General Driving Knowledge — Maine
Maine CDL practice test: 373 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: 136 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 | Maine CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 136 (36% of 373 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 (136)
1. When alley docking, you should first:
- Position your vehicle directly in front of the alley.
- Back up directly in front of the alley.
- Stop parallel to the outer boundary of the alley. ✓
Answer: C. Stop parallel to the outer boundary of the alley.
You should first stop parallel to the outer boundary of the alley. The handbook describes the backing exercise as starting from a stopped position parallel with the outer boundary, and from there you offset back into the alley until the rear of your vehicle sits inside the three-foot box at the end. It also says you may not go beyond the outer boundary line and that the vehicle must finish straight and completely inside the exercise boundaries. So the setup comes before any backing: get lined up alongside the outer boundary, then work the vehicle backward into the alley.
2. Rust around wheel nuts may mean:
- It rained recently.
- The nuts are loose. ✓
- The nuts are too tight.
Answer: B. The nuts are loose.
Rust around the wheel nuts can be a sign that the lug nuts are loose, so their tightness should be checked. The handbook's wheel and rim section lists rust around the wheel nuts as a possible sign that the nuts are loose and says to check their tightness. The vehicle inspection section backs this up: when you check lug nuts you look for rust trails or shiny threads, because loose or missing nuts could let a wheel come off and cause a crash. So rust is treated as a clue to looseness, and the right response is to check the nuts rather than assume anything else.
3. If an aggressive driver is involved in a crash on the road ahead, you should:
- Stop and confront the driver.
- Stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for police to arrive, and tell them of the driver's behavior. ✓
- Block the driver in with your vehicle.
Answer: B. Stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for police to arrive, and tell them of the driver's behavior.
Stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for the police to arrive, and tell them what you saw the aggressive driver do. The handbook's guidance on aggressive drivers says to report them to the authorities, giving a vehicle description, license number, location and, if you can, direction of travel. When an aggressive driver is in a crash farther down the road, the manual tells you to stop a safe distance away, wait for police to get there, and report the driving behavior you witnessed instead of getting involved yourself.
4. When you are about to start down a hill, you should switch into a ____ gear.
- Higher
- Faster
- Lower ✓
Answer: C. Lower
You should switch into a lower gear before you start down a hill. The handbook says to slow down and shift down before beginning a descent so you can control speed without braking hard. It warns that relying too much on the brakes can overheat them and cause loss of braking power. It also says to pick a low enough gear, usually lower than the one you needed to climb that same hill. The engine's braking effect is strongest in lower gears, so choosing that gear before the grade helps you keep control.
5. Load hazardous materials:
- Near heat sources.
- Away from heat sources. ✓
- Away from shadows.
Answer: B. Away from heat sources.
6. Cargo tanks should never be completely full because:
- There needs to be room for the liquid to expand. ✓
- Regulations require three feet of clearance between the top of the liquid and the roof of the tank.
- The tank would be too heavy.
Answer: A. There needs to be room for the liquid to expand.
Cargo tanks should never be completely full because the liquid needs room to expand as it warms. The handbook's outage section says never to load a cargo tank totally full. It explains that liquids expand as they warm, so you must leave room for that expansion; this space is called outage. Because different liquids expand by different amounts, the required outage varies, so a driver needs to know the requirement for the liquid being hauled. That directly matches leaving room for the liquid to expand. A full tank of a dense liquid may also exceed legal weight limits, but that is a separate loading consideration, not the handbook's stated reason for never filling a cargo tank completely.
7. Students loading and unloading a bus:
- Is simple and does not need to be supervised.
- Can be dangerous and should be supervised. ✓
- May be done without the bus driver present.
Answer: B. Can be dangerous and should be supervised.
Loading and unloading students can be dangerous and should be supervised. The handbook says more students are killed getting on or off a school bus each year than are killed inside it as passengers. It also says knowing what to do before, during, and after loading or unloading is critical to avoiding injuries and fatalities. That is why this is not a simple routine: the driver must supervise it, count students, check mirrors, and confirm where students are before pulling away.
8. If transporting explosives:
- You must have a written route plan. ✓
- You should take the shortest possible route.
- You can always use tunnels.
Answer: A. You must have a written route plan.
If transporting explosives, you must have a written route plan. The handbook says that when you haul Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives, you must have a written route plan and follow it. The carrier usually prepares the plan ahead of time and gives the driver a copy; if you pick up the load somewhere other than the terminal, you may plan it yourself. Either way, you write it out in advance and keep a copy with you. That is why a written route plan is required rather than just choosing a route as you go.
9. How many identical placards must be placed on a vehicle?
- Three
- Two
- Four ✓
Answer: C. Four
A placarded vehicle must have four identical placards. The handbook says a placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards. It places them on the front, rear, and both sides, and says they must be readable from all four directions. That matches the answer of four. The point is to warn others about hazardous materials and identify the hazard class of the cargo from every side of the vehicle, not just one or two sides.
10. The use of a hand-held mobile device while driving is:
- Prohibited. ✓
- Acceptable if weather conditions are clear.
- Permitted if use is work-related.
Answer: A. Prohibited.
Using a hand-held mobile device while driving is prohibited. The handbook says federal rules restrict drivers of commercial motor vehicles from using hand-held mobile telephones, and motor carriers may not require or allow it. It treats holding a phone to talk, dialing with more than one button, and reaching for a phone while belted as hand-held use. The passage gives only a narrow exception for communicating with law enforcement or emergency services. For ordinary driving, that makes a flat prohibition the correct answer.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook