Montana MVD CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 10
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
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1. Which items belong to the in-cab part of the inspection?
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Answer D: Gauges, controls, mirrors, windshield, wipers, horn, heater and defroster
The in-cab step checks the instruments and controls the driver depends on, along with mirrors, glass, wipers, horn and the heater and defroster.
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2. You are backing a tractor-trailer in a straight line and the trailer starts to drift to the left. What is the standard correction?
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Answer D: Turn the top of the steering wheel a little to the left, toward the drift
Small corrections made in the direction the trailer is drifting bring it back into line; large or opposite movements make the drift worse.
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3. A sign before a long descent shows 6 percent. What does that number tell you?
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Answer A: How steep the grade ahead is
Percent grade is the drop in feet for every hundred feet of road, so the higher the number the faster speed will build and the lower the gear you need.
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4. Why should a driver avoid traveling alongside another vehicle for any length of time?
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Answer D: You lose your escape route and you may be sitting in the other driver blind spot
Running beside someone leaves nowhere to move if you have to change lanes, and the other driver may not know you are there at all.
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5. What actually lowers the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream?
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Answer B: Time
The liver removes alcohol at a fixed rate, so nothing but the passage of time reduces blood alcohol concentration.
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6. At 55 mph on dry pavement with good brakes, total stopping distance for a loaded heavy vehicle is roughly what?
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Answer B: About 400 feet or more
Perception, reaction, and braking together add up to roughly 400 feet or more, farther than the length of a football field.
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7. Your vehicle is stopped just past a hill or curve that hides it from approaching traffic. How should the warning devices be adjusted?
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Answer A: Move the rearmost device farther back, up to 500 feet, so drivers are warned before the obstruction
When a hill or curve blocks the view, the farthest device is moved back beyond the obstruction so approaching drivers see the warning in time.
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8. Federal rules require a power unit that is not carrying placarded hazardous materials to have a fire extinguisher with which minimum rating?
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Answer A: One rated 5 B:C or more, or two rated 4 B:C or more each
The minimum is a single unit rated 5 B:C or more, or two units of at least 4 B:C each, which is enough to attack a fuel or electrical fire.
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9. What is required of the hooks, rails, rings and anchor points that tiedowns attach to?
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Answer A: They must be part of the vehicle and strong enough for the load being secured
A tiedown is only as strong as what it is hooked to, so anchor points must be proper vehicle fittings rated for the job.
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10. How do you test for leaks in a hydraulic brake system during the pre-trip inspection?
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Answer A: Pump the pedal three times, then hold firm pressure for five seconds and make sure the pedal does not move
If the pedal sinks while you hold pressure, fluid is escaping or air is in the lines, and the vehicle must not be driven until the problem is repaired.
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11. What must the motor carrier do about a defect listed on a driver vehicle inspection report?
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Answer D: Repair it, or certify that repair is not needed, before the vehicle is dispatched again
A reported defect must be corrected, or certified as not needing correction, and that certification is what the next driver reads before taking the vehicle.
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12. A company mechanic serviced your truck this morning and signed the work order. Do you still have to inspect the vehicle?
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Answer B: Yes, the driver is still responsible for being satisfied the vehicle is safe
Shop work does not transfer the duty; the driver who takes the vehicle out remains responsible for being satisfied it is in safe operating condition.
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13. How does a driver keep a vehicle with a manual transmission from rolling back when starting on an upgrade?
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Answer D: Partly engage the clutch before the right foot leaves the brake, or hold the vehicle with the parking brake until the engine pulls
Something has to hold the vehicle during the instant the foot moves from the brake to the accelerator, and that is either the clutch at its engagement point or the parking brake.
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14. Where are the OVERSIZE LOAD signs normally carried on a vehicle moving under such a permit?
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Answer A: On the front and the rear of the vehicle
The warning signs face the traffic that meets the load and the traffic that comes up behind it, so they go on the front and the rear.
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15. What is the purpose of blocking placed against cargo on a trailer deck?
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Answer B: To fill the space around the cargo so it cannot slide
Blocking is shaped to fit snugly against the cargo and fastened to the deck, removing the room the load would need in order to move.
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16. Federal rules forbid operating a commercial vehicle in which condition?
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Answer C: In a condition likely to cause a crash or a breakdown
A defect that makes a crash or a breakdown likely has to be corrected before the vehicle is driven, not reported at the end of the trip.
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17. Your drive wheels start to spin and the rear begins to slide while you accelerate on a slick surface. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop accelerating and, if the vehicle has a manual transmission, push in the clutch
An acceleration skid ends when the drive wheels stop pushing, so easing off the throttle and disengaging the clutch lets them regain grip.
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18. What does safe practice require of a commercial driver who wants to eat, drink or read a delivery note?
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Answer B: Handle it before or after driving, not while moving
Anything that takes hands, eyes or attention away from the task belongs outside the driving time, not inside it.
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19. What does mountain driving demand that flat country driving does not?
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Answer D: Lower gears and constant allowance for gravity
In the mountains gravity works for you on the climb and against you on the descent, so gear selection and speed control matter far more than on level road.
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20. You can see a crack in a brake drum that runs across more than half the width of the friction surface. What does this mean?
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Answer C: The drum is defective and must be repaired before the vehicle is driven
Cracks longer than half the width of the friction area mean the drum can break apart under braking heat and must be replaced.
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21. A vehicle carries placards on its front, rear and both sides. What is the main purpose of those placards?
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Answer C: To tell emergency responders and other people what hazard the cargo presents
Placards warn everyone around the vehicle, especially emergency responders, about the kind of hazard the cargo presents.
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22. Why must the steering wheel be moved only a small amount at a time while backing?
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Answer B: Because a small turn of the wheel produces a large change at the rear of the vehicle
In reverse, the effect of the steering is greatly magnified at the back of the vehicle, so a small correction is usually all that is needed.
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23. A car ahead of you keeps drifting within its lane and moving unevenly. What should you assume?
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Answer C: The driver may be distracted, lost or impaired
Unsteady lane keeping is a classic clue to a driver who is not in full control, so the safe response is to keep back and give plenty of room.
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24. How does Montana price an interstate commercial driver license against an intrastate one?
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Answer C: Interstate costs $10 a year and intrastate $8.50 a year
Montana sets the commercial license fee at $10 a year or fraction of a year for interstate and $8.50 a year for intrastate.
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25. What is the correct order for a double clutch downshift?
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Answer D: Release the accelerator and push the clutch to reach neutral, release the clutch and press the accelerator to raise engine speed, then push the clutch again and select the lower gear
A lower gear turns faster than the one being left, so engine speed has to be raised in neutral before that gear will engage cleanly.
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26. When is tire pressure most accurately compared with the recommended figure?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, before the vehicle has been driven
Recommended pressures are cold pressures, so a reading taken before the tires have heated up is the only one that can be compared directly.
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27. How does Montana classify sending a text message on a mobile device while driving a commercial motor vehicle?
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Answer A: As a serious traffic violation on the commercial record
Montana lists using a mobile device to send text messages while operating a commercial motor vehicle among the serious traffic violations.
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28. Under the federal hours of service rules, when must a property-carrying driver take a 30 minute break?
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Answer C: After 8 cumulative hours of driving time
Driving is not allowed after 8 cumulative hours of driving time without at least a 30 consecutive minute interruption of driving.
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29. An enforcement officer inspects your vehicle at the roadside and attaches an out-of-service sticker. What may you do?
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Answer C: Nothing until the defect is repaired; the vehicle may not be driven
An out-of-service order means the vehicle is unsafe, and no schedule, load or destination allows it to be driven before the defect is corrected.
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30. A roadside test shows a commercial driver has measurable alcohol in the system but below 0.04. What happens?
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Answer C: The driver is placed out of service for 24 hours
Any measurable alcohol while on duty results in an immediate 24 hour out of service order, even when the concentration is under the 0.04 limit.
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31. When should a lower gear be selected for a long downgrade?
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Answer D: Before you start down the hill
The gear is chosen at the top, while speed is still low, because a heavy vehicle already rolling fast may not go into a lower gear at all.
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32. The shipper hands you the placards for a load that needs them. Who puts them on the vehicle?
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Answer C: The driver, who must also make sure they are the correct ones and are readable
The shipper supplies the placards, but it is the driver who must place them on the vehicle and confirm that they match the load and can be read.
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33. Which winter preparation matters most for keeping the road in view?
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Answer D: Working wipers, washer fluid and a working defroster
Slush and road spray coat the windshield within minutes in winter, so wipers, washer fluid and the defroster are what keep any view at all.
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34. Which lamp must make the rear registration plate legible after dark?
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Answer C: A white lamp that lights the plate
A white license plate lamp is required so the plate can be read at night, and a burned out one is a defect like any other lamp.
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35. During the walkaround you notice a bulge in the sidewall of a trailer tire. What does it indicate?
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Answer B: Damage inside the tire, which can lead to a sudden failure
A bulge means the internal structure has broken and only the rubber is holding the air, so the tire can burst without warning.
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36. Why must tiedowns be rechecked during a trip even when they were tight at the start?
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Answer C: Road vibration and cargo movement can loosen them as the miles go by
Straps and chains settle and loosen as the vehicle bounces and the cargo shifts slightly, so the load must be rechecked at the required intervals.
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37. Rust streaks are running outward from the lug nuts on one wheel. What does this most likely indicate?
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Answer C: The lug nuts may be loose
Rust trails spreading from the nuts are a classic sign that the nuts have worked loose and the wheel has been moving on the studs.
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38. Regular mirror checks during a long trip can reveal which developing problem?
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Answer D: Smoke coming from a tire or from a wheel
Overheating tires, wheel bearings and brakes usually show as smoke long before anything appears on the dash, and mirrors are where a driver sees it.
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39. You are drifting in the lane, yawning constantly and cannot remember the last few miles. What is the only reliable cure?
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Answer C: Stopping in a safe place and sleeping
Those are classic drowsiness warning signs, and nothing except sleep repays the sleep the body is missing.
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40. As a long vehicle goes around a corner, how do the rear wheels travel compared with the front wheels?
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Answer A: They follow a tighter path, closer to the inside of the turn
The rear wheels off-track toward the inside of the turn, and the longer the vehicle the bigger the difference, which is why the front must swing wide enough to keep the rear off the curb.
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41. Which situations call for a mirror check in a commercial vehicle?
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Answer A: Every lane change, turn, merge and tight maneuver
Mirrors must be checked regularly and always before, during and after any movement that changes the path of the vehicle.
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42. A dock crew loads all of the freight at the very back of a 48 foot van trailer. What are the two consequences?
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Answer A: The steering axle is relieved of weight and steering becomes light, and the trailer axles may go over the limit
Weight placed far to the rear lifts weight off the front of the combination, so the steering goes light while the trailer axles take too much of the load.
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43. Besides being uncomfortable, what can a series of hard, jerky brake applications do to a loaded combination?
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Answer A: Shift the load and push the trailer out of line behind the tractor
Sudden, uneven braking can move cargo forward and upset the alignment of a trailer, which is why stops should be made smoothly.
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44. What should you look for on the electrical wiring in the engine compartment?
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Answer A: Worn, frayed or cracked insulation and loose or corroded connections
Damaged insulation can short a circuit against the frame or engine, which can kill a lamp you depend on or start a fire.
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45. How does a typical escape ramp stop a runaway vehicle?
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Answer B: With a bed of loose gravel or sand, often on an upgrade
Escape ramps use deep loose material, usually combined with a rising grade, so the vehicle is slowed gradually instead of being stopped by impact.
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46. What must be checked on a sliding fifth wheel during the inspection?
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Answer B: That it is locked in position and not so far forward that the trailer can hit the cab
A slider that is unlocked can move under braking, and one set too far forward lets the trailer strike the cab when the tractor turns sharply.
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47. When speed doubles, what happens to braking distance?
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Answer D: It becomes roughly four times as long
Braking distance rises with the square of speed, so twice the speed needs about four times the distance to stop.
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48. What does the gross vehicle weight rating of a vehicle describe?
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Answer A: The maximum loaded weight of that single vehicle, as specified by the manufacturer
The rating is the manufacturer figure for the loaded weight of one vehicle, so it is a limit fixed in advance rather than a measurement of the load on board today.
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49. During uncoupling, when may the fifth wheel locking lever be released?
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Answer D: Only after the landing gear is down and taking the weight of the trailer
The landing gear has to be supporting the trailer before the lock is released; otherwise the trailer nose can drop as soon as the tractor pulls out.
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50. How does a load carried high in the trailer affect safe speed through a curve?
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Answer B: It raises the rollover risk, so the speed must be lower
A high center of gravity lets the vehicle tip long before the tires lose their grip, so height of the load directly limits curve speed.