Florida FLHSMV CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 6
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
-
1. An overpass you have driven under before now has a fresh layer of pavement on the road below it. Why does that matter?
Show answer
Answer B: The new layer raises the road and reduces the clearance
Repaving lifts the road surface, so the real clearance under a structure can be less than the height posted on it.
-
2. What should be checked about the power steering system in the engine compartment?
Show answer
Answer D: That the fluid level is correct and the hoses and pump are not leaking
Losing power steering fluid means losing steering assistance, which can happen suddenly and makes a heavy vehicle very hard to turn.
-
3. What should you do before backing into a space you have not used before?
Show answer
Answer A: Get out and walk around to check the path, the clearance and any obstacles
Walking the area first reveals low obstructions, soft ground and objects that never appear in the mirrors.
-
4. 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.
-
5. To whom may Florida issue a commercial driver license?
Show answer
Answer C: Only to residents of Florida
The department may not issue a CDL to any person who is not a resident of this state, and a Florida resident who needs a CDL must hold one issued by Florida.
-
6. Before starting a trip, what must the driver confirm about the weight of the loaded vehicle?
Show answer
Answer A: That it is within the legal gross and axle limits for the route being driven
Overweight vehicles brake poorly, damage tires and suspension components, and can be put out of service at a scale, so weight is checked before the wheels turn.
-
7. 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.
-
8. Which requirement applies to a Florida temporary commercial instruction permit holder?
Show answer
Answer B: Holding a valid Florida driver license and riding with a qualified driver 21 or older in the closest seat to the right
The permit requires a valid Florida driver license and a licensed driver 21 or older, licensed for the class of vehicle, in the closest seat to the right.
-
9. How can a driver tell that a shipment includes hazardous materials?
Show answer
Answer B: The shipping paper describes them and the packages carry hazard warning labels
Hazardous materials are identified on the shipping paper with their shipping name and hazard class, and the packages themselves carry labels showing the hazard.
-
10. What is the risk when too little weight rests on the drive axles?
Show answer
Answer A: Poor traction, so the drive wheels spin easily on wet or slippery surfaces
Traction depends on weight pressing the driving tires onto the road, so a light drive axle spins on wet, snowy or loose surfaces.
-
11. Why should you never back under a trailer whose landing gear is resting on soft or muddy ground?
Show answer
Answer C: The landing gear can sink or collapse and the trailer can drop or tip over
Soft ground lets the landing gear sink under the load being transferred to it, and a trailer that drops or topples during coupling is extremely dangerous.
-
12. 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.
-
13. Why does a load of live animals need special attention?
Show answer
Answer D: The animals move and lean, so the center of gravity shifts and the vehicle can be pushed off balance in a turn
A live load will not stay where it is put, and that movement changes the balance of the vehicle exactly when a curve is loading it most.
-
14. Which document satisfies the Florida residency requirement for an original CDL or commercial learner's permit?
Show answer
Answer C: A Florida Class E driver license or state ID card held for more than six consecutive months
Florida accepts a Class E driver license or state ID card held more than six consecutive months, along with certain leases, mortgages, deeds, voter cards, statements of domicile or homestead filings.
-
15. During the walkaround you notice a bulge in the sidewall of a trailer tire. What does it indicate?
Show answer
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.
-
16. What is the correct way to make a normal stop?
Show answer
Answer A: Push the brake pedal down gradually and bring the vehicle to a smooth stop
Steady, progressive pedal pressure keeps the vehicle stable and lets the driver behind you react to a predictable slowdown.
-
17. Why should a large vehicle be accelerated smoothly and gradually?
Show answer
Answer A: Rough acceleration can damage the drivetrain and, on a combination, the coupling
Jerky throttle inputs put shock loads through the driveline and the coupling, which causes mechanical damage over time.
-
18. How is a shipping container normally secured when it is carried on a special container chassis?
Show answer
Answer B: With its own locking devices that attach the container directly to the chassis frame
Containers built for rail or ship transport have locking corners that fasten to a matching chassis; a container carried on a plain flatbed must be secured like any other cargo.
-
19. What is the correct way to make a right turn in a long vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: Keep the rear of the vehicle close to the curb and swing wide only as you complete the turn
Swinging left before a right turn invites another driver to move into the gap on your right, so any extra width is taken as the turn is finished.
-
20. You have a part load that fills only a third of a long trailer. How should it be placed?
Show answer
Answer C: Spread out and centerd side to side, so the weight sits over the axles
A part load is spread over as much of the floor as possible and kept centerd, so no axle is overloaded and the vehicle stays balanced from side to side.
-
21. Outside a business or residence district, how close may a Florida truck follow another truck or towing vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: No closer than 300 feet
A motor truck, or a vehicle towing another, may not follow within 300 feet of another such vehicle outside business or residence districts, though this does not prevent passing.
-
22. At what blood or breath alcohol level does a Florida commercial driver face the enhanced penalties of the commercial disqualification statute?
Show answer
Answer B: 0.04
A commercial driver reaching 0.04 grams of alcohol faces the enhanced consequences of the disqualification statute, half the level used for ordinary drivers.
-
23. You are hauling livestock and the trailer is only partly full. What should be done?
Show answer
Answer A: Use false bulkheads or partitions to keep the animals bunched together
Animals that can move around shift the center of gravity, so a partial load is bunched together with partitions to limit how far the weight can move.
-
24. Besides staying secure, cargo carried inside a vehicle must not do what?
Show answer
Answer C: Block the driver view or access to emergency equipment and exits
Cargo may not obstruct the view to the front or sides or prevent the driver from reaching emergency equipment and exits.
-
25. What is the correct way to test the parking brake before a trip?
Show answer
Answer C: With the parking brake set, put the vehicle in a low gear and gently try to move forward
A parking brake that holds against a gentle pull in low gear is working; if the vehicle moves, the brake needs adjustment or repair.
-
26. Which lights should be used in fog, by day or by night?
Show answer
Answer A: Low beams and fog lights, together with the four-way flashers
High beam light bounces back off the water droplets and makes seeing worse, while low beams, fog lights and flashers help you see and help others see you.
-
27. Loading heavy freight on top of lighter freight has what effect on the vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: It raises the center of gravity and makes a rollover more likely
A high center of gravity lets the vehicle tip more easily in curves or during a sudden swerve.
-
28. You are about to back across a quiet street into a driveway. Which of these is good practice before you start to move?
Show answer
Answer B: Turn on the four-way flashers and sound the horn to alert anyone nearby
Warning other road users and pedestrians before a reverse maneuver gives them the chance to stop or move clear before the vehicle starts back.
-
29. What is axle weight?
Show answer
Answer C: The weight carried to the ground by one axle or one set of axles
Axle weight describes how the load is shared among the axles that carry it to the road, not how much the whole vehicle weighs.
-
30. Part of looking well ahead is planning an out. What does that mean?
Show answer
Answer B: Keeping an escape path in mind in case traffic stops suddenly
Because a heavy vehicle often cannot stop in time, good drivers continuously note where they could steer if the space ahead closes.
-
31. Some commodities have their own detailed securement rules on top of the general ones. Which list is made up of such commodities?
Show answer
Answer C: Logs, metal coils, paper rolls, concrete pipe and crushed vehicles
The cargo securement rules add specific requirements for particular commodities, including logs, dressed lumber, metal coils, paper rolls, concrete pipe, intermodal containers, vehicles, crushed cars, roll on containers and large boulders.
-
32. You are stopped in traffic on a steep upgrade behind another truck. How much space should you leave in front?
Show answer
Answer A: Enough that you can pull away without rolling back into the vehicle behind you
Room ahead lets you get moving smoothly on a grade instead of having to hold the vehicle perfectly still or roll back toward the traffic behind.
-
33. What is the minimum tread depth required in every major groove of a steering axle tire?
Show answer
Answer D: 4/32 inch
Federal rules set a higher tread minimum for front steering tires than for other positions because a steering tire failure is far harder to control.
-
34. At the scale your tractor drive axles are overweight while the trailer axles have room. Sliding the trailer tandems forward will do what?
Show answer
Answer C: Move weight off the drive axles and onto the trailer axles
Sliding the trailer tandems forward brings the rear support closer to the load, so the trailer axles pick up more weight and the drive axles carry less; sliding them rearward does the opposite.
-
35. What are you looking for on the brake drums during the walkaround?
Show answer
Answer B: Cracks, dents and any oil or grease that has reached the friction surface
A cracked or badly scored drum can break apart under braking heat, and oil or grease on the friction surface destroys the braking effort at that wheel.
-
36. Why should high beams not be used in fog?
Show answer
Answer A: The light reflects back off the droplets and blinds you
Fog is made of water droplets that scatter light straight back at the driver, so a stronger beam makes the wall of glare worse rather than better.
-
37. 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.
-
38. Why is a leaking exhaust system on a commercial vehicle dangerous to the driver?
Show answer
Answer B: It can let carbon monoxide reach the cab, where it can poison the occupants
Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which has no smell and dulls the driver judgment long before it becomes obvious that anything is wrong.
-
39. A Florida driver with a Class B license wants to tow a trailer. What is the limit on the towed vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: A gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less
A Class B driver may drive a vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more towing a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less. Towing more than 10,000 pounds in such a combination requires Class A.
-
40. An enforcement officer inspects your vehicle at the roadside and attaches an out-of-service sticker. What may you do?
Show answer
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.
-
41. You are loading a flatbed that has no sides or bulkheads. How must the cargo be held?
Show answer
Answer D: By tiedowns, blocking or bracing, since there are no walls to keep it from shifting or falling off
Open decks depend entirely on securement devices; every article must be tied down or otherwise immobilized so it cannot move, spill or fall.
-
42. Which description matches controlled braking during an emergency stop?
Show answer
Answer D: Apply the brakes as hard as you can without locking the wheels and keep steering movements small
Controlled braking keeps the wheels rolling just short of lockup, which gives the shortest stop while you keep the ability to steer.
-
43. As a long vehicle goes around a corner, how do the rear wheels travel compared with the front wheels?
Show answer
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.
-
44. Under what condition does Florida waive the CDL skills test for a veteran?
Show answer
Answer C: Honorable discharge within 1 year of applying, plus at least 2 years of military driving of CDL-type vehicles
Florida waives the CDL skills test only when all conditions are met, including MOS 88M or similar training, FMCSA-compliant truck training and at least 2 years of military CMV driving. A veteran must also have been honorably discharged within 1 year of applying.
-
45. Under the federal air brake standard, the low air pressure warning must come on before reservoir pressure drops below what level?
Show answer
Answer A: Before pressure falls below 60 psi
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 121 requires the warning to operate while service reservoir pressure is still above 60 psi, which leaves enough air to bring the vehicle to a normal stop.
-
46. What should you look for on the electrical wiring in the engine compartment?
Show answer
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.
-
47. 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.
-
48. How does the working load limit of a tiedown relate to the force that would break it?
Show answer
Answer B: The working load limit is a fraction of the breaking strength and is the figure you use
The working load limit is set well below the point at which the device would fail, and securement is always calculated from the working load limit, never from breaking strength.
-
49. How does a driver keep a vehicle with a manual transmission from rolling back when starting on an upgrade?
Show answer
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.
-
50. Which steering system findings count as defects during the inspection?
Show answer
Answer C: Bent, loose or broken column parts, arms, drag links or tie rods, and missing nuts, bolts or cotter keys
Every joint and fastener between the steering wheel and the tires carries the driver commands, so looseness or a missing retainer can end in a complete loss of steering.