Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — 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. Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation: 199 questions.
Brakes, tires, lights, mirrors, seat belts, child seats and basic vehicle control.
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 | Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation |
| License test | Indiana CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 199 (46% 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (199)
1. When leaving your vehicle, you should:
- Apply the parking brake. ✓
- Apply the air brakes.
- Not apply any brake.
- Disconnect the trailer.
Answer: A. Apply the parking brake.
When you leave your vehicle, set the parking brake so it can't move or roll. The handbook describes the parking brake as the brake that keeps a vehicle from moving or rolling when it is parked. It must work, especially on a slope, because a vehicle left free to roll can damage property or injure other people on the road. The inspection section has you engage the parking brake and pull gently forward to confirm it holds. Setting it is what secures the vehicle once you step away from the controls, which is why it is the right action when leaving your vehicle.
2. If a leak is suspected in a cargo of radioactive material:
- The driver should go to the local fire department.
- The driver should pick up any loose pieces of the radioactive material.
- The driver should continue to carry the cargo, as long as they avoid touching the affected areas.
- The driver should not operate the vehicle until it has been cleaned. ✓
Answer: D. The driver should not operate the vehicle until it has been cleaned.
The driver should not operate the vehicle until it has been cleaned, and it also needs a survey-meter check. The radioactive materials section says that when a leak or broken package is involved, you notify your dispatcher or supervisor promptly. If there is a spill or an inner container may be damaged, you must not touch or breathe the material. The same section says not to use the vehicle until it is cleaned and checked with a survey meter. That supports keeping the vehicle out of service until cleaning is done.
3. Test the tractor protection valve by:
- Removing the air supply knob.
- Removing the parking brake control knob.
- Releasing air with the brake pedal. ✓
- Releasing air with the gas pedal.
Answer: C. Releasing air with the brake pedal.
Test the tractor protection valve by releasing air with the brake pedal: build normal air pressure, shut the engine off, then step on and off the brake pedal several times and watch for the trailer air supply control to pop out. The handbook's tractor protection valve test starts by charging the trailer air brake system and pushing in the air supply knob. Then you shut the engine off and step on and off the brake pedal several times to lower the air pressure in the tanks. During this check, the trailer air supply control, also called the tractor protection valve control, should pop out. Using the brake pedal to release air is what creates the pressure drop that makes the valve react.
4. What does the tractor protection valve do?
- Protects the tractor from being stolen
- Protects the tractor from exceeding a set speed
- Keeps air in the braking system, should the trailer break away or develop a leak ✓
- Ensures oil adequately lubricates the engine
Answer: C. Keeps air in the braking system, should the trailer break away or develop a leak
The tractor protection valve keeps air in the tractor's brake system when the trailer separates or has a major leak. The handbook describes this valve as the part that holds air in the tractor's brake system if the trailer breaks away or leaks badly. It is controlled from the cab by the trailer air supply control. If pressure falls to about 20 to 45 psi, the valve closes by itself. Closing it keeps air from leaving the tractor and lets air out of the trailer emergency line, so the trailer emergency brakes apply. That matches the choice about keeping air in the braking system during a breakaway or leak.
5. When only the tractor is equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS):
- There is a decreased risk of jackknifing. ✓
- There is an increased risk of jackknifing.
- The brakes will not work as effectively as they would without ABS.
- The brakes will become more sensitive.
Answer: A. There is a decreased risk of jackknifing.
6. In a dual air brake system, a leak in one system:
- Always means there are leaks in both systems.
- May not affect the other system. ✓
- Is not something to worry about.
- Will also affect the other system.
Answer: B. May not affect the other system.
A leak in one system may not affect the other system. The handbook describes a dual air brake setup as two separate brake systems that share one set of controls. Each side has its own air tanks, hoses, and lines, and one usually works the rear brakes while the other works the front. Because they are separate, a leak in one side does not automatically mean the other side is leaking or affected. The handbook still says low pressure in either system needs attention because braking may be reduced.
7. The ____ tells a driver how much pressure is in the air tanks.
- Application pressure gauge
- Air compressor governor
- Supply pressure gauge ✓
- Drum brake
Answer: C. Supply pressure gauge
The supply pressure gauge tells the driver how much pressure is in the air tanks. The handbook says vehicles with air brakes have a pressure gauge connected to the air tank. That gauge shows the pressure stored in the tank. On a dual air brake system, there is a gauge for each half, or one gauge with two needles. This description matches the question exactly: the supply pressure gauge reports air-tank pressure, not brake application pressure or some other brake part.
8. To confirm that a trailer has ABS, you can:
- Look under the trailer for wheel speed sensors coming from the back of the brakes. ✓
- Look under the hood for the ABS sticker.
- Look at the tires.
- Remove a tire and look for the ABS sensor on the axle.
Answer: A. Look under the trailer for wheel speed sensors coming from the back of the brakes.
Look under the trailer for the ABS control unit and the wheel speed sensor wiring at the rear of the brakes. The manual says that on older towed units it can be hard to know whether ABS is fitted. In that case, check underneath for the electronic control unit and the sensor wires attached at the back of the brake assemblies. The trailer's yellow warning lamp sits on the left side, but the under-vehicle parts are the check the manual describes for confirming ABS.
9. If a truck's Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is not working:
- The truck will not have any brakes.
- The truck should be driven only at slow speeds.
- The truck will still have brakes. ✓
- The truck will lack brakes on its left side.
Answer: C. The truck will still have brakes.
If the ABS is not working, the truck will still have brakes. The handbook says ABS is an addition to your normal brakes and does not change your normal braking capability. If ABS is not working, you still have normal brake functions, so you drive and brake as you always have. The yellow warning lamp means you may have lost ABS control at one or more wheels, not that the brakes are gone. That is why the truck still has brakes.
10. A person supervising the loading of a tank:
- Does not have to be able to move the vehicle.
- Must be a licensed firefighter.
- Does not need to know about the materials being loaded.
- Must stay within 25 feet of the tank. ✓
Answer: D. Must stay within 25 feet of the tank.
The person watching the loading of a cargo tank must stay within 25 feet of the tank. The handbook lists what the person watching the loading or unloading of a cargo tank must do: keep a clear view of the tank, stay within 25 feet of it, know the hazards of the materials and the emergency procedures, and be authorized and able to move the tank. Staying within 25 feet is one of those listed duties, so it is the correct choice here.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook