Sharing the Road — Colorado
Colorado CDL practice test: 394 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Sharing the Road: 16 questions.
Pedestrians, cyclists, school buses, emergency vehicles and heavy trucks.
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 | Sharing the Road |
| License test | Colorado CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 16 (4% of 394 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
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Questions (16)
1. If a school bus needs to be evacuated, passengers should:
- Always use the rear door.
- Always use the windows.
- Always use the front door.
- Use the exit deemed safest. ✓
Answer: D. Use the exit deemed safest.
2. When backing a truck, you should:
- Only use the side mirrors on the driver’s side.
- Use both side mirrors. ✓
- Not use a helper.
- Only use the mirror on the passenger's side.
Answer: B. Use both side mirrors.
When backing a truck, you should use both side mirrors, checking them often as you back. The handbook's backing rules say to use mirrors on both sides and to check the outside mirrors on both sides frequently. Looking at both sides lets you catch problems on either side of the vehicle while you back slowly. The same rule appears in the combination-vehicle section, which tells you to check both outside mirrors often and to get out and look again if you are unsure of your path.
3. Buses must never carry ____ in the space occupied by passengers.
- Small arms ammunition
- An oxygen tank
- Radioactive materials ✓
- Passengers who are drunk
Answer: C. Radioactive materials
Buses must never carry labeled radioactive materials in the space occupied by passengers. The passenger-safety section says labeled radioactive materials are banned from the space occupied by people. That directly supports the bank answer. The same list bans explosives there, but it makes small arms ammunition an exception. The passages do not list oxygen tanks or drunk passengers as items in that never-carry rule for the passenger space.
4. Compared to other commercial motor vehicles, combination vehicles need more space on the road because they are longer and they:
- Need more space to turn and stop. ✓
- Drive more slowly.
- Are twice the width.
- Swerve more often.
Answer: A. Need more space to turn and stop.
Combination vehicles need more space because they are longer and need more room to turn and stop. The handbook says doubles and triples take up more space than other commercial vehicles. They are longer, and they cannot be turned or stopped suddenly, so you should allow more following distance and make sure you have large enough gaps before entering or crossing traffic. The general driving section makes the same point for large vehicles: they take up more space and need more space for stopping and turning. That directly supports choosing the answer about turning and stopping.
5. When approaching a railroad crossing while operating a school bus, you should generally:
- Stop between 15 and 50 feet before the nearest rail. ✓
- Stop 100 feet before the nearest rail.
- Stop 10 feet before the nearest rail.
- Continue across the tracks without stopping.
Answer: A. Stop between 15 and 50 feet before the nearest rail.
Stop between 15 and 50 feet before the nearest rail. The handbook says a school bus must come to a complete stop at a railroad crossing, and it gives a specific stopping window: within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail. It repeats that when there is no painted stop line, vehicles required to stop must stop no closer than 15 feet and no more than 50 feet from the nearest rail. Since a school bus is required to stop, that same 15-to-50-foot range applies.
6. Move over laws require:
- Trucks to use the left lane.
- All vehicles to vacate the lane closest to an emergency vehicle that is stopped with its lights flashing. ✓
- All vehicles to use the left lane.
- All vehicles to move to the left lane if a flatbed trailer is in the right lane.
Answer: B. All vehicles to vacate the lane closest to an emergency vehicle that is stopped with its lights flashing.
7. Passive railroad crossings:
- Are controlled by flashing lights.
- Are not controlled by any type of traffic control device. ✓
- Have gates that lower when trains are approaching.
- Should never be crossed by a CMV.
Answer: B. Are not controlled by any type of traffic control device.
Passive railroad crossings are not controlled by any type of traffic control device. The handbook defines a passive crossing as one with no traffic control device installed at the crossing. That is why the driver must recognize it, look for a train, and judge whether there is enough clear space to cross safely; the decision to stop or go is left to the driver. The yellow advance warning signs, pavement markings, and crossbucks help you notice the crossing, but they do not control traffic the way active devices do.
8. A double or triple:
- Is usually able to be driven faster than a straight truck.
- Is usually less stable than other smaller commercial vehicles. ✓
- Is always easier to drive than other commercial vehicles.
- Does not need a special endorsement to be driven.
Answer: B. Is usually less stable than other smaller commercial vehicles.
A double or triple is usually less stable than other smaller commercial vehicles. The handbook's doubles and triples section says plainly that there is more that can go wrong when pulling two or three trailers and that these rigs are less stable than other commercial vehicles. It backs this up by warning that a speed that is safe on a curve for a straight truck or a single trailer may be too fast for doubles or triples, and that the crack-the-whip effect makes them more likely to turn over. That is why you steer gently, go slowly on curves and ramps, and look far ahead.
9. On trucks and buses, where are ABS malfunction lamps located?
- On the driver’s door
- On the instrument panel ✓
- On the outside of the vehicle by the passenger’s door
- Under the hood
Answer: B. On the instrument panel
On trucks and buses, the ABS malfunction lamp is on the instrument panel. The handbook states that for tractors, trucks, and buses, the yellow lamp that signals an ABS problem sits on the dashboard panel. It gives the same location for the school bus lamp. That is where you watch for the start-up bulb check and for a lamp that stays on or comes on while driving, which can mean ABS control is lost at one or more wheels. Nothing in the passages puts the truck or bus lamp on the door, outside by the passenger door, or under the hood.
10. If approaching a railroad crossing while driving a placarded vehicle, you should always:
- Activate your four-way flashers. ✓
- Stop within five feet of the tracks.
- Change gears while on the tracks.
- Change lanes while on the tracks.
Answer: A. Activate your four-way flashers.
When you approach a railroad crossing in a placarded vehicle, turn on your four-way flashers. The handbook lists the crossing steps for placarded vehicles: move as far right as possible on the roadway, and as you come up to the crossing, activate the four-way flashers. It also says to stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail, put the transmission in neutral or park, and set the parking brake. Once any part of the vehicle is on the tracks, do not stop, change gears, or change lanes. Turning on the flashers is the step tied to approaching the crossing.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook