General Driving Knowledge — British Columbia
British Columbia ICBC commercial knowledge test practice: 252 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). Official test format: Class 1 60/48; Class 2-4 35/28; air brake 25/20. General Driving Knowledge: 59 questions.
Questions that do not fit a single topic: lane use, turning, signalling and other rules of the road.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | General Driving Knowledge |
| License test | British Columbia Commercial knowledge tests (Class 1–4, air brake) |
| Topic questions | 59 (23% of 252 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
icbc.com ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (59)
1. You're adjusting an automatic slack adjuster that has a square adjusting bolt but doesn't have the round "button." You should first remove all of the following EXCEPT
- the pawl
- the adjusting bolt ✓
- the spring
- the hex cap
Answer: B. the adjusting bolt
Remove the hex cap, the spring and the pawl — but leave the adjusting bolt in place. The handbook describes slack adjusters with a square adjusting bolt at the bottom of the body. On units where the hex cap has no round button you can pry up, the cap, spring and pawl all have to come off so the pawl no longer meshes with the internal teeth. Once those parts are disengaged, you can make the adjustment with the bolt itself — counter-clockwise until the lining meets the drum, then half a turn clockwise to restore running clearance. Because the bolt is the part you turn, it is the one piece you do not take off.
2. When curving to the left, why should you keep your front wheels close to the right edge of the lane?
- To prevent your driver's-side rear wheels from entering the next lane of traffic ✓
- To facilitate a quick exit from the road if needed
- To allow other vehicles to pass from the left
- To facilitate vision of oncoming traffic
Answer: A. To prevent your driver's-side rear wheels from entering the next lane of traffic
Keep the front wheels close to the right edge of the lane so your driver's-side rear wheels stay out of the next lane of traffic. The handbook says that when you curve to the left, you should keep the front wheels close to the right edge of the lane. It gives the reason directly: this keeps your driver's-side rear wheels out of the next lane of traffic. The guidance is about where the rear of a large vehicle ends up during a left curve, not about exiting the road, letting traffic pass on the left, or seeing oncoming traffic.
3. What does every employer require you to do before and after hiring you for driving a class A vehicle?
- Provide a copy of your high school diploma.
- Undergo a criminal record check.
- Verify your driving record. ✓
- Take a physical examination.
Answer: C. Verify your driving record.
Every employer must check your driving record before hiring you and once a year after you're hired. The handbook states that any carrier you work for has to look at your driving record before taking you on, then check it again once a year afterward. It also notes that you must show an acceptable driving record to get a commercial class licence in the first place, so the record is the thing employers are required to review both before and during your employment. Nothing in the passage puts a diploma, a criminal record check or a physical exam on that list.
4. How can you keep livestock bunched together during their transportation?
- Crowd them in with other cargo.
- Use false bulkheads. ✓
- Tie them together.
- Place food in strategic places.
Answer: B. Use false bulkheads.
Use false bulkheads to keep livestock bunched together when the load is not full. The handbook says livestock can move around in a trailer, and that movement can make turns difficult and cause a collision or injure the animals. When you have less than a full load, it tells you to install false bulkheads so the animals stay grouped. That is the stated method for limiting how much they can shift. The passage also says to slow down on curves because even grouped animals can lean and shift the vehicle’s centre of gravity.
5. Drivers on Cycle 1 must not drive after completing ____ hours of on-duty time in seven consecutive days.
- 120
- 60
- 70 ✓
- 50
Answer: C. 70
A driver on Cycle 1 must not drive after completing 70 hours of on-duty time in seven consecutive days. The handbook's hours-of-service section lists two cycles and gives each one a maximum. For Cycle 1, it says a driver stops driving once 70 on-duty hours are completed within seven days. That is the limit the question asks about. The passage does not tie this number to 14 days or to U.S. rules; those are separate limits described elsewhere. So the seven-day cap for Cycle 1 is the supported answer.
6. What is the maximum allowable width for a vehicle without an oversize load permit?
- 2.1 metres
- 2.8 metres
- 2.3 metres
- 2.6 metres ✓
Answer: D. 2.6 metres
The maximum allowable width is 2.6 metres without an oversize load permit. The handbook gives a single legal limit for a vehicle plus its load: 2.6 m, unless an oversize load permit is held. It notes that some attachments — anti-splash and spray devices, load-securing devices, ladders and dangerous goods placards — can stick out as much as 10 cm past the sides without counting toward overall width. Side-view mirrors get their own allowance of up to 20 cm past the side; past that, they count toward width. Those details do not change the general limit, so 2.6 m is the answer.
7. A tiedown assembly can be made of
- wire rope.
- nylon webbing.
- chains.
- any of the above. ✓
Answer: D. any of the above.
A tiedown assembly can be made of any of the listed materials: wire rope, nylon webbing, or chains. The loading section treats chain, wire rope, and webbing as tiedown materials. It cautions about knots anywhere in chain, wire rope, or webbing, and it lists defects in nylon webbing and wire cable as reasons a tiedown cannot be used for cargo securement. Another page gives load limits covering chain, synthetic webbing, and wire rope. Because the handbook discusses each of these as tiedown equipment, it supports the broad answer that a tiedown assembly may be made of any of them.
8. What happens to the air once it's been processed by the dryers?
- It goes through a one-way check valve, and then goes to the first reservoir ✓
- It's re-circulated through the system
- It's condensed and stored for future use
- It's released into the atmosphere
Answer: A. It goes through a one-way check valve, and then goes to the first reservoir
After the dryers clean the air, it passes through an internal one-way check valve and then goes to the first reservoir. The handbook puts the air dryer in the compressor discharge line, between the compressor and the first reservoir. Inside, the warm moist air cools so some water vapour condenses, then it moves through a filter that takes out oil and another that takes out remaining water vapour. The clean air then passes an internal one-way check valve on its way to the first reservoir. So the dryer is a cleaning stop on the way to that first tank, not the end of the line.
9. What size hexagonal (hex) cap is found on slack adjusters with square adjusting bolts?
- 1 inch
- 3/4 inch ✓
- 2/3 inch
- 1/2 inch
Answer: B. 3/4 inch
The hex cap on slack adjusters with square adjusting bolts is 3/4 inch. The handbook describes slack adjusters that have a square adjusting bolt at the bottom of the body. For those units, it says the hexagonal cap on the slack adjuster body measures 3/4 inch. That cap covers the spring and pawl you have to disengage (or remove) before you can turn the adjusting bolt, so knowing the right size matters when you go to work on that type of slack adjuster.
10. Under British Columbia law, what is the definition of a "bus"?
- A motor vehicle that is operated for hire
- A motor vehicle with a seating capacity of no more than 10 persons that is operated for hire or public transportation
- A motor vehicle with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons that is operated for hire or public transportation ✓
- A motor vehicle that is operated for public transportation
Answer: C. A motor vehicle with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons that is operated for hire or public transportation
A bus is a motor vehicle with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver, that is operated for hire or for public transportation. The handbook chapter for Class 2 and Class 4 drivers lists key terms defined by the Motor Vehicle Act and the Passenger Transportation Act. In that list, a bus is described as a motor vehicle whose seating capacity is more than 10 persons, counting the driver, and which is operated either for hire or for public transportation. Both parts matter: the size of the vehicle and the kind of service it provides. A vehicle that only carries a few people, or one that is not run for hire or public transportation, does not meet that description.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook