brake in wet weather to avoid locking the wheels
2. Accelerate slightly through curves to keep the tires warm
3. Keep tire pressure as high as possible regardless of conditions
4. Drive at a speed appropriate for conditions and make steering and braking inputs smoothly

Question 25Not answered

Why should you never rely solely on the dashboard air pressure gauge without also physically testing the brakes during a pre-trip check?

1. The gauge only needs checking once a year during a formal inspection, though it only feels that way with check
2. Gauges never fail on air brake systems
3. Physical brake tests are only required once a year
4. A gauge can fail or read incorrectly, so a physical test confirms the brakes actually respond

Question 26Not answered

Before taking a new over-the-counter medication and then driving, what should you do?

1. Check whether it causes drowsiness or other side effects that could impair driving
2. Only worry about side effects if you're driving through the night on a long-haul trip
3. Assume it's safe since it doesn't require a prescription
4. Take it only after the shift ends, regardless of what it's for

Question 27Not answered

Before downshifting for an upcoming curve, what should you do first?

1. Slow to an appropriate speed before shifting, so you're not braking and shifting through the curve itself
2. Brake while already in the curve, then downshift once the turn is finished, though that's not how first actually works
3. Shift to neutral through the entire curve
4. Accelerate slightly to make the downshift smoother

Question 28Not answered

If you see a placarded vehicle involved in a crash ahead of you, what should general awareness tell you to do?

1. Approach closely to see if the driver needs help moving the vehicle
2. Keep your distance and avoid the immediate area until responders confirm it's safe
3. Drive past normally, since placards are just for record-keeping, not danger warnings
4. Placards on a crashed vehicle have no bearing on how bystanders should behave

Question 29Not answered

What should you specifically check right before completing a lane change, in addition to your earlier mirror checks?

1. Nothing further is needed once the turn signal has been on for a few seconds and traffic looked clear earlier
2. Only your speedometer, to confirm you are at the posted limit
3. Glance over your shoulder or check again to confirm the target lane is still clear
4. Only the fuel gauge, to plan your next stop

Question 30Not answered

Why might a driver choose to log a short break as off-duty time even when not legally required to, if they feel drowsy?

1. It has no benefit since fatigue is unrelated to logged hours
2. Taking the rest addresses the actual fatigue, which the hours-of-service limit alone does not guarantee is gone
3. Logging extra rest only matters if the driver is already close to the weekly limit, though the reality of drowsy says otherwise
4. Short breaks are illegal unless they last a full 10 hours