Arkansas ODS CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 10
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
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1. You are entering a freeway from a short ramp with a fully loaded trailer. What should you do?
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Answer A: Begin building speed early and wait for a large gap
A loaded vehicle accelerates slowly, so it needs both a running start and a much larger gap than a car would use.
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2. According to the Arkansas commercial driver manual, at what blood alcohol concentration is a commercial driver disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle?
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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.
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3. How does a front tire failure usually feel to the driver?
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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.
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4. In the seven-step method, what comes immediately after starting the engine and inspecting inside the cab?
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Answer D: Turn off the engine and check the lights
Step four shuts the engine down and switches on the lamps needed for driving so the driver can leave the cab and confirm they actually work.
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5. During the vehicle overview, what should the driver look for on the ground under the vehicle?
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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.
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6. What tells a driver when to shift up in a vehicle with a manual transmission?
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Answer C: Engine speed in rpm together with road speed
Shift points are judged from engine rpm and road speed, using the operating range the manufacturer specifies for that engine.
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7. At the scale your tractor drive axles are overweight while the trailer axles have room. Sliding the trailer tandems forward will do what?
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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.
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8. Within total stopping distance, what exactly is perception distance?
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Answer D: The distance traveled from the moment your eyes see a hazard until your brain identifies it
Perception distance covers only the time between seeing a hazard and recognizing it as a hazard, before any physical reaction begins.
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9. What must a written driver vehicle inspection report cover at the end of the day?
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Answer C: Any defect or deficiency that would affect safety or could cause a mechanical breakdown
The report identifies the vehicle and lists defects that affect safe operation or could lead to a breakdown, so they are repaired before the next trip.
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10. Compared with a fully loaded one, an empty truck under hard braking will often do what?
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Answer A: Need a longer distance to stop because traction is poor
Stiff suspension and little weight over the tires reduce grip, so the wheels lock early and the vehicle can take longer to stop.
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11. Using the snub braking method on a downgrade, when does the driver release the brakes?
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Answer A: After speed has dropped about 5 mph below the safe speed
The driver brakes firmly to about 5 mph under the chosen safe speed, releases to let the brakes cool, then repeats when the safe speed returns.
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12. You are drifting in the lane, yawning constantly and cannot remember the last few miles. What is the only reliable cure?
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Answer C: Stopping in a safe place and sleeping
Those are classic drowsiness warning signs, and nothing except sleep repays the sleep the body is missing.
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13. Why can an empty truck need a longer stopping distance than a loaded one?
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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.
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14. Your drive wheels start to spin and the rear begins to slide while you accelerate on a slick surface. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop accelerating and, if the vehicle has a manual transmission, push in the clutch
An acceleration skid ends when the drive wheels stop pushing, so easing off the throttle and disengaging the clutch lets them regain grip.
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15. Why is braking while in a curve dangerous in a heavy vehicle?
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Answer A: The wheels lock more easily and the vehicle can skid
Tires already using their grip to turn have little left for braking, so hard braking in a curve locks the wheels; slow down before the curve instead.
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16. Why should you never back under a trailer whose landing gear is resting on soft or muddy ground?
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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.
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17. What is wrong with resting your foot on the clutch pedal between shifts?
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Answer B: It slowly wears the clutch out, because the pressure plate is never fully engaged
Any weight on the pedal partly disengages the clutch, so it slips and wears; the foot belongs off the pedal once the shift is finished.
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18. During a right turn in a tractor-trailer, what are you looking for in the right hand mirror?
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Answer B: Whether the trailer will clear the curb and whether anything has moved alongside you
The right mirror is what tells you how close the trailer wheels are running to the curb and whether a vehicle or a cyclist has slipped into the space on your right.
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19. What is required of the hooks, rails, rings and anchor points that tiedowns attach to?
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Answer A: They must be part of the vehicle and strong enough for the load being secured
A tiedown is only as strong as what it is hooked to, so anchor points must be proper vehicle fittings rated for the job.
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20. After starting a trip, when must a driver first re-inspect the cargo and the devices holding it?
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Answer A: Within the first 50 miles
Federal rules require a check of the load and its securement within the first 50 miles, because settling and vibration loosen straps and chains early in a trip.
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21. Why should the mirrors be checked repeatedly while you make a tight turn?
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Answer C: To watch the rear of the vehicle clear other vehicles and objects
In a long vehicle the rear wheels cut inside the path of the front wheels, so only the mirrors show whether the rear is clearing curbs, poles and other vehicles.
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22. A fire starts in the cargo area of a van trailer. Why should you keep the doors closed until firefighters arrive?
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Answer D: Opening the doors lets in air that feeds the fire
A fire in a closed van is starved of oxygen; opening the doors gives it the air it needs to flare up.
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23. The brake pedal goes to the floor in a vehicle with hydraulic brakes. What can you do to build some braking pressure?
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Answer B: Pump the brake pedal rapidly, which may bring back enough pressure to slow the vehicle
Pumping can restore some hydraulic pressure; along with downshifting and the parking brake it is one of the ways to stop when the pedal fails.
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24. Why must a bent, cracked or badly seated lock ring be reported?
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Answer D: It can come off under pressure and let the tire and rim separate violently
The lock ring holds the assembly together against the full pressure of the tire, so a damaged ring can release with enough force to kill.
