General Driving Knowledge — Maryland
Maryland CDL practice test: 460 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: 144 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 | Maryland CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 144 (31% of 460 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 (144)
1. The identification numbers assigned to chemicals can be found:
- In the DOT Emergency Response Guide. ✓
- In the truck's manual.
- In the Periodic Table of Elements.
Answer: A. In the DOT Emergency Response Guide.
2. If your coolant level is found to be low, you should:
- Drain the radiator.
- Add more coolant. ✓
- Add engine oil.
- Tighten the belts.
Answer: B. Add more coolant.
Add more coolant when the coolant level is low. The handbook's cooling-system check says to let the engine cool, protect your hands, and release radiator pressure slowly before opening the cap. Once the cap is off, you look at the coolant level and top it up if it is low. That makes adding coolant the matching response to a low reading. The passage does not direct you to drain the radiator, add oil, or adjust belts when the coolant is low.
3. When starting a vehicle, warning lights and buzzers:
- Should not light up or sound.
- Should turn on and shut off quickly. ✓
- Should turn on and remain on.
Answer: B. Should turn on and shut off quickly.
Warning lights and buzzers should turn on and shut off quickly after the engine starts. During startup, the handbook lists oil, coolant, charging circuit, and ABS warning lights and says they should go out right away. It also says an ABS dash light should come on and then turn off; if it stays on, the ABS is not working properly. That brief on-then-off behavior shows the warning system is doing its check. So the normal result is not silence and not a light that stays lit, but a quick light or buzzer that clears once the engine is running.
4. Who must label hazardous materials?
- The shipper ✓
- The loader
- The driver
- The mechanic
Answer: A. The shipper
The shipper must label hazardous materials. The handbook puts packaging, marking, and labeling duties on the shipper. It says the shipper must package, mark, and label the materials, prepare shipping papers, provide emergency response information, and supply placards. Another passage says shippers print required markings on the package, an attached label, or a tag. The driver's job is different: make sure the shipper identified, marked, and labeled the materials properly, and refuse leaking packages or improper shipments.
5. If one-fourth of the leaves in a leaf spring are missing when a vehicle is inspected:
- The vehicle’s driver will be allowed to drive, but only at reduced speeds.
- The vehicle will be put out-of-service until it is fixed. ✓
- The vehicle will be fine to drive since most of the spring is in place.
Answer: B. The vehicle will be put out-of-service until it is fixed.
The vehicle will be put out-of-service until the leaf spring is fixed. The handbook says that missing or broken leaves in any leaf spring are a defect, and when one-fourth or more of the leaves are missing, the vehicle is placed out of service. It also explains that inspectors who judge a vehicle unsafe put it out of service until it is fixed. One-fourth missing meets that threshold, so the vehicle cannot keep running until it is repaired.
6. Regulations relating to hazardous materials are intended to protect all of the following, except:
- You.
- Those around you.
- The environment.
- Buildings. ✓
Answer: D. Buildings.
The hazardous materials regulations are meant to protect you, the people around you, and the environment, so buildings are the exception. The handbook's opening section on the intent of the hazardous materials rules says the regulations exist to protect three things: you, those around you, and the environment. It then explains that the rules work by telling shippers how to package materials safely and telling drivers how to load, move, and unload them. Buildings are not named anywhere in that list of protected things, so they are the choice that does not belong.
7. A person driving with an open window in cold weather may be:
- A distracted driver. ✓
- A person who is dressed inappropriately.
- A person who likes fresh air.
Answer: A. A distracted driver.
A driver with an open window in cold weather may be a distracted driver, so treat that behavior as a clue to watch them closely. The handbook puts an open window in cold weather in the same list of driving clues as speeding up or slowing down suddenly and driving too fast or too slow. Those are the kinds of things you watch for to spot drivers whose attention or condition is not fully on the road, and the manual tells you to be alert for drunk and sleepy drivers late at night. Recognizing drivers who are distracted matters because the handbook says missing them can keep you from seeing or reacting in time to prevent a crash.
8. A person attending a placarded vehicle may be:
- In the sleeper berth.
- Either awake or asleep inside the vehicle.
- Within 100 feet of the vehicle. ✓
Answer: C. Within 100 feet of the vehicle.
A person attending a placarded vehicle may be within 100 feet of the vehicle, as long as it is within clear view. The handbook's attending rule for a parked placarded vehicle says the attendant must either be inside the vehicle, awake and not in the sleeper berth, or stay within 100 feet with the vehicle in clear view. That makes being within 100 feet one allowed way to attend. It also rules out sleeping and the sleeper berth as acceptable attending positions.
9. If you are driving so slowly that you could impede other vehicles, you should:
- Stay in the left lane.
- