Bad Weather & Night Driving — Hawaii
Hawaii CDL practice test: 378 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 19 questions.
Rain, snow, ice, fog and night driving: visibility, traction and headlight use.
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 | Bad Weather & Night Driving |
| License test | Hawaii CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 19 (5% of 378 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 (19)
1. When carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, your vehicle should not be:
- Parked within 300 feet of a bridge. ✓
- Parked within 40 feet of the road.
- Driven in rain or snow.
Answer: A. Parked within 300 feet of a bridge.
You should not park within 300 feet of a bridge when carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives. The handbook's parking rule for these explosives forbids parking within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, building, place where people gather, or open fire, except for short operational stops such as fueling. It also says never park within five feet of the traveled part of the road. That makes the bridge-distance choice the one that matches the rule. The passages do not set a 40-foot road distance and do not ban driving in rain or snow.
2. On a slippery road, a driver should:
- Make turns as quickly as possible.
- Refrain from passing slower vehicles. ✓
- Stop quickly.
Answer: B. Refrain from passing slower vehicles.
On a slippery road, you should refrain from passing slower vehicles unless it is necessary. The handbook's slippery-surface section says to adjust speed to conditions and not to pass slower vehicles unless necessary. It also says to drive slowly and smoothly, take curves at slower speeds, and avoid braking harder than necessary. Because slippery roads reduce traction, passing adds unnecessary speed and movement when you should be keeping a steady, controlled pace. The bank answer matches that guidance.
3. Hydroplaning usually occurs:
- When tires are properly inflated.
- When driving at speeds slower than 15 mph.
- In areas where water collects on the road. ✓
Answer: C. In areas where water collects on the road.
Hydroplaning usually occurs in areas where water collects on the road. The handbook says that when water or slush collects on the road, your vehicle can hydroplane. The tires lose contact with the road and have little or no traction, so you may not be able to steer or brake. It also says road surfaces where water can collect create conditions for hydroplaning, and you should watch for signs of standing water such as clear reflections and tire splashes. Low tire pressure or worn tread makes hydroplaning more likely.
4. When it’s difficult to see, such as at dawn or dusk, a driver can increase their vehicle's visibility by:
- Driving while using their lights. ✓
- Driving with their windows open.
- Flashing their lights periodically.
Answer: A. Driving while using their lights.
When it is hard to see, such as at dawn or dusk, you should drive with your lights on to make your vehicle easier for others to see. The handbook's section on communicating your presence says that at dawn, dusk, in rain or snow you need to make yourself easier to see, because if you have trouble seeing other vehicles, other drivers have the same trouble seeing you. It tells you to turn on your lights — the headlights, not just the identification or clearance lights — and to use low beams, since high beams can bother people in daytime as well as at night.
5. If a trailer begins to skid, it is best for the driver to:
- Release the brakes. ✓
- Accelerate.
- Quickly turn the steering wheel in one direction, then in the other.
Answer: A. Release the brakes.
When a trailer begins to skid, release the brakes. The handbook's procedure for stopping a trailer skid is to release the brakes. It explains that the trailer wheel brakes caused the skid, so letting them off lets the tires regain traction. Once the trailer wheels grip again, the trailer follows the tractor and straightens out. The handbook also says to watch the trailer in your mirrors during hard braking, because once it swings out of your lane a jackknife is hard to prevent. That is why getting traction back matters more than braking harder or steering sharply.
6. If unable to tell if the road is becoming icy and slippery, a driver:
- Should try guessing.
- May open their window and feel the front of the side mirror for ice. ✓
- Should look at the road closely.
Answer: B. May open their window and feel the front of the side mirror for ice.
Open your window and feel the front of the side mirror for ice; that is the handbook's simple check when you cannot tell whether the road is icing up. The Texas CDL handbook says it can be hard to know when a road is slippery, so it gives signs to check. One easy check is to open the window and feel the front of the mirror, mirror support, or antenna. If ice is there, the road surface is probably starting to ice up. A later section also tells drivers to check mirrors and wiper blades for ice and treat the road as likely icy if they find it. That supports using the mirror as a practical ice detector rather than guessing.
7. Shaded areas of a road:
- Usually don’t freeze.
- Are usually blocked from all moisture, so they cannot freeze.
- Will remain slick after ice has melted on other areas of the road. ✓
Answer: C. Will remain slick after ice has melted on other areas of the road.
Shaded areas of the road will remain slick after ice has melted on other areas. The handbook lists shady areas as one sign of a slippery road. It explains that these parts stay icy and slick well after exposed sections have thawed. That is why a shaded stretch can still be dangerous even when the rest of the road looks clear. The answer that says shaded areas stay slick after ice elsewhere has melted matches that warning.
8. A person should not smoke within ____ of a vehicle placarded for Class 3 or Division 2.1 materials.
- 50 feet
- 25 feet ✓
- 100 feet
Answer: B. 25 feet
Do not smoke within 25 feet of a vehicle placarded for Class 3 flammable liquids or Division 2.1 gases. The handbook's no-smoking rule sets a 25-foot buffer around a placarded cargo tank carrying Class 3 flammable liquids or Division 2.1 gases. It also repeats that 25-foot limit for smoking or carrying a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe near certain vehicles. Because the passage directly names 25 feet for these placards, that is the distance to use. The other figures in the handbook cover different situations, such as attending a parked placarded vehicle, not smoking near hazardous materials.
9. Roads are especially slippery right after it begins to rain because:
- The water mixes with oil and grease on the road. ✓
- Tires are not made to drive in wet weather.
- The water yet hasn't absorbed the dirt and grease.
Answer: A. The water mixes with oil and grease on the road.
Roads are especially slippery right after rain begins because the water mixes with oil and grease left on the road. The handbook says that just after it starts to rain, water mixes with oil left on the road by vehicles, making the road very slippery. If rain continues, it washes the oil away. That oil-and-water film reduces traction, and the handbook notes that slippery roads make stopping take longer and turning harder without skidding. So the first rain is the risky time, before the oil has been washed off.
10. The best way to recognize that your trailer has started to skid is by:
- Seeing other drivers' faces.
- Checking the trailer in your mirrors. ✓
- Feeling the trailer move.
Answer: B. Checking the trailer in your mirrors.
You recognize a trailer skid best by checking the trailer in your mirrors. The handbook puts mirror checks at the center of skid recognition. It says the earliest and best sign that the trailer has begun to skid is what you see in your mirrors. It also advises checking the mirrors any time you brake hard, so you can catch the trailer moving out of position early. The passage adds that once the trailer swings out of your lane, preventing a jackknife becomes very difficult. That is why watching the trailer in the mirrors is the reliable way to notice the skid.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook