Arkansas ODS CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 5
Test 5 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. You are backing with a helper guiding you and the helper drops out of sight in your mirror. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Stop until you can see the helper again
If you cannot see the helper you cannot receive a signal to stop, so the only safe action is to halt until visual contact is restored.
-
2. A strap is a little too long, so a driver ties a knot in it to take up the slack. Is that acceptable?
Show answer
Answer C: No, tiedowns must not contain knots
A knot destroys the rated strength of a tiedown, so the rules do not allow knotted securement devices; the excess is taken up by the winch or ratchet instead.
-
3. 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.
-
4. A tire blows out at highway speed. What should the driver do first?
Show answer
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.
-
5. 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.
-
6. You are unsure whether your vehicle will fit through a narrow gate. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop, get out and look, and take another route if the space is not clearly enough
Clearance is never guessed at from the seat; you look at it on foot and go round rather than trying a gap that may be too tight.
-
7. When speed doubles, what happens to braking distance?
Show answer
Answer D: It becomes roughly four times as long
Braking distance rises with the square of speed, so twice the speed needs about four times the distance to stop.
-
8. A roadside test shows a commercial driver has measurable alcohol in the system but below 0.04. What happens?
Show answer
Answer C: The driver is placed out of service for 24 hours
Any measurable alcohol while on duty results in an immediate 24 hour out of service order, even when the concentration is under the 0.04 limit.
-
9. You have just passed another vehicle on a two lane road. What tells you it is safe to return to your lane?
Show answer
Answer B: You can see the whole front of that vehicle in your right mirror
Seeing the entire front of the vehicle you passed in your mirror proves you are far enough ahead to move back over without cutting the driver off.
-
10. In very hot weather, how often should you check the tires during a trip?
Show answer
Answer D: About every two hours or every 100 miles
Heat raises tire pressure and can lead to blowouts, so tires are checked about every two hours or 100 miles when it is very hot.
-
11. 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.
-
12. 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.
-
13. At highway speed, looking 12 to 15 seconds ahead means looking about how far down the road?
Show answer
Answer B: About a quarter of a mile
Twelve to fifteen seconds of travel is roughly a quarter of a mile at highway speed, while the same amount of time is about one block in slow city traffic.
-
14. What is a bulkhead in a cargo body used for?
Show answer
Answer D: To divide the space and stop cargo from moving into another part of the body
A bulkhead is a solid partition that separates one part of the load space from another and blocks the cargo from moving past it.
-
15. With the tractor coupled to the trailer, what should you see between the upper and lower fifth wheel plates?
Show answer
Answer A: No space at all between the two plates
Any daylight between the plates means the trailer is not properly seated on the fifth wheel and the coupling can come apart under load.
-
16. You must steer hard around an obstacle at highway speed. What is the correct technique?
Show answer
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.
-
17. At 55 mph, about how far does a vehicle travel during a typical 3/4 second perception time plus 3/4 second reaction time, before the brakes even begin to work?
Show answer
Answer C: About 120 feet
Each 3/4 second at 55 mph covers about 60 feet, so perception and reaction together use up roughly 120 feet before braking starts.
-
18. The only way into a customer yard forces you to back toward the right, or blind, side of the vehicle. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Use a helper and get out to check the path more often than you normally would
Blind side backing is allowed but far riskier, so it calls for a spotter you can see and for repeated checks of the path on foot.
-
19. During the walkaround inspection, where does the driver normally start and how does the check proceed?
Show answer
Answer C: At the left front of the vehicle, working around it in a set order that returns to the cab
The walkaround follows the same route every time, starting at the left front and circling the vehicle, so that nothing is skipped when the driver is tired or rushed.
-
20. Why must exhaust components be checked for contact with other parts of the vehicle?
Show answer
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.
-
21. After the first inspection of a trip, how often must cargo securement be checked again?
Show answer
Answer D: Every 3 hours or 150 miles or at each change of duty status, whichever happens first
The load must be re-checked at whichever of those points arrives first, so a loosening tiedown is found long before it fails.
-
22. Besides the hours when the law requires them, when should headlights be switched on?
Show answer
Answer A: Any time visibility is poor, such as in rain, fog or at dusk
Headlights are used to be seen as much as to see, so they belong on whenever light or weather makes the vehicle harder to spot.
-
23. What do you check about the fire extinguisher during the pre-trip?
Show answer
Answer C: That it is securely mounted, charged and that you know how to operate it
An extinguisher must be held in its bracket, show a charged gauge and be understood by the driver, because a fire leaves no time to learn.
-
24. How far ahead can a driver see with low beams and with high beams?
Show answer
Answer C: About 250 feet with low beams and about 350 to 500 feet with high beams
Low beams reach roughly 250 feet and high beams roughly 350 to 500 feet, and speed at night has to stay inside the distance the lights really show.
-
25. A delivery van is stopped in the right lane ahead with its flashers on. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer C: Someone may step into your lane from in front of it
A stopped delivery vehicle hides the space in front of it, and that is exactly where a person carrying a package is likely to walk out.
-
26. Federal rules say a commercial vehicle may not be driven unless what is true of its cargo?
Show answer
Answer B: It is properly distributed and adequately secured
The basic federal requirement is that the load be distributed properly and secured well enough that it cannot move, whatever the paperwork says.
-
27. During a right turn in a tractor-trailer, what are you looking for in the right hand mirror?
Show answer
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.
-
28. 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.
-
29. 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.
-
30. What is the purpose of blocking placed against cargo on a trailer deck?
Show answer
Answer B: To fill the space around the cargo so it cannot slide
Blocking is shaped to fit snugly against the cargo and fastened to the deck, removing the room the load would need in order to move.
-
31. Which winter preparation matters most for keeping the road in view?
Show answer
Answer D: Working wipers, washer fluid and a working defroster
Slush and road spray coat the windshield within minutes in winter, so wipers, washer fluid and the defroster are what keep any view at all.
-
32. An automatic transmission is left in its normal drive position as the vehicle rolls down a long grade. What does it tend to do?
Show answer
Answer A: Shift up as road speed rises, so engine braking falls away
An automatic left in drive keeps upshifting as speed builds, which is the opposite of what you want on a grade; that is why the driver must select a low range.
-
33. Which brake lining condition must be reported?
Show answer
Answer C: Linings that are worn thin, loose, cracked or soaked with oil or grease
Linings must have enough material left and must be securely attached and clean, because a thin, loose or contaminated lining cannot deliver its share of braking.
-
34. 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.
-
35. 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.
-
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. 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.
-
38. An unblocked article is 8 feet long and weighs 900 pounds. How many tiedowns does the federal rule require?
Show answer
Answer B: Two
Only an article that is 5 feet or shorter and 1,100 pounds or lighter can be held with a single tiedown; anything longer than 5 feet needs at least two whatever it weighs.
-
39. 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.
-
40. 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.
-
41. At what time of day do drowsy driving crashes occur most often?
Show answer
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.
-
42. How does a typical escape ramp stop a runaway vehicle?
Show answer
Answer B: With a bed of loose gravel or sand, often on an upgrade
Escape ramps use deep loose material, usually combined with a rising grade, so the vehicle is slowed gradually instead of being stopped by impact.
-
43. At a stop on a hot day you find a tire that is too hot to touch. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Wait until the tire cools before driving on, and do not let air out of it
A tire that is too hot to touch may be about to fail or catch fire; releasing air only leaves it underinflated once it cools, which makes things worse.
-
44. Why should water never be used on an electrical fire or a gasoline fire?
Show answer
Answer C: It spreads the fuel and conducts the current
Water carries current back to the person holding the hose and floats burning fuel outward, which is why a B:C rated extinguisher is carried instead.
-
45. Why does a heavy vehicle need a much larger gap than a car in order to cross or enter traffic?
Show answer
Answer C: Because it accelerates slowly and needs far more road and time to clear the intersection
Slow acceleration combined with the length of the vehicle means a gap that would feel comfortable in a car is nowhere near enough.
-
46. You need to check your route on a navigation device. What is the correct approach?
Show answer
Answer D: Set it before the trip or after you have parked
Route programming is planning work, and it belongs to the time before the wheels turn or after the vehicle is safely parked off the roadway.
-
47. Why should a retarder be switched off when the road is wet, icy or snowy?
Show answer
Answer C: It can make the drive wheels skid when traction is poor
A retarder slows the drive wheels only, and on a slippery surface that braking force can break their traction and start a skid.
-
48. A tire may be regrooved only when what is true?
Show answer
Answer B: It carries a marking from the manufacturer showing that it is regroovable
Only casings built with extra rubber under the tread and marked regroovable by the manufacturer may be cut, because others would be grooved into the belts.
-
49. What does the gross vehicle weight rating of a vehicle describe?
Show answer
Answer A: The maximum loaded weight of that single vehicle, as specified by the manufacturer
The rating is the manufacturer figure for the loaded weight of one vehicle, so it is a limit fixed in advance rather than a measurement of the load on board today.
-
50. You find one lug nut missing from a wheel that has ten studs. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Treat it as a defect and have it repaired before the vehicle is driven
Every missing fastener loads the others more heavily, and wheel separations usually begin with one nut that nobody replaced.