Highway & Freeway Driving — California

California CDL practice test: 392 free practice questions (20 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Highway & Freeway Driving: 3 questions. Updated

Entering and exiting freeways, lane changes, overtaking and HOV lane rules.

This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.

Topic / MetricValue
TopicHighway & Freeway Driving
License testCalifornia CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests
Topic questions3 (1% of 392 total)
Review statusThis 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 State CDL manual (based on the AAMVA model manual) link not yet collected

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Questions (3)

1. You are exiting a highway using an offramp that curves downhill and you are driving a heavy vehicle. You should:
  1. do nothing because the posted speed limit for the offramp is usually 10 miles per hour below the safe speed limit for the offramp.
  2. slow to a safe speed before the curve. ✓
  3. downshift after you are in the curve.

Answer: B. slow to a safe speed before the curve.

You should slow to a safe speed before the curve. The handbook says you must adjust your speed for a curve, and for a heavy vehicle the safe move is to get down to a safe speed before you enter it. Taking a curve too fast can make the tires lose traction or cause a rollover, and trucks with a high center of gravity may roll over even at the posted curve speed. The handbook also warns that braking in a curve can lock the wheels and cause a skid. It says to downshift to the right gear before the curve, not after you are already in it.
Source: Official sample question (2026-10-17) · Official handbook: Texas Commercial Driver License Handbook (DL-7C), Section 2 – Driving Safely, p. 42
2. During the driving test, when asked to make a lane change:
  1. You should not be concerned with other motorists.
  2. You should use your turn signal and change lanes when safe. ✓
  3. You should make the lane change as quickly as possible, even if that means cutting off another driver.

Answer: B. You should use your turn signal and change lanes when safe.

You should use your turn signal and make the lane change only when it is safe to do so. The handbook's lane-change section says that during the driving test you first make the necessary traffic checks, then use proper signals, and then change lanes smoothly when it is safe. Section 2 adds that you must check your mirrors before changing lanes, after signaling, and again as you start, to be sure no one is alongside you or in your blind spot. Signaling and waiting for a safe gap are what the test is looking for.
Official handbook: Texas Commercial Driver License Handbook (DL-7C), Section 13 – On-Road Driving, p. 186
3. When changing lanes, turn signals:
  1. Should not be used.
  2. Should only be used if a vehicle is close to you.
  3. Should be used each time. ✓

Answer: C. Should be used each time.

Turn signals should be used each time you change lanes. The handbook's lane-change instructions start with putting your turn signal on before you change lanes, and it tells you to check your mirrors again after you have signaled to confirm nobody slipped into your blind spot. The on-road section repeats that you activate turn signals when required and cancel them once the lane change is finished. Nothing in these passages makes signaling depend on whether another vehicle happens to be near you, so the signal is simply part of every lane change.
Official handbook: Texas Commercial Driver License Handbook (DL-7C), Section 2 – Driving Safely, p. 39
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