Hawaii HDOT MVSO CDL General Knowledge Practice Test 4
Test 4 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 Hawaii test.
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age21 years
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1. Why are the windshield wipers on the pre-trip list even before a trip in fine weather?
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Answer C: Because weather can change and a wiper failure leaves the driver without a clear view
Rain, spray or mud can arrive at any point in a long trip, and a wiper that fails then leaves the driver with no way to clear the windshield.
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2. The only way into a customer yard forces you to back toward the right, or blind, side of the vehicle. What should you do?
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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.
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3. What frame defects are you looking for during the walkaround?
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Answer A: Cracks, bends or broken cross members
The frame carries the whole load, so cracked or bent rails and broken cross members are serious structural defects.
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4. What is the correct order for a double clutch downshift?
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Answer D: Release the accelerator and push the clutch to reach neutral, release the clutch and press the accelerator to raise engine speed, then push the clutch again and select the lower gear
A lower gear turns faster than the one being left, so engine speed has to be raised in neutral before that gear will engage cleanly.
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5. Why does a load of hanging meat in a refrigerated trailer require special care in curves?
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Answer D: The meat swings and has a high center of gravity, which makes the trailer unstable
Hanging meat is heavy, sits high and swings, so the trailer can tip in a curve or on a ramp taken at normal speed.
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6. You need fuel and the canopy over the pumps is low. What is the safe way to handle the clearance?
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Answer B: Stop and check the height at the entrance and at the way out before committing
Clearance can differ at the entry, under the canopy and at the exit, and a sloping approach changes the effective height, so both ends have to be checked.
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7. How should a driver use brakes fitted with an antilock system during an emergency stop?
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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.
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8. Your vehicle is stopped just past a hill or curve that hides it from approaching traffic. How should the warning devices be adjusted?
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Answer A: Move the rearmost device farther back, up to 500 feet, so drivers are warned before the obstruction
When a hill or curve blocks the view, the farthest device is moved back beyond the obstruction so approaching drivers see the warning in time.
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9. Why is it harder to judge speed and distance at night?
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Answer C: You see much less detail and have fewer reference points
Darkness removes the visual references that the brain uses to estimate distance and closing speed, so drivers routinely misjudge both.
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10. How should speed and gears be handled when approaching a curve?
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Answer A: Slow to a safe speed and downshift before entering the curve
Braking and shifting are completed before the curve so the vehicle is settled and can pull gently through it without upsetting the load.
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11. Under federal safety rules, what must the driver of a commercial vehicle do before starting a trip?
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Answer A: Be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition
The driver is responsible for inspecting the vehicle and must be satisfied it is in safe operating condition before the trip begins.
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12. An intermodal container is being carried on an ordinary flatbed rather than on a container chassis. What does that mean for securement?
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Answer B: It must be secured with tiedowns that meet the container securement requirements
A container carried on a vehicle that is not fitted with integral locking devices has to be secured to the deck with tiedowns that satisfy the rules for containers.
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13. You press on a drive belt and it deflects far more than the others. What does that suggest?
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Answer C: The belt is too loose and the part it drives may not work properly
A belt with excessive play slips on its pulleys, so the accessory it drives turns too slowly or not at all under load.
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14. How often must every commercial motor vehicle receive a periodic inspection?
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Answer C: At least once every twelve months
Federal rules require each commercial motor vehicle to pass a periodic inspection at least once in every twelve month period.
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15. Which set of maneuvers makes up the basic control skills part of the commercial driving test?
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Answer D: Straight line backing, offset backing, parallel parking and alley docking
The basic control skills test is carried out off the road and consists of low speed exercises such as straight line backing, offset backing, parallel parking and the alley dock.
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16. Experienced commercial drivers scan the road ahead by roughly how much travel time?
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Answer B: About 12 to 15 seconds
Looking 12 to 15 seconds ahead gives a heavy vehicle enough room to slow or change lanes smoothly instead of reacting late.
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17. You are hauling a sealed trailer and have been told in writing not to open it. How does that affect the en route cargo checks?
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Answer C: You do not have to inspect the cargo itself, but the vehicle and weight are still yours
The en route cargo inspection rule does not apply to a driver of a sealed vehicle who has been ordered not to open it, but every other responsibility, including legal weight, remains.
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18. 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.
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19. You are pulling away from a curb in a 65 foot combination. Besides traffic, what must you watch?
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Answer B: The trailer wheels, which stay close to the curb and can strike it or an object on it
Because of off-tracking, the rear wheels follow a tighter path than the front, so they stay near the curb while the cab is already out in the lane.
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20. You can see a crack in a brake drum that runs across more than half the width of the friction surface. What does this mean?
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Answer C: The drum is defective and must be repaired before the vehicle is driven
Cracks longer than half the width of the friction area mean the drum can break apart under braking heat and must be replaced.
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21. On a tractor with a sliding fifth wheel, what does moving the fifth wheel forward do?
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Answer A: Puts more of the trailer weight onto the steering axle
Moving the coupling point forward transfers weight from the drive axles to the steering axle, which is how a driver corrects a drive axle that is over the limit.
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22. Why should water never be used on an electrical fire or a gasoline fire?
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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.
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23. An oncoming vehicle at night has bright headlights that are making it hard to see. What should you do?
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Answer B: Look toward the right edge of your lane and avoid looking directly at the lights
Looking at the right edge of the road keeps your eyes off the glare while you stay in your lane; glare can leave you nearly blind for several seconds.
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24. You are about to slow down sharply on a highway to make a turn into a narrow driveway. How can you warn the drivers behind you?
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Answer C: Tap the brake pedal a few times so the brake lights flash before you slow down
A few light taps flash the brake lights and give following drivers an early warning that you are about to slow or stop.
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25. What is the correct way to make a normal stop?
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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.
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26. A car ahead of you keeps drifting within its lane and moving unevenly. What should you assume?
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Answer C: The driver may be distracted, lost or impaired
Unsteady lane keeping is a classic clue to a driver who is not in full control, so the safe response is to keep back and give plenty of room.
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27. You have just passed another vehicle on a two lane road. What tells you it is safe to return to your lane?
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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.
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28. What is the driver responsible for when a load is covered with a tarp?
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Answer C: Fastening it so it cannot flap free, block a mirror, or come off in the wind
A tarp that works loose can tear away, block the driver view or the view of others, and become a hazard for the traffic behind.
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29. The paperwork shows a weight, but the load looks heavier than you expected. What should you do?
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Answer C: Weigh the vehicle, since you are the one answerable for driving it overweight
The driver is the one who can be cited for an overweight vehicle, so a doubtful weight is settled on a scale before the trip continues.
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30. When must a driver first inspect the cargo and its securement devices?
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Answer C: Before starting the trip, as part of the pre-trip inspection
Cargo is part of the pre-trip inspection; the later checks within 50 miles and every three hours or 150 miles come on top of that first inspection.
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31. At highway speed, looking 12 to 15 seconds ahead means looking about how far down the road?
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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.
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32. What is the danger of letting engine speed climb past the top of the rated rpm range before you shift?
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Answer B: You can damage the engine, so the shift should be made before that point
Every engine has a rated operating range; running above it can cause serious engine damage, so the upshift belongs at the top of that range, not beyond it.
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33. How can a driver restart the 60 or 70 hour on-duty limit?
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Answer B: Take 34 or more consecutive hours off duty
A period of 34 or more consecutive hours off duty resets the 60 or 70 hour calculation so the driver can begin a new period.
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34. When is tire pressure most accurately compared with the recommended figure?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, before the vehicle has been driven
Recommended pressures are cold pressures, so a reading taken before the tires have heated up is the only one that can be compared directly.
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35. What does the gross combination weight rating cover?
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Answer B: The maximum loaded weight of the power unit together with the trailer or trailers it tows
The combination rating takes in the power unit and everything behind it, loaded, as specified by the manufacturer.
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36. A driver snores heavily, stops breathing briefly during the night and is tired all day despite long hours in bed. What should be suspected?
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Answer B: Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea repeatedly interrupts breathing during sleep, so the driver never gets true rest and stays dangerously drowsy during the day.
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37. 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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38. What does the working load limit stamped on a chain or strap describe?
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Answer B: The maximum load the device is rated to hold in normal use
The working load limit is the rated safe capacity for everyday use, deliberately set well below the force that would break the device.
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39. A sign before a long descent shows 6 percent. What does that number tell you?
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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.
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40. During the walkaround inspection, where does the driver normally start and how does the check proceed?
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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.
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41. 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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42. Which description matches controlled braking during an emergency stop?
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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.
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43. You find a defect during the pre-trip inspection. What must happen before the vehicle is driven?
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Answer C: It must be repaired, or the vehicle must not be driven
Writing a defect down does not make the vehicle safe; a defect that affects safe operation has to be corrected before the trip starts.
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44. What does safe practice require of a commercial driver who wants to eat, drink or read a delivery note?
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Answer B: Handle it before or after driving, not while moving
Anything that takes hands, eyes or attention away from the task belongs outside the driving time, not inside it.
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45. You are the first to arrive at a crash. What is the correct order of actions?
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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.
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46. Cargo carried inside the cab must never do which of these?
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Answer C: Block the driver view, restrict arm or leg movement, or block an emergency exit
Anything inside the cab must leave the driver a clear view, free movement of the arms and legs, and an unobstructed way out of the vehicle.
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47. Why does a load need to be balanced from side to side?
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Answer B: Because a heavy side raises the rollover risk and can overload the tires and springs on that side
An uneven load tips the balance of the vehicle in curves and pushes the tires and suspension on the loaded side past their rating.
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48. Your vehicle begins to hydroplane on a wet road. What should you do?
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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.
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49. A driver is tailgating you, honking and making gestures. What is the best response?
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Answer A: Do not make eye contact, ignore the gestures and give the driver room to get past
Engaging an aggressive driver only escalates the situation; the safest move is to stay calm, avoid eye contact and let the driver get by.
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50. 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.