Alabama ALEA 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 Alabama test.
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
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1. 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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2. Besides obtaining a commercial learner permit, what must a first time Alabama CDL applicant complete before the commercial driver license is issued?
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Answer D: Entry Level Driver Training
ALEA requires first time CDL applicants to complete Entry Level Driver Training in addition to holding the commercial learner permit.
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3. What happens to Alabama CDL privileges if the required self-certification or medical certificate information is not received after ALEA sends notice?
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Answer C: All CDL privileges are removed from the license if the information is not received within 45 days of the notice
ALEA notifies the driver and removes all CDL privileges from the license if the missing self-certification or medical certification is not received within 45 days of that notice.
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4. What should the ammeter or voltmeter show once the engine is running?
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Answer D: A reading in the normal charging range
With the engine running, the alternator should be charging; a discharge reading or an abnormal charge level means an electrical fault.
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5. Why should high beams not be used in fog?
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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.
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6. What does it mean to overdrive your headlights at night?
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Answer D: Driving so fast that you cannot stop within the distance lit by your headlights
You must be able to stop inside the distance you can see; at night that distance is limited by the headlights, so speed must be lowered to match.
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7. 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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8. At 55 mph on dry pavement with good brakes, total stopping distance for a loaded heavy vehicle is roughly what?
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Answer B: About 400 feet or more
Perception, reaction, and braking together add up to roughly 400 feet or more, farther than the length of a football field.
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9. 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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10. When is a road surface usually most slippery during a rain shower?
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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.
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11. 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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12. An empty van trailer cleared a low overpass on the way in, but on the way back it is loaded. Which statement is true?
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Answer C: An empty van rides higher than a loaded one, so it needs more clearance than when loaded
Springs compress under load, so an empty trailer is taller; the unloaded trip is the one that can catch a low overhead.
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13. What is the payload of a truck?
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Answer C: The weight of the cargo the vehicle is carrying, that is the loaded weight less the empty weight
Payload is what is left of the legal or rated weight once the weight of the empty vehicle is taken off, and it is the weight of cargo that can be carried.
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14. Your truck has a backup alarm that sounds whenever reverse is selected. What may a driver rely on it for?
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Answer D: Very little; it warns some people but cannot show you what is behind the vehicle
An alarm may not be heard over yard noise or by someone wearing hearing protection, so it never replaces looking at the path yourself.
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15. 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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16. An oncoming vehicle drifts across the center line into your lane. What is usually the safest move?
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Answer C: Steer to the right, toward the shoulder if necessary
Moving right keeps you away from the drifting vehicle and off the oncoming side; the other driver may swerve back and hit you if you go left.
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17. During a trip you stop for a break. Which items should you check before driving on?
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Answer B: Tires, wheels and rims, brakes, lights, reflectors, electrical connections and cargo securement
Critical items can change during a trip, so each stop is used to recheck the tires, wheels, brakes, lights, connections and cargo.
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18. What extinguisher rating is required on a vehicle carrying hazardous materials in amounts that need placards?
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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.
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19. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and a train is coming. What should you do?
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Answer C: Get out at once and move toward the train, well off to one side
Leave the vehicle immediately and move at an angle toward the oncoming train, so that wreckage thrown forward by the impact travels away from you.
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20. A commercial vehicle stops on the shoulder of a one-way or divided highway. Where do the three warning devices go?
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Answer A: At 10 feet, 100 feet, and 200 feet back toward approaching traffic
Traffic arrives from one direction only, so all three devices are set back toward it at 10, 100, and 200 feet, and they must be out within ten minutes.
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21. What is checked about the clutch and the gearshift during the in-cab inspection?
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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.
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22. Why should you never shift gears while crossing railroad tracks?
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Answer A: You could miss the gear or stall and be stuck on the tracks
A stalled or coasting vehicle on the tracks has no way to clear quickly, so choose the gear before the crossing and do not shift until you are across.
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23. 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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24. You drop your phone on the floor of the cab while driving. What do federal rules require?
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Answer A: Leave it, because reaching for it while driving is banned
Federal rules forbid reaching for a mobile device in any way that takes the driver out of a seated, belted driving position.
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25. During the walkaround you find the reflective conspicuity tape along the trailer caked with road grime. What should you do?
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Answer B: Clean it, because dirty reflective material cannot make the trailer visible at night
Reflective sheeting only works if light can reach it and bounce back, so a dirty strip leaves the trailer effectively unmarked to approaching traffic.
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26. Your speedometer stops working during the pre-trip check. How should it be treated?
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Answer D: As a defect, because the driver cannot judge and control speed without it
A working speedometer is required equipment, because judging speed by feel in a heavy vehicle is unreliable and speed governs stopping distance.
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27. Dry bulk tanks call for extra caution mainly because of what?
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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.
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28. 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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29. You have chosen 40 miles per hour as your safe speed for a downgrade. How should the brakes be used?
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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.
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30. You must drive well below the speed of surrounding traffic, for example when climbing a steep grade with a heavy load. What should you do?
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Answer B: Turn on the four-way flashers to warn following traffic, where state law allows it
Flashers warn faster traffic that a slow-moving vehicle is ahead, which helps prevent rear-end crashes; some states restrict their use while moving, so check the local rule.
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31. 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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32. Which situations call for a mirror check in a commercial vehicle?
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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.
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33. Federal rules keep recapped and retreaded tires off the front wheels of which vehicle?
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Answer B: Any bus carrying passengers
The federal rule names buses: a bus may not run with regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on its front wheels, because a steer tire failure with passengers aboard takes away steering control.
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34. How are the extra gears of a multi-speed rear axle or auxiliary transmission usually controlled?
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Answer D: With a selector knob or switch on the gearshift lever of the main transmission
A range selector on the shift lever lets the driver choose the extra gear range while shifting the main transmission.
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35. A car is following you far too closely. What is the safest response?
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Answer A: Open up more space ahead so you can slow gradually, avoid sudden changes, and do not speed up
Extra room in front lets you slow smoothly instead of braking hard, which is exactly what the driver behind cannot cope with.
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36. The coolant temperature gauge climbs above its normal range on a long grade. What is the correct response?
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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.
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37. What happens to braking distance when speed is doubled?
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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.
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38. If an intersection has two lanes marked for left turns, which one should a large vehicle use?
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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.
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39. What does the driver check in the final step of the seven-step inspection?
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Answer A: Hydraulic brake leaks where those brakes are fitted, then the parking brake and the service brakes
The last step is done with the engine started: test for hydraulic leaks on vehicles with hydraulic brakes, then prove that the parking brake holds and that the service brakes stop the vehicle.
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40. You are stopped in traffic on a steep upgrade behind another truck. How much space should you leave in front?
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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.
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41. 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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42. On a multilane highway, which lane should a heavy vehicle normally use?
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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.
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43. How should the steering wheel be held when driving a large vehicle?
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Answer D: Firmly with both hands, placed on opposite sides of the wheel
Both hands on opposite sides give the leverage and control needed if a tire drops off the pavement or the wheel is jolted.
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44. Which combination of warning devices meets the requirement for a stopped commercial vehicle?
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Answer A: Three reflective triangles, or six fusees, or three liquid burning flares
A vehicle may carry three bidirectional reflective triangles, six fusees or three liquid burning flares as its warning devices.
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45. You pick up a trailer that another driver dropped in the yard. What must you do before pulling it?
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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.
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46. Where is a dunnage bag used and how does it work?
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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.
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47. 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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48. 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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49. 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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50. Under federal rules, what happens to a commercial driver found with any detectable amount of alcohol while operating a commercial vehicle?
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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.