- Use a fire extinguisher to cool it
- Use water to prevent a fire
- Remove any overheated tire and place it a safe distance from the vehicle
- Immediately call the emergency response number you were supplied with
Quote From Page 102 Of The CDL Manual:
Remove any overheated tire. Place it a safe distance from your vehicle. Do not drive until you correct the cause of the overheating. Remember to follow the rules about parking and attending placarded vehicles. They apply even when checking, repairing or replacing tires.
TruckingTruth's Advice:
While in the real-world you probably won't ever have the capability to remove an overheating tire yourself, you can help prevent any overheating issues in the first place by making sure all tires are in proper working condition and properly inflated. An overheating tire can be extremely dangerous, especially with hazardous materials in close proximity.
- Blocking and bracing equipment.
- Securing devices.
- All of these are valid.
- Vehicle structure.
Quote From Page 2 Of The CDL Manual:
What is a securement system?

A securement system is a securement method that uses one or a combination of the following elements:
- Vehicle Structure.
- Securing Devices.
- Blocking and Bracing Equipment.
Which violations have occurred in the below example?
Day 1

Day 2

- There is a 14 hour violation and a 30 minute break violation
- There is a 14 hour violation only
- There is a 14 hour violation and an 11 hour violation
- There is an 11 hour violation only
Quote From Page 0 Of The CDL Manual:
Day 1

Day 2

Violations: There is an 11 hour rule violation from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and a 14 hour rule violation from 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., both on Day 2.
Explanation - 11 Hour Limit: After 10 consecutive hours off duty, the driver had 11 hours of driving time available at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. The driver did not have another 10 hour break (or the equivalent) until 1:00 p.m. on Day 2, so the calculation point never changes. The driver accumulated 7 total hours of driving on Day 1 and reached the 11 hour limit at 11:00 a.m. on Day 2. The violation began when the driver continued driving after that limit.
Explanation - 30 Minute Break: Since the longest consecutive stretch of on duty time was only 6 hours, the driver was never required to take a 30 minute break on either Day 1 or Day 2.
Explanation - 14 Hour Limit: Calculation of the 14 hour limit starts at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. The 14 hour limit was reached at midnight, and the driver violated the 14 hour rule by driving a CMV starting at 7:00 a.m. on Day 2.
To remain in compliance: The driver should have stayed in the sleeper berth for one additional hour during one of the two sleeper berth breaks. This would have given the driver the equivalent of 10 hours off duty, making him or her eligible for the sleeper berth provision. This would have moved the calculation point to the end of the first of the two breaks (10:00 p.m. on Day 1) and the driver would have remained in compliance on Day 2, in this example.
- The low air warning should activate before pressure drops below 60 psi in either system
- The low air warning should only activate when both systems drop below 60 psi
- The low air warning should activate before 120 psi since it's a dual air brake system
- The low air warning should not activate until 30 psi since there are two air brake systems
Quote From Page 65 Of The CDL Manual:
The warning light and buzzer should come on before the air pressure drops below 60 psi in either system. If this happens while driving, you should stop right away and safely park the vehicle. If one air system is very low on pressure, either the front or the rear brakes will not be operating fully. This means it will take you longer to stop. Bring the vehicle to a safe stop and have the air brake system fixed.
TruckingTruth's Advice:
Regardless of whether your vehicle has a single air brake system or a duel air brake system, if any air pressure gauge reads below 60 psi, you should have a warning about low air pressure even if the second system is fully charged.
- A name for the yellow and red air valves in the cab of a truck
- Coupling devices used to connect the service and emergency air lines from the truck or tractor to the trailer
- Used to secure the trailer kingpin to the tractor 5th wheel
- Caps which cover the valve stems on tires
Quote From Page 73 Of The CDL Manual:
"Glad hands" are coupling devices used to connect the service and emergency air lines from the truck or tractor to the trailer.
- The distance from the steer axle to the drive axles
- The ratio of the length of the tractor to the length of the trailer
- The distance from the trailer kingpin to the center of the trailer rear axle
- The length of the trailer, regardless of the position of the trailer tandems
Quote From Page 0 Of The CDL Manual:
When a combination vehicle makes a low-speed turn - for example a 90-degree turn at an intersection - the wheels of the rearmost trailer axle follow a path several feet inside the path of the tractor steering axle. This is called low-speed offtracking. Excessive low-speed offtracking may make it necessary for the driver to swing wide into adjacent lanes to execute the turn (that is, to avoid climbing the inside curbs or striking fixed objects like telephone poles).
This performance attribute is affected primarily by the distance from the trailer kingpin to the center of the trailer rear axle, otherwise known as the wheelbase of the semitrailer. To prevent trucks from being too long to maneuvering safely around turns encountered in cities and towns, the maximum length allowed from the kingpin to the trailer tandems is set by the individual states.
- Resting your foot on the clutch pedal (riding the clutch)
- None of these are allowed during the driving exam
- Shifting in turns
- "Floating" the gears (shifting without using the clutch pedal)
Quote From Page 131 Of The CDL Manual:
Clutch usage (for manual transmission):
- Always use the clutch to shift.
- Double-clutch if vehicle is equipped with non-synchronized transmission.
- Do not rev or lug the engine.
- Do not ride the clutch to control speed, coast with the clutch depressed, or "pop the clutch."
Gear usage (for manual transmission):
- Do not grind or clash gears.
- Select a gear that does not rev or lug engine.
- Do not shift in turns and intersections.
TruckingTruth's Advice:
You are not expected to shift perfectly. You only need to prove you are safe and will not pose a hazard to the general public. However, there are some basic rules you must follow.
- Do not stall the truck! This may result in an immediate failure.
- You must shift the transmission using the clutch (they will check for this).
Grinding or clashing gears will NOT result in an automatic failure. But it's important for you to learn how to recover when missing a gear. If you lose too much speed or stall the truck, you may be forced to retest.
- Seals placed on rear doors of box trailers or output devices on tankers to prevent hazardous materials from leaking
- Signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo
- Small stickers placed on the drivers and passengers side window showing the driver has a hazardous materials endorsement
- Stickers placed on shipping papers that identify the hazard class of the cargo
Quote From Page 89 Of The CDL Manual:
Placards are used to warn others of hazardous materials. Placards are signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo. A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards. They are put on the front, rear and both sides of the vehicle. Placards must be readable from all four directions. They are 10 3/4-inches square, square-on-point, in a diamond shape. Cargo tanks and other bulk packaging display the ID number of their contents on placards, or orange panels or white square-on-point displays that are the same size as placards, and placed near the placards.
TruckingTruth's Advice:
Always be sure to ask for an extra placard or two when leaving a shipper in case a placard is blown off the truck during transit.
- On the front and back of the vehicle
- On both sides and ends of the vehicle
- On the sides of the vehicle
- On the rear of the vehicle only
Quote From Page 94 Of The CDL Manual:
Placards must appear on both sides and ends of the vehicle. Each placard must be:
- Easily seen from the direction it faces.
- Placed so the words or numbers are level and read from left to right.
- At least 3 inches away from any other markings.
- Kept clear of attachments or devices such as ladders, doors and tarpaulins.
- Kept clean and undamaged so that the color, format and message are easily seen.
TruckingTruth's Advice:
Make sure you grab an extra placard or two before leaving a shipper in case one of your placards blows away.
- The kingpin to trailer tandem length limitations
- The hole structure of the trailer tandem slider rail
- The load rating of the steer tires
- The center of gravity of the cargo