Kentucky KYTC CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 6
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
-
1. 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.
-
2. A vehicle becomes unsafe while you are already on the road. What does the federal rule allow?
Show answer
Answer A: Continuing only to the nearest place where repairs can safely be made
If stopping where you are would be more dangerous than moving, the rule allows you to reach the nearest place where the vehicle can safely be repaired, and no further.
-
3. Your vehicle begins to hydroplane on a wet road. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Release the accelerator and push in the clutch so the wheels can turn freely and regain grip
Hydroplaning tires are riding on water; slowing without braking lets them settle back onto the road and grip again.
-
4. You pick up a trailer that another driver dropped in the yard. What must you do before pulling it?
Show answer
Answer B: Inspect it yourself, because you are responsible for the whole vehicle you drive
Responsibility follows the driver who moves the vehicle, and a trailer that has stood in a yard may have lost air, developed a flat tire or been damaged.
-
5. A sign before a long descent shows 6 percent. What does that number tell you?
Show answer
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.
-
6. Why does a cracked frame rail or cross member make a vehicle unsafe?
Show answer
Answer B: The frame carries the whole load, and a crack can spread until the structure fails
The frame is the backbone that supports the body, the load and the running gear, so a crack in it is a structural failure that grows with every mile.
-
7. Two vehicles of exactly the same length make a right turn, one gently and one very tightly. What is the effect on off-tracking?
Show answer
Answer A: Turning more sharply increases off-tracking, so the tight turn needs more room
Off-tracking depends on both the length of the vehicle and the sharpness of the turn; a tighter corner brings the rear wheels further inside the path of the front wheels.
-
8. 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.
-
9. When is a road surface usually most slippery during a rain shower?
Show answer
Answer A: Just after the rain starts, when water mixes with oil and dirt on the surface
The first rain lifts oil and dust into a slick film that has not yet been washed away, so the road is more slippery than it will be later.
-
10. 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.
-
11. You are about to cross a long, high bridge with a light load in gusty wind. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down and be ready for a sudden push
Wind is strongest where a bridge leaves the shelter of the land, and lower speed gives you time to correct when the first gust hits.
-
12. Why must tiedowns be rechecked during a trip even when they were tight at the start?
Show answer
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.
-
13. 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.
-
14. How should the headlamps be checked during the pre-trip inspection?
Show answer
Answer A: By switching on both low beam and high beam and confirming each one works outside
Both beams are separate circuits, so each is switched on in turn and confirmed from outside the vehicle where the lamps can actually be seen.
-
15. How does a front tire failure usually feel to the driver?
Show answer
Answer D: The steering suddenly becomes heavy and pulls to one side
A failed front tire loads the steering and makes the wheel feel heavy, while a rear tire failure shows up as the back end swaying.
-
16. Which of these is a major cause of skids in heavy vehicles?
Show answer
Answer C: Over-braking, over-steering, over-acceleration or driving too fast for conditions
Skids happen when the tires are asked for more grip than the road can give, which happens through braking, steering or accelerating too hard or simply too much speed.
-
17. 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.
-
18. 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.
-
19. An article of cargo has been blocked so that it cannot move forward. How many tiedowns does the federal rule call for?
Show answer
Answer A: One tiedown for every 10 feet of article length, or any part of that
Blocking against forward movement lowers the requirement to one tiedown per 10 feet of length or fraction of 10 feet.
-
20. Why do cracked spring hangers or badly worn shackles matter?
Show answer
Answer A: They allow the axle to shift out of its correct position under the vehicle
Hangers and shackles hold the spring, and therefore the axle, in place, so when they fail the axle can move and the vehicle may become uncontrollable.
-
21. Below 40 mph, what following distance does the standard commercial rule of thumb call for?
Show answer
Answer C: One second for every 10 feet of vehicle length
The base rule allows one second of space for each 10 feet of vehicle length while speed stays under 40 mph.
-
22. Around a tractor-trailer, where are the blind areas that other drivers most often sit in unseen?
Show answer
Answer A: Along the right side and directly behind the trailer
The blind areas to the right of the cab and behind the trailer are the largest, which is why other drivers should never linger there.
-
23. You are dropping a loaded trailer in a yard. How far should the landing gear be lowered?
Show answer
Answer A: Until the pads make firm contact and the trailer weight is just off the fifth wheel
Cranking down until the gear is firmly on the ground and just lifting the load off the fifth wheel makes the trailer stable and lets the tractor pull out cleanly.
-
24. You are loading lengths of large diameter pipe on a flatbed. What is needed besides the tiedowns?
Show answer
Answer D: Chocks, wedges or cradles that keep the pipe from rolling
Anything that can roll must be prevented from rolling by chocks, wedges, cradles or a similar device that is itself secured so it cannot come out.
-
25. Which situations call for a mirror check in a commercial vehicle?
Show answer
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.
-
26. What is the correct order for a basic double clutch upshift?
Show answer
Answer B: Release the accelerator and push the clutch, shift to neutral, release the clutch, let engine speed drop, push the clutch again and shift to the higher gear
Double clutching passes through neutral with the clutch released so engine speed can drop to match the next gear before it is engaged.
-
27. The coolant temperature gauge climbs above its normal range on a long grade. What is the correct response?
Show answer
Answer C: Stop when it is safe to do so and find the cause before going on
Rising coolant temperature signals a fault such as a lost belt, a leak or a blocked radiator, and continuing can turn a repair into a destroyed engine.
-
28. What does a front-end header board on a van or flatbed protect against?
Show answer
Answer A: Cargo moving forward toward the cab in a crash or hard stop
The header board, often called a headache rack, blocks forward movement of the load toward the driver.
-
29. Where is a dunnage bag used and how does it work?
Show answer
Answer D: Between pieces of cargo inside a van, where it is inflated to take up the gap
A dunnage bag is placed in the void between loads and inflated so the cargo is wedged and cannot move as the vehicle rolls and brakes.
-
30. On a scale, your loaded truck is well under the gross weight limit, but one axle is above the limit for that axle. What does this mean?
Show answer
Answer D: The vehicle is overloaded and the load must be shifted or reduced before you drive on
Each axle and axle group has its own limit and each must be respected; being under the gross limit does not excuse an overloaded axle.
-
31. 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.
-
32. What does mountain driving demand that flat country driving does not?
Show answer
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.
-
33. Why can an empty truck need a longer stopping distance than a loaded one?
Show answer
Answer C: An empty vehicle has less traction, so its wheels lock up more easily
Brakes and tires are designed for a loaded vehicle, and with little weight on the axles the tires grip less and lock sooner.
-
34. You miss a gear while double clutching and the transmission is stuck in neutral. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Return to neutral, release the clutch, bring engine speed to match road speed and try again
Forcing the lever damages the gears; matching the engine speed to the road speed lets the gear engage cleanly on the next try.
-
35. Which of these is NOT on the federal list of parts and accessories the driver must be satisfied are in good working order before driving?
Show answer
Answer D: The seat cushion upholstery
The federal pre-trip rule names brakes, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, horn, wipers, mirrors, coupling devices, wheels and rims, and emergency equipment; seat upholstery is not on that list.
-
36. How many times may a Kentucky CDL instruction permit be renewed?
Show answer
Answer D: Once
A Kentucky CDL instruction permit may be renewed a single time; if the skills test is not passed before that renewal expires, the applicant must reapply and repeat the fees and written tests.
-
37. How many questions are on the Kentucky CDL general knowledge test?
Show answer
Answer C: 50 questions
The Kentucky CDL Manual states that the General Knowledge test consists of 50 questions covering vehicle operations, cargo handling and vehicle inspection, and that 80 percent must be answered correctly.
-
38. Dry bulk tanks call for extra caution mainly because of what?
Show answer
Answer C: A high center of gravity combined with a load that can shift
Dry bulk loads ride high and can move inside the tank, which makes the vehicle easier to tip in a curve.
-
39. 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.
-
40. You hear air escaping from a trailer tire during the pre-trip. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Have it repaired or replaced before the vehicle is driven
An audible leak means the tire is failing now, and federal rules do not allow a vehicle to be operated on a flat or leaking tire.
-
41. What happens to braking distance when speed is doubled?
Show answer
Answer C: It becomes about four times longer
Braking distance grows with the square of speed, so doubling the speed multiplies both the braking distance and the force of an impact by about four.
-
42. What color must the clearance and side marker lamps and reflectors at the front of a trailer be?
Show answer
Answer A: Amber
Amber marks the front and the forward part of the sides of a vehicle, while red marks the rear, so another driver can tell which way the vehicle is facing.
-
43. You need to pull off onto the shoulder because of a problem with the load. How should you communicate that to other drivers?
Show answer
Answer D: Signal the move, then switch on the four-way flashers once stopped
Other drivers need a signal before you leave the lane and a clear warning once the vehicle is stopped near the traffic lanes.
-
44. If an intersection has two lanes marked for left turns, which one should a large vehicle use?
Show answer
Answer D: The right hand of the two turning lanes
The outside turning lane leaves room for the rear of the vehicle to swing without striking a vehicle in the adjacent lane.
-
45. How do you get more engine braking from an automatic transmission on a downgrade?
Show answer
Answer B: Select a lower range before starting down
Locking the transmission into a lower range keeps engine speed high enough to hold the vehicle back and spares the service brakes.
-
46. What must be true of the person who performs the annual periodic inspection?
Show answer
Answer D: They must meet the federal qualification requirements for an inspector
The inspection has to be done by someone who meets the federal training and experience requirements for inspectors, whoever employs them.
-
47. While checking the in-cab gauges after start-up, what should the coolant temperature gauge do?
Show answer
Answer C: Rise gradually to the normal operating range
A healthy cooling system warms the engine slowly; a gauge that shoots up or stays cold points to a problem with the thermostat, coolant or sensor.
-
48. You have finished a lane change in a vehicle whose turn signal does not cancel by itself. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Turn the signal off yourself
A signal left running tells other drivers you are about to move again, and they may act on that false information.
-
49. You are told a posted bridge ahead has a weight limit lower than your gross weight. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Take a route that avoids it, because a posted limit is a legal limit
A posted structure limit must be obeyed exactly as any other weight limit, so a heavier vehicle has to be routed around it.
-
50. 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.