Speed Limits & Following Distance — Indiana
Indiana CDL practice test: 431 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Speed Limits & Following Distance: 15 questions.
Posted speed limits, school and construction zones, stopping and following distance.
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 | Speed Limits & Following Distance |
| License test | Indiana CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 15 (3% of 431 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 (15)
1. When driving on the expressway during the skills test, you should:
- Switch lanes frequently.
- Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed. ✓
- Drive on the left side of the lane.
- Drive above the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed.
You should use your mirrors to check traffic as needed while driving on the expressway during the skills test. The handbook's expressway instructions tell you to check traffic and your mirrors thoroughly in all directions when you resume, and its general driving section calls for regular mirror checks to stay aware of traffic around you. That makes mirror use the expected habit during the on-road test. The same expressway section also says to merge smoothly and keep your vehicle centered in the proper lane, so the test is not asking you to wander in the lane or change lanes for no reason.
2. Trailers with low underneath clearance may be difficult to drive:
- On interstate highways.
- Over railroad crossings. ✓
- On dirt roads.
- At the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Over railroad crossings.
Trailers with low underneath clearance can be hard to drive over railroad crossings, where the trailer may get hung up on the tracks. The handbook points to railroad crossings as a special problem for trailers that sit low to the ground. It warns that you should not gamble on getting hung up halfway across the tracks. The clearance between the trailer's underside and the road surface is what matters at the raised rails and crossing surface, and that same warning appears both in the driving safely section and in the combination vehicles section, so the risk is tied to crossings rather than to open highway driving.
3. When driving:
- You should always drive at the posted speed limit.
- You should always drive slightly below the posted speed limit.
- You should adjust your speed according to conditions. ✓
- You should drive as fast as possible.
Answer: C. You should adjust your speed according to conditions.
You should adjust your speed according to conditions, not simply hold to the posted limit. The handbook says driving too fast is a major cause of fatal crashes, and it tells you to adjust your speed to conditions such as traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills. It also says most serious skids come from driving too fast for road conditions, and that drivers who adjust their driving avoid too much acceleration and avoid having to over-brake or oversteer. That is why the correct approach is to set speed by what the road and traffic are doing, not to treat the posted limit as a fixed target.
4. How does doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph affect your vehicle's braking distance?
- It stays about the same.
- It increases slightly.
- It doubles.
- It quadruples. ✓
Answer: D. It quadruples.
Doubling your speed from 20 mph to 40 mph makes the braking distance four times longer. The handbook's stopping-distance figure says that when you go from 20 to 40 mph, the impact is four times greater and the braking distance is also four times longer. So the increase is not a small change or just double; it is four times the distance. The same passage shows the pattern continues at higher speeds, which reinforces that speed has a strong effect on braking distance.
5. A driver should always:
- Stay in their lane.
- Have an emergency plan. ✓
- Stay in the left lane.
- Drive above the speed limit.
Answer: B. Have an emergency plan.
A driver should always have an emergency plan. The handbook says you should always be looking for hazards, because hazards can turn into emergencies. Spotting them early gives you time to think through what could happen and decide what you would do. It then says to be ready to act on those plans. That is exactly the idea behind always having an emergency plan: you are prepared, defensive, and better able to protect yourself and others.
6. A posted speed limit that is safe for cars:
- Is usually safe to be driven by buses.
- May be too fast for a bus. ✓
- May be too slow for a bus.
- Should be thought of as the minimum speed limit.
Answer: B. May be too fast for a bus.
A posted speed limit that is safe for cars may be too fast for a bus. The handbook says that on a banked curve in good weather, the posted speed is safe for cars but can be too high for many buses. At that speed, a bus may roll over if traction is good or slide off if traction is poor. The car-safe limit does not automatically carry over to a bus, so the bus driver should reduce speed for curves.
7. What is the number one cause of death and injury in work zones?
- Speeding drivers ✓
- Careless behavior by construction workers
- Drivers driving too slowly
- Equipment placed in the roadway
Answer: A. Speeding drivers
Speeding drivers are the number one cause of death and injury in work zones. The handbook states plainly that speeding traffic is the leading cause of injury and death in roadway work zones. That is why it tells you to watch the posted limits when you approach and drive through a work zone, to keep an eye on your speedometer so it does not creep up through long construction sections, and to slow further in bad weather or when a worker is close to the road.
8. If braking at a speed of 55 mph while driving on dry pavement, the brake lag can add ____ to your vehicle's total stopping distance.
- 32 feet ✓
- 15 feet
- 50 feet
- 10 feet
Answer: A. 32 feet
Brake lag at 55 mph on dry pavement adds about 32 feet to your total stopping distance. The handbook explains that with air brakes there is a delay called brake lag, the time it takes for air to move through the lines and reach the brakes after you push the pedal. Because of that delay, the vehicle keeps rolling a little before the brakes actually work. The handbook puts that added lag distance at roughly 32 feet when you are going 55 mph on dry pavement, and it lists brake lag distance as one of the four pieces of total stopping distance.
9. When using road speed to know when to switch gears, you should:
- Learn what speeds each gear is good for and shift up when necessary. ✓
- Watch other vehicles and try to keep pace.
- Watch other trucks and shift when they shift.
- Use the speed limit as a guide.
Answer: A. Learn what speeds each gear is good for and shift up when necessary.
Learn what speeds each gear is good for, then use your speedometer to know when to shift up. The handbook lists two ways to know when to shift: engine speed or road speed. For the road speed method, it says to learn the speeds each gear is good for and use the speedometer to know when to shift up. That is a general skill tied to your own vehicle and gears, not something you pick up by copying traffic around you.
10. When driving a combination rig, following distance should be:
- Decreased in poor weather.
- Shorter than when driving a single vehicle.
- About the same as when driving a single vehicle.
- Longer than when driving a single vehicle. ✓
Answer: D. Longer than when driving a single vehicle.
Following distance in a combination rig should be longer than when driving a single vehicle. The handbook says combination vehicles are usually heavier and longer than single commercial vehicles, so they need more skill and more following room. In the combination-vehicle section it tells you to follow far enough behind other vehicles using a time gap based on your vehicle's length, plus an extra second over 40 mph, and to allow lots of following distance so you can brake early. Because a combination rig is longer than a single vehicle, that length-based gap works out to a longer following distance, not a shorter or equal one.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook