General Driving Knowledge — Idaho
Idaho CDL practice test: 416 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: 158 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 | Idaho CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 158 (38% of 416 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 (158)
1. After picking up passengers at a stop, a driver should:
- Allow the passengers time to sit or brace themselves before beginning to drive. ✓
- Honk their horn and re-enter traffic.
- Begin driving as quickly as possible.
Answer: A. Allow the passengers time to sit or brace themselves before beginning to drive.
The driver should give passengers time to sit down or brace themselves before pulling away from the stop. The handbook says riders can stumble when a bus starts or stops, so you wait until they are seated or holding on before you start. It also says starting and stopping should be smooth to avoid rider injury. That supports letting people get settled first, not rushing away from the curb.
2. If you are transporting hazardous materials and the cargo catches on fire, you should:
- Try to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.
- Contact emergency personnel and let them battle the fire. ✓
- Continue driving to the fire department.
Answer: B. Contact emergency personnel and let them battle the fire.
Contact emergency personnel and let them battle the fire. The handbook says hazardous materials fires require special training and protective gear, so you should not fight a cargo fire unless you are properly trained and equipped. When you discover a fire, call for help. If your cargo is already burning, the handbook says it is not safe to fight it. Keep the shipping papers ready for emergency responders and warn other people to stay away.
3. If making a tight turn, the operator of a CMV should:
- Be able to drive as fast as the driver of a car.
- Not be concerned about speed, but focus on the road.
- Warn drivers behind by braking early and slowing gradually. ✓
Answer: C. Warn drivers behind by braking early and slowing gradually.
When you make a tight turn in a CMV, warn the drivers behind you by braking early and slowing gradually. The handbook notes that most car drivers don't understand how slowly a large vehicle has to go to get through a tight turn. Because the drivers behind you don't expect that, you brake early and ease off the speed instead of slowing abruptly, which gives them notice. The same section says to flash your brake lights as a warning and warns against stopping suddenly.
4. When driving, knowing what is happening behind you is:
- Rarely important.
- Important. ✓
- Distracting.
Answer: B. Important.
Knowing what is happening behind you while driving is important, so the correct choice is "Important." The handbook's mirror section tells you that in tight quarters you should check your mirrors often and keep enough clearance, and it says plainly that knowing what is going on behind and to the sides matters. It also tells you to check mirrors regularly and more often in special situations, so the picture behind you is something you keep track of throughout the drive, not something you ignore.
5. When traveling long distances, you should:
- Take rest breaks. ✓
- Drive as fast as possible.
- Drive through the night.
Answer: A. Take rest breaks.
When traveling long distances, you should take rest breaks. The handbook lists driving long distances without proper rest breaks as a cause of fatigue. To maintain alertness on long trips, it says to take periodic breaks about every 100 miles or two hours. It also says to stop driving and get rest or take a nap when needed. That makes planned rest breaks the supported choice for staying alert on a long drive.
6. Talking on a hands-free phone while driving:
- Does not distract the driver.
- Only distracts the driver if the driver is speaking.
- Can be distracting to the driver. ✓
Answer: C. Can be distracting to the driver.
Talking on a hands-free phone while driving can be distracting to the driver. The handbook lists talking on a cell phone among activities inside the vehicle that can distract your attention. It also says research shows the burden of a phone conversation, even hands-free, takes energy away from safe driving. A later passage is more direct: hands-free devices are no less likely than hand-held phones to cause distraction, and attention is diverted from the driving task while using either. That supports the answer that hands-free phone use can distract you; it does not make distraction impossible or limited to speaking.
7. When making tight maneuvers, it is important for a driver to:
- Open their door for a better look.
- Use their mirrors. ✓
- Flash their headlights.
Answer: B. Use their mirrors.
When making tight maneuvers, use your mirrors. The handbook lists tight maneuvers among the special situations that call for more than regular mirror checks. In close quarters it says to check your mirrors often and make sure you have enough clearance, because you need to know what is happening behind you and to the sides. Checking them quickly and understanding what you see is how mirrors are meant to be used.
8. To avoid a hazard:
- You should always steer to the left.
- You may be able to drive onto the shoulder. ✓
- You should steer sharply in one direction.
Answer: B. You may be able to drive onto the shoulder.
You may be able to drive onto the shoulder when avoiding a hazard. The handbook describes leaving the road as a real option in some emergencies, saying it may be less risky than colliding with another vehicle. It notes most shoulders are strong enough to hold a large vehicle, so the shoulder can serve as an escape route. The guidance that follows assumes you have left the pavement: avoid braking hard until speed drops, keep one set of wheels on the pavement when you can, and stay on the shoulder until you stop, then signal and check mirrors before returning.
9. During an applied leakage test, the maximum leakage rate for a triple combination vehicle is ____ in a minute.
- 2 psi
- 4 psi
- 6 psi ✓
Answer: C. 6 psi
10. Which of the following is not a type of tie-down equipment?
- Ropes
- Straps
- Velcro ✓
Answer: C. Velcro
Velcro is not a type of tie-down equipment listed in the handbook. The handbook's cargo securement section says proper tie-down equipment includes ropes, straps, chains, and tensioning devices such as winches, ratchets, and clinching components. It also says tie-downs must be the proper type and strength. Velcro does not appear in that list of proper tie-down equipment, so it is the choice that is not a type of tie-down equipment.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook