New Jersey MVC CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 2
Test 2 of 5. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 40 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real New Jersey test.
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
-
1. During the walkaround you find the reflective conspicuity tape along the trailer caked with road grime. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Clean it, because dirty reflective material cannot make the trailer visible at night
Reflective sheeting only works if light can reach it and bounce back, so a dirty strip leaves the trailer effectively unmarked to approaching traffic.
-
2. On a tractor with a sliding fifth wheel, what does moving the fifth wheel forward do?
Show answer
Answer A: Puts more of the trailer weight onto the steering axle
Moving the coupling point forward transfers weight from the drive axles to the steering axle, which is how a driver corrects a drive axle that is over the limit.
-
3. Who may remove an out-of-service sticker from a commercial vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: Only an authorized person, and only after the defect that caused it has been repaired
The sticker stays on the vehicle until the repairs are made and an authorized person removes it, so nobody can simply peel it off and drive away.
-
4. A brake light lens is cracked and the lamp still lights. How should that be treated?
Show answer
Answer B: As a defect, because water can enter and the lamp can dim or fail
A cracked lens lets in water and dirt, which corrodes the socket and dulls the lamp, so it is reported before it becomes a dead brake light.
-
5. How often must every commercial motor vehicle receive a periodic inspection?
Show answer
Answer C: At least once every twelve months
Federal rules require each commercial motor vehicle to pass a periodic inspection at least once in every twelve month period.
-
6. On a multilane highway, which lane should a heavy vehicle normally use?
Show answer
Answer A: The right lane, except to pass or where signs direct otherwise
Keeping right leaves the faster lanes free and reduces the number of vehicles that have to move around a slower, heavier vehicle.
-
7. During uncoupling, when may the fifth wheel locking lever be released?
Show answer
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.
-
8. After the first inspection of a trip, how often must cargo securement be checked again?
Show answer
Answer D: Every 3 hours or 150 miles or at each change of duty status, whichever happens first
The load must be re-checked at whichever of those points arrives first, so a loosening tiedown is found long before it fails.
-
9. Why should both outside mirrors be checked over and over while backing?
Show answer
Answer B: Each mirror covers only part of the path and neither covers the blind spots, so people and objects can appear without warning
Working both mirrors in turn is the only way to follow the whole path of a vehicle you cannot see behind.
-
10. In dense city traffic you cannot see 12 seconds ahead because other vehicles block the view. What is the best response?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow down and open up more space in front of you
When you cannot see far enough ahead, extra following distance buys back the reaction time that the blocked view has taken away.
-
11. For an unblocked article longer than 10 feet, the minimum is two tiedowns plus how many more?
Show answer
Answer B: One more for every additional 10 feet of length or any part of 10 feet
Past the first 10 feet, one more tiedown is added for each additional 10 feet of length or any fraction of that distance.
-
12. How long must a motor carrier keep a driver vehicle inspection report and the certification of repairs?
Show answer
Answer B: Three months
The original report and the certifications attached to it are kept on file for three months from the date the report was prepared.
-
13. How often must a New Jersey driver be retested for the hazardous materials endorsement?
Show answer
Answer B: Every two years
Unlike other endorsements, which simply expire with the license, the hazardous materials endorsement must be retested every two years.
-
14. What does the commercial driver manual tell you to do with the parking brake when you leave your vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: Apply the parking brake every time you leave the vehicle
The manual is explicit that the parking brake goes on whenever the driver leaves the vehicle, because once nobody is at the controls it is the only thing holding it.
-
15. Why must exhaust components be checked for contact with other parts of the vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: Hot exhaust parts touching fuel lines, tires or wiring can start a fire
Exhaust pipes run hot enough to ignite fuel and melt insulation, so they must be kept clear of the fuel system, the tires and the electrical harness.
-
16. Besides slowing down, which technique most reduces the risk of a skid on a snow covered road?
Show answer
Answer B: Make every steering, braking and speed change gradual
Traction is limited on snow, and sudden inputs demand more grip than the surface can supply, so smoothness is what keeps the tires attached to the road.
-
17. Why should the radiator cap never be removed while the engine is hot?
Show answer
Answer A: The cooling system is under pressure and scalding coolant can be sprayed out
A hot cooling system holds pressurized coolant above its normal boiling point, so releasing the cap can throw boiling liquid and steam at whoever is holding it.
-
18. When should a driver select the gear for a long, steep downgrade?
Show answer
Answer B: Before starting down the grade
The low gear has to be chosen before the descent, because a heavy vehicle gaining speed may refuse to shift down at all.
-
19. What does safe practice require of a commercial driver who wants to eat, drink or read a delivery note?
Show answer
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.
-
20. Why must you never coast down a hill in neutral or with the clutch pushed in?
Show answer
Answer C: You lose the braking effect of the engine and your brakes may overheat and fail
Engine braking is what keeps a heavy vehicle in check on a grade; coasting throws it away and leaves the service brakes to do all the work until they overheat.
-
21. What must the driver confirm about the required emergency equipment before a trip?
Show answer
Answer A: That it is in place, in working order and ready to be used
Federal rules require the driver to be satisfied that the emergency equipment is present and ready, because it is needed at the worst possible moment.
-
22. Your speedometer stops working during the pre-trip check. How should it be treated?
Show answer
Answer D: As a defect, because the driver cannot judge and control speed without it
A working speedometer is required equipment, because judging speed by feel in a heavy vehicle is unreliable and speed governs stopping distance.
-
23. Why do worn tires lose grip so quickly on a wet road?
Show answer
Answer D: Shallow tread cannot move water out from under the tire
The grooves in a tire exist to channel water away so the rubber can touch the road, and a worn tire has lost that capacity.
-
24. When should the horn of a commercial vehicle be used?
Show answer
Answer C: Only when it is needed to avoid a crash
An air horn is loud enough to startle other road users, so it is a warning device rather than a way to comment on other drivers.
-
25. What must a New Jersey applicant already hold before applying for a commercial driver license?
Show answer
Answer D: A valid basic New Jersey Class D license or a valid out-of-state CDL
New Jersey issues Class A, B and C commercial licenses only to applicants who already hold a valid basic Class D license or a valid commercial license from another state.
-
26. You have chosen 40 miles per hour as your safe speed for a downgrade. How should the brakes be used?
Show answer
Answer A: Brake firmly to about 35, release, and repeat at 40
Proper technique is firm application to about 5 miles per hour below the safe speed, then full release so the brakes cool before the next application.
-
27. Part of your load stands high enough to hide a rear lamp or a reflector. What must be done?
Show answer
Answer B: The load must be moved or extra lamps fitted so the required lights can be seen
Required lamps and reflectors must remain visible; if the cargo blocks them, the load is rearranged or additional lamps are fitted so the vehicle can still be seen.
-
28. On the Interstate System, what is the federal maximum weight allowed on a single axle?
Show answer
Answer A: 20,000 pounds
Federal limits for the Interstate System cap one single axle at 20,000 pounds.
-
29. Why should a driver avoid stopping partway up a snow covered hill?
Show answer
Answer D: You may not get moving again and could slide backwards
On a slippery grade the drive wheels may simply spin when you try to restart, leaving the vehicle stuck across the road or sliding back down it.
-
30. A strap runs from an anchor point on one side of the trailer, over the load, and down to an anchor point on the opposite side. How much of its working load limit counts toward the total required?
Show answer
Answer C: All of it
A tiedown that is anchored on one side, passes over or around the cargo and is anchored on the other side counts its full working load limit toward the aggregate figure.
-
31. How do you avoid the sharp lurch that comes at the very end of a stop in a heavy vehicle?
Show answer
Answer A: Ease off the brake pressure just before the vehicle actually comes to rest
A smooth stop is finished by reducing pedal pressure as the vehicle settles, so the suspension does not rock the cab and the load forward.
-
32. Which shock absorber condition is a defect?
Show answer
Answer C: A shock that is leaking, broken or disconnected at either mounting
A shock that has lost its fluid or its mounting no longer damps the suspension, so the wheel bounces and loses contact with the road.
-
33. A load overhangs the rear of the trailer. What must the driver check before leaving?
Show answer
Answer D: That the overhang is marked as required, with flags or lamps as conditions demand
A projecting load has to be made visible to other drivers, with flags in daylight and lamps when lights are required, so nobody runs into what they cannot see.
-
34. What is the purpose of the header board, or headache rack, that you inspect behind the cab?
Show answer
Answer A: It protects the driver from cargo that shifts forward during a hard stop
In a hard stop the load keeps moving forward, and the header board is the barrier between that load and the back of the cab.
-
35. Who must sign a driver vehicle inspection report?
Show answer
Answer D: The driver who prepared it
The report is the driver statement about the condition of the vehicle at the end of the day, so the driver signs it.
-
36. You are strapping down a load with sharp metal edges on a flatbed. What should you use?
Show answer
Answer D: Edge protection between the strap and the sharp edges so the tiedown is not cut
Sharp edges cut or wear through a strap under tension, so edge protectors are required wherever a tiedown could be damaged.
-
37. What frame defects are you looking for during the walkaround?
Show answer
Answer A: Cracks, bends or broken cross members
The frame carries the whole load, so cracked or bent rails and broken cross members are serious structural defects.
-
38. Cargo carried inside the cab must never do which of these?
Show answer
Answer C: Block the driver view, restrict arm or leg movement, or block an emergency exit
Anything inside the cab must leave the driver a clear view, free movement of the arms and legs, and an unobstructed way out of the vehicle.
-
39. On a one way street or a divided highway, where are the warning devices placed?
Show answer
Answer B: About 10 feet, 100 feet and 200 feet back toward the approaching traffic
When traffic can only come from one side, all three devices are spread out behind the vehicle to give approaching drivers a longer warning.
-
40. What does the federal bridge formula do?
Show answer
Answer C: It reduces the weight allowed on a group of axles as those axles get closer together
Axles bunched together concentrate the load on a short span of a bridge, so the formula lowers the allowable weight as the spacing shrinks.
-
41. You find one lug nut missing from a wheel that has ten studs. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Treat it as a defect and have it repaired before the vehicle is driven
Every missing fastener loads the others more heavily, and wheel separations usually begin with one nut that nobody replaced.
-
42. How should a commercial driver treat the speed posted for a curve?
Show answer
Answer B: As a limit set for cars in good conditions, so a heavy or tall load calls for a lower speed
Posted curve speeds are based on passenger vehicles in good conditions, and a tall or heavy load can roll over well below that speed.
-
43. Federal rules forbid operating a commercial vehicle in which condition?
Show answer
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.
-
44. A commercial vehicle stops on the shoulder of a one-way or divided highway. Where do the three warning devices go?
Show answer
Answer A: At 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet back toward approaching traffic
Traffic arrives from one direction only, so all three devices are set back toward it at 10, 100, and 200 feet, and they must be out within ten minutes.
-
45. A tire blows out at highway speed. What should the driver do first?
Show answer
Answer C: Hold the steering wheel firmly, stay off the brake and let the vehicle slow down
Braking while a tire is gone can pull the vehicle out of line, so the driver keeps it straight and lets speed fall before easing off the road.
-
46. At a stop on a hot day you find a tire that is too hot to touch. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Wait until the tire cools before driving on, and do not let air out of it
A tire that is too hot to touch may be about to fail or catch fire; releasing air only leaves it underinflated once it cools, which makes things worse.
-
47. Which vehicle is most likely to be pushed around by a strong crosswind?
Show answer
Answer B: An empty van trailer
A large flat side with very little weight behind it gives the wind the most surface and the least resistance, which is the empty van trailer.
-
48. A 60 foot combination traveling above 40 mph should hold how many seconds of following distance?
Show answer
Answer D: Seven seconds
Six seconds cover the 60 feet of vehicle length, and one extra second is added because the speed is above 40 mph.
-
49. You are hauling a load of steel plate that is well within every weight limit but is stacked five feet high on a flatbed. What is the main concern?
Show answer
Answer A: The center of gravity is high, so the rig will roll more easily in a curve
Legal weight does not make a load safe; height raises the center of gravity and it is height, not weight alone, that decides how readily the vehicle rolls over.
-
50. Why is a sudden, sharp lane change dangerous in a loaded heavy vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: The vehicle can lean far enough to roll over, especially when the load sits high
A quick swerve throws the weight of a tall, heavy load sideways, and a rollover can begin before the tires ever slide.