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25. Taking your eyes off the road for about five seconds at highway speed means traveling roughly how far unseen?
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Answer A: About the length of a football field
At highway speed a five second glance away covers roughly 100 yards, which is far more road than any driver can afford to travel blind.
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26. At what time of day do drowsy driving crashes occur most often?
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Answer A: Between midnight and 6 a.m.
The body clock makes people sleepiest in the early morning hours, which is when most fatigue-related crashes happen.
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27. Why must exhaust components be checked for contact with other parts of the vehicle?
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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.
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28. How do you confirm that the coupling is locked before pulling out of the yard?
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Answer D: By locking the trailer brakes and pulling gently forward against them
The tug test loads the coupling in the direction that would pull it apart, so if the jaws are not closed on the kingpin you find out at walking pace.
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29. You are pulling away from the curb after a delivery. Why is a mirror check needed first?
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Answer B: A cyclist or a vehicle may be coming up alongside you
Traffic and cyclists can arrive alongside a parked vehicle at any moment, so the mirrors must be checked immediately before pulling out.
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30. You want to check whether a tire on your truck is properly inflated. What is the correct method?
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Answer A: Measure the pressure with a tire gauge
Only a tire gauge tells you the actual pressure; a tire can look and sound normal while being badly underinflated.
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31. What are you checking when you pull the engine oil dipstick during the pre-trip?
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Answer A: That the oil level is within the safe operating range marked on the stick
The dipstick shows whether there is enough oil to lubricate and cool the engine, and a level outside the safe range must be corrected before driving.
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32. What does the tachometer on the dashboard of a heavy truck show?
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Answer D: How fast the engine is turning, in revolutions per minute
The tachometer reads engine speed in rpm, which is what a driver uses to judge shift points in a vehicle with a manual transmission.
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33. What is checked about the engine cooling system during the engine compartment inspection?
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Answer C: That the coolant level is adequate and the radiator and hoses are not leaking
A low coolant level or a leaking hose leads to overheating, which can stop the vehicle in a place where stopping is dangerous.
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34. What is normally required in order to move an over-width or over-length load?
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Answer B: A special permit along with warning devices such as flags and signs
Oversize movements need a permit plus marking devices, and travel is often limited to certain hours or routes.
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35. A tire blows out at highway speed. What should the driver do first?
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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.
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36. You stop to check the load. Which set of things are you looking at?
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Answer C: Tight tiedowns, cargo that has not moved, secure doors and tarps still fastened
A cargo check covers the load and everything holding it: whether it has shifted, whether the devices are still tight, and whether doors and covers are still closed and fastened.
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37. Why should a long vehicle never swing out to the left before starting a right turn?
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Answer D: Another driver may read it as a left turn or pass on your right
Swinging left opens a gap on your right that a car will move into, and it also sends a false message about which way you are going.
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38. What does mountain driving demand that flat country driving does not?
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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.
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39. Around a tractor-trailer, where are the blind areas that other drivers most often sit in unseen?
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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.
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40. You are hauling livestock and the trailer is only partly full. What should be done?
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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.
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41. Cargo securement must be strong enough to hold the load under which conditions?
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Answer A: Hard braking, hard acceleration and hard turning, as well as the bouncing of the road
The securement standard is written around the forces of a hard stop, a hard start, a hard turn and vertical movement on a rough surface, all of which occur in ordinary driving.
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42. When should the horn of a commercial vehicle be used?
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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.
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43. Which document must be available to show that the annual inspection was carried out?
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Answer C: The inspection report or a copy of it, or a decal displayed on the vehicle
Proof of the periodic inspection travels with the vehicle, either as the report itself or as the decal fixed where an inspector can see it.
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44. Apart from the legal duty, what is the main practical reason for a thorough pre-trip inspection?
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Answer A: It finds problems that could cause a breakdown or a crash before the vehicle is on the road
A defect found in the yard is an inconvenience, while the same defect found at highway speed can be a crash, so the inspection is where problems are cheapest to fix.
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45. Why must you never coast down a hill in neutral or with the clutch pushed in?
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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.
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46. You must steer hard around an obstacle at highway speed. What is the correct technique?
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Answer B: Avoid braking while turning, turn only as far as needed, and countersteer as soon as the obstacle is passed
Braking during a hard steering input can lock the wheels and start a skid, and turning back at once keeps the vehicle from running off the far side of the road.
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47. Why should a large vehicle be accelerated smoothly and gradually?
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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.
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48. You are hauling an open box of loose gravel. What does that load require?
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Answer A: A cover, so that material cannot blow off or spill onto the road
Loose material that can be blown or spilled has to be covered so it does not come out of the body and strike traffic behind.
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49. During the walkaround you notice one tire on an axle is a radial and the tire next to it is bias-ply. What should you do?
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Answer B: Treat it as a defect, because radial and bias-ply tires must not be mixed on the same axle
Radial and bias-ply tires flex and grip differently, so mixing them on one axle makes the vehicle handle unpredictably and is not allowed.
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50. You are moving an oversized load under a permit that requires a pilot vehicle. What is the pilot vehicle there to do?
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Answer B: Warn other traffic and check the route ahead for clearances and hazards
Escort or pilot vehicles warn approaching traffic and scout the route for low bridges, narrow spots and other hazards that a wide or long load cannot pass.