Sharing the Road — District of Columbia
District of Columbia CDL practice test: 423 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: 19 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 | District of Columbia CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 19 (4% of 423 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
Advertisement
Questions (19)
1. Loading and unloading a school bus:
- Can be hazardous for passengers. ✓
- Does not need to be supervised.
- Should be done when refueling.
- Can be done with the driver talking to another driver.
Answer: A. Can be hazardous for passengers.
Loading and unloading a school bus can be hazardous for passengers. The handbook says more students are killed getting on or off a school bus each year than while riding inside it. It calls knowing what to do before, during, and after loading or unloading critical, and says these procedures help avoid unsafe conditions that could cause injuries and deaths. That directly supports treating loading and unloading as a hazardous part of the job, not a routine step.
2. When approaching a railroad crossing while driving a bus, one way to better hear if a train is coming is to:
- Open the emergency windows.
- Open the forward door. ✓
- Wait until the passengers on the bus quiet down.
- Tell the passengers to get off the bus to check the tracks.
Answer: B. Open the forward door.
Open the forward door of the bus to improve your ability to hear an approaching train at a railroad crossing. The handbook tells bus drivers to listen and look both ways for trains, and says you should open your forward door if doing so helps you see or hear a train coming. A later section repeats that bus drivers may be required to open the window and door before crossing the tracks. Opening the door is the specific, listed step for improving your awareness at the crossing, which is why it belongs with the listen-and-look check rather than with anything passengers do.
3. In a school bus, where is the overhead inside rearview mirror located?
- Above the windshield on the driver’s side of the bus ✓
- Above the door on the passenger side of the bus
- Above the emergency door in the rear
- Under the driver's seat
Answer: A. Above the windshield on the driver’s side of the bus
4. ____ are the cause of more than half of all accident-related truck driver deaths.
- Truck rollovers ✓
- Motorcycles
- Slippery roads
- Pedestrians
Answer: A. Truck rollovers
Truck rollovers are the cause of more than half of all accident-related truck driver deaths. The combination-vehicle section says outright that over half of truck driver deaths in crashes come from truck rollovers. It explains that a high center of gravity makes a truck easier to turn over, and that fully loaded rigs are far more likely to roll over than empty ones. It also says rollovers happen when you turn too fast, and it advises keeping cargo low and centered and driving slowly around corners, ramps, and off ramps. That direct statement supports choosing truck rollovers.
5. Which of the following is not an example of a driving hazard?
- An accident on the roadway
- An open road ✓
- A police car assisting a motorist on the side of the road
- An ice cream truck
Answer: B. An open road
An open road is not an example of a driving hazard. The handbook defines a hazard as any road condition or other road user that could be a possible danger. It also tells drivers to look for an open spot away from other traffic, which treats open space as the safer condition rather than the danger. An accident on the roadway is a road condition you would need to react to. A police car helping a motorist is an emergency vehicle stopped at the roadside, and the handbook says to approach that situation with caution. An ice cream truck is another vehicle and driver on the road. The open road is therefore the choice that is not itself a hazard.
6. 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.
7. When stopped at a railroad crossing while operating a school bus, you should:
- Assume you'll hear an approaching train.
- Rely solely on signals to tell you if a train is approaching.
- Open the door and listen for a train. ✓
- Immediately proceed after a train has passed.
Answer: C. Open the door and listen for a train.
You should open the door and listen for a train. The school bus section tells you to turn off radios and noisy equipment, silence the passengers, open the service door and driver's window, and then look and listen for an approaching train. Opening the door is part of making sure you can hear a train before you cross. The general crossing passage also says to listen and look in both directions along the track and watch for signals. The choice about opening the door and listening matches that guidance.
8. A danger of a large truck swerving to avoid a hazard is:
- The truck may miss the object.
- The truck may flip over. ✓
- The truck may stay in the same lane.
- Other vehicles may do the same thing.
Answer: B. The truck may flip over.
9. Backing a school bus is:
- Strongly encouraged.
- Strongly discouraged. ✓
- Only to be done in the morning.
- Only to be done with students guiding you.
Answer: B. Strongly discouraged.
Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged. The handbook says plainly that backing a school bus is strongly discouraged, and you should do it only when there is no other safe way to move the bus. It adds that backing is dangerous and raises the chance of a collision, and that you should never back when students are outside the bus. If you truly have no choice, the handbook lists steps like posting a lookout, signaling for quiet on the bus, and constantly checking all mirrors and rear windows.
10. When approaching a railroad crossing while transporting chlorine:
- You must stop before crossing the tracks. ✓
- You must reduce your speed before crossing the tracks.
- You can proceed without stopping if no warning lights are flashing.
- You can proceed without stopping if no other vehicles are within sight.
Answer: A. You must stop before crossing the tracks.
When you are hauling chlorine, you must come to a full stop before the railroad tracks. The handbook lists the conditions that require a stop at a railroad crossing, and carrying any amount of chlorine is one of them. Placarded vehicles and cargo tanks used for hazardous materials are also on that list. It also tells you where to stop: 15 to 50 feet before the nearest rail. You then go ahead only once you are certain no train is coming and you can get all the way across without stopping, and you should not shift gears while on the tracks.
Advertisement
Source
Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook