General Driving Knowledge — Alabama
Alabama CDL practice test: 447 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. General Driving Knowledge: 160 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 | Alabama CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 160 (36% of 447 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (160)
1. When traveling down a downgrade, the speed of a vehicle will likely:
- Decrease.
- Stay the same.
- Increase. ✓
Answer: C. Increase.
2. How often are hazardous materials employees required to be trained and tested?
- Once every year
- Once every three years ✓
- Once every five years
Answer: B. Once every three years
Hazardous materials employees must be trained and tested at least once every three years. The handbook states plainly that the regulations require hazardous materials employees to be trained and tested at least once every three years, and that the employer or a designated representative is the one who provides that training and testing. It also ties recordkeeping to the same group: the employer keeps a training record for each employee while that employee works with hazardous materials and for 90 days afterward. So the answer is the three-year cycle, not a shorter or longer one.
3. Which of the following is not a crime that would disqualify an applicant from a hazardous materials endorsement?
- Kidnapping
- Smuggling
- Immigration violations
- Speeding ✓
Answer: D. Speeding
Speeding is not a crime that would disqualify an applicant from a hazardous materials endorsement. The handbook says a hazardous materials endorsement is tied to disqualifying crimes listed in 49 CFR 1572.103, and that TSA and DOT background checks review criminal, immigration, and FBI records. An applicant found to be a security threat can be denied the endorsement. The passages do not list every disqualifying crime, but they frame the issue around serious criminal and security records. Speeding is an ordinary traffic violation, not one of the disqualifying crimes described, so it does not fit the bank answer's exception.
4. What is Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)?
- The total weight of a vehicle and its load ✓
- The total weight of a vehicle's tractor
- The total weight of a loaded trailer
- The weight of a tractor and trailer, before adding in the load
Answer: A. The total weight of a vehicle and its load
5. If you are convicted of a traffic violation:
- The State will inform your employer.
- You must tell your employer. ✓
- You must tell the shipper.
Answer: B. You must tell your employer.
If you are convicted of a traffic violation, you must tell your employer. The handbook says you must notify your employer within 30 days of a conviction for any traffic violation except parking. It adds that this applies no matter what type of vehicle you were driving. That makes the driver responsible for giving the employer notice; it does not say the State does it for you or that the shipper is involved.
6. What is sleep debt?
- When you fall behind on sleep ✓
- When you want to take a nap
- Excess sleep
- The amount of time it takes to get ready to drive after sleeping
Answer: A. When you fall behind on sleep
7. When exiting a vehicle, it is important to maintain ____ with your vehicle at all times.
- Three points of contact ✓
- Four points of contact
- Two points of contact
Answer: A. Three points of contact
When you get out of the vehicle, keep three points of contact with it at all times. The handbook describes exiting during CDL tests: secure the vehicle, face it, and keep three points of contact as you get out. The same wording appears for vehicle inspection and for the look during backing. That means you keep three contact points with the vehicle while entering or exiting. The rule is stated directly, so the answer is three points, not four or two.
8. When should a bus start moving after students have boarded?
- As soon as the students are through the door
- When the students are near their seats but are still standing
- When the students are seated and looking forward ✓
- As soon as the students cross the standee line
Answer: C. When the students are seated and looking forward
A bus should start moving only when the students are seated and looking forward. The handbook says to wait until students are seated and facing forward before moving the bus. It also says to check all mirrors and make sure no one is running to catch the bus. Those steps support the bank answer because the driver must confirm students are settled and accounted for before the bus moves. Starting earlier would mean moving while students are not yet seated and facing forward.
9. To know which placard to use, you need to know:
- The hazard class of the materials. ✓
- The type of container that is holding the materials.
- The destination of the materials.
Answer: A. The hazard class of the materials.
You need to know the hazard class of the materials to know which placard to use. The handbook links placard choice to the shipment's quantity and hazard class. It also says placards identify a material's primary or subsidiary hazard class. So the hazard class is the fact that tells you which placard fits the load. The container and the destination are not the basis for picking the placard in these passages.
10. If you are transporting Class 3 flammable liquids and your cargo needs to be moved into another tank, the flammable liquids:
- May be transferred on the roadway as long as no other people are nearby.
- Should not be transferred on a public road, unless under emergency circumstances. ✓
- Should be kept secret when they are being moved to another tank.
- Should be transferred at night.
Answer: B. Should not be transferred on a public road, unless under emergency circumstances.
Flammable liquids should not be moved from one tank to another on a public road unless there is an emergency. The hazardous materials section says you should not move a flammable liquid between vehicles on a public road unless an emergency exists. That directly supports avoiding this transfer on a public road in normal situations. The same section also tells you to warn people of the danger and keep them away, which fits treating a transfer as something to avoid on a roadway rather than a routine task. It does not describe a general allowance for doing the transfer when the area happens to be clear.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook