Arkansas ODS CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 1
Test 1 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 Arkansas test.
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
-
1. During the vehicle overview, what should the driver look for on the ground under the vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: Fresh puddles of oil, coolant, grease or fuel
New stains on the ground are the earliest sign of a leak, so the overview includes a look underneath before anything is opened or started.
-
2. 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.
-
3. What are you checking when you look at the batteries during the engine compartment inspection?
Show answer
Answer D: That they are securely mounted, the connections are tight and free of corrosion, and the caps are in place
Loose or corroded batteries can fail or short out, so the mount, cables, terminals and vent caps are all part of the check.
-
4. 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.
-
5. 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.
-
6. What speed and gear should be used when backing a large vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: As slowly as possible, in the lowest reverse gear
Backing slowly in the lowest reverse gear keeps the vehicle under precise control and leaves time to correct the path.
-
7. What can repeated violations of the federal phone and texting rules cost a commercial driver?
Show answer
Answer D: Disqualification of the commercial driver license
Multiple convictions for using a hand-held phone or texting while driving a commercial vehicle lead to disqualification, on top of fines for driver and carrier.
-
8. Under federal rules, what happens to a commercial driver found with any detectable amount of alcohol while operating a commercial vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: The driver is placed out of service for 24 hours
Any measurable alcohol takes a commercial driver off the road for 24 hours, and a concentration of 0.04 percent or more brings a disqualification.
-
9. What is checked about the clutch and the gearshift during the in-cab inspection?
Show answer
Answer D: That the clutch free play is within the range the manufacturer specifies
Too little or too much clutch free play causes slipping or dragging, either of which can leave the driver unable to select the gear a hill demands.
-
10. What is the main purpose of a retarder fitted to a heavy vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: To help slow the vehicle and reduce the need to use the service brakes
Exhaust, engine, hydraulic and electric retarders all slow the vehicle so the brakes stay cool and wear less, especially on grades.
-
11. In hazard perception, what counts as a hazard?
Show answer
Answer C: Any road user or condition that could become a danger
A hazard is anything with the potential to create danger, which is why drivers are taught to spot them early rather than react to emergencies.
-
12. How does Arkansas define a Class A commercial driver's license?
Show answer
Answer B: Any combination of vehicles rated 26,001 pounds or more that tows a unit rated over 10,000 pounds
Arkansas defines Class A as a combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed unit is rated over 10,000 pounds.
-
13. 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.
-
14. 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.
-
15. How should a driver use brakes fitted with an antilock system during an emergency stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Brake as usual and keep enough pressure to stay in control while steering around the hazard
The system only works when the brakes are applied hard enough for it to act, so the driver keeps pressure on and steers while the system prevents lockup.
-
16. What is the basic rule about backing a large vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: Avoid backing whenever there is another way
Backing is dangerous because you cannot see everything behind you, so the manual tells drivers to plan routes and parking that avoid it.
-
17. Which of these is a suspension defect you must look for during the walkaround?
Show answer
Answer D: Cracked or broken spring leaves, loose or broken U-bolts, or leaking air suspension bags
Broken springs, failed U-bolts and leaking air bags let the axle shift or the body drop, which can make the vehicle impossible to control.
-
18. Why should a driver avoid shifting gears in the middle of a turn at an intersection?
Show answer
Answer D: Shifting during the turn takes a hand off the wheel and can cost you control
Pick the gear before you begin turning; shifting in the turn removes a hand from the wheel and can interrupt power just when you need steady control.
-
19. How do you test for leaks in a hydraulic brake system during the pre-trip inspection?
Show answer
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.
-
20. 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.
-
21. You are making a right turn and cannot complete it without swinging into the oncoming lane. An oncoming car is approaching. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Wait and let the oncoming vehicle pass before completing the turn, and do not back up
The oncoming vehicle has the lane; backing up in traffic is dangerous, so hold your position and finish the turn once the way is clear.
-
22. Rust streaks are running outward from the lug nuts on one wheel. What does this most likely indicate?
Show answer
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.
-
23. 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.
-
24. You are taking a tightly curved highway exit ramp in a long combination. Where should the tractor be placed within the lane?
Show answer
Answer D: Toward the outside of the curve, leaving room for the trailer to track inside
Because the trailer wheels cut to the inside of the curve, the tractor has to be kept out toward the outer edge so the trailer does not drop a wheel off the inside edge.
-
25. According to the Arkansas commercial driver manual, at what blood alcohol concentration is a commercial driver disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle?
Show answer
Answer C: 0.04 percent or higher
The Arkansas commercial manual sets the disqualifying blood alcohol concentration for commercial drivers at 0.04 percent or higher, half the general Arkansas DWI threshold.
-
26. 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.
-
27. Does the federal texting ban apply to a company dispatching device mounted in the cab?
Show answer
Answer B: Yes, entering or reading text on it while driving is banned
The rule is written around the act of reading or entering text on any electronic device, not around who owns the device.
-
28. 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.
-
29. What is generally the safest speed in dense but freely moving highway traffic?
Show answer
Answer D: The speed of the traffic around you, up to the posted limit
Crashes rise with the difference between your speed and the traffic around you, so moving with the flow within the legal limit is safest.
-
30. 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.
-
31. What is the driver looking for when the exhaust system is inspected?
Show answer
Answer B: Loose, broken or missing pipes, brackets or clamps, and signs that exhaust is leaking
A loose or leaking exhaust system can send carbon monoxide into the cab and can put hot gas against parts that will burn.
-
32. 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.
-
33. A company mechanic serviced your truck this morning and signed the work order. Do you still have to inspect the vehicle?
Show answer
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.
-
34. 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.
-
35. You are not certain that your loaded vehicle will clear a low overpass. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Take another route rather than risk it
There is no safe way to guess at a clearance, and striking a bridge endangers everyone on and under it, so the only correct choice is a different route.
-
36. 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.
-
37. 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.
-
38. 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.
-
39. 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.
-
40. How does a load carried high in the trailer affect safe speed through a curve?
Show answer
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.
-
41. 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.
-
42. You are the first to arrive at a crash. What is the correct order of actions?
Show answer
Answer C: Protect the area, notify the authorities, care for the injured
Preventing a second crash comes first, because an unprotected scene puts the injured and the helpers in more danger than the original collision.
-
43. 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.
-
44. What extinguisher rating is required on a vehicle carrying hazardous materials in amounts that need placards?
Show answer
Answer B: 10 B:C or more
Placarded loads carry a much higher fire risk, so the required extinguisher rating rises to at least 10 B:C.
-
45. A dock crew loads all of the freight at the very back of a 48 foot van trailer. What are the two consequences?
Show answer
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.
-
46. What should you check about the tire valve stems during the walkaround?
Show answer
Answer D: That the stems are not cut, cracked or leaking and the caps are in place
A split stem or a missing cap lets air escape or lets dirt into the valve, and either one can flatten a tire between stops.
-
47. Why is backing toward the driver side preferred?
Show answer
Answer C: You can watch the rear of the vehicle directly through the side window
Backing to the left lets the driver look out the window and see the rear of the vehicle directly instead of relying on a mirror alone.
-
48. What is the coupling device weight rating on a vehicle?
Show answer
Answer A: The most weight that the coupling on the vehicle is rated to pull
The coupling device rating is a limit on how much weight the coupling may tow, and it is one of the ratings that has to be respected when a combination is loaded.
-
49. You must leave the vehicle parked on a slight grade. What adds security beyond setting the parking brake?
Show answer
Answer D: Chocking the wheels so the vehicle cannot roll if the brake bleeds off
Chocks hold the vehicle mechanically and are the standard backup whenever a parked vehicle could roll.
-
50. 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.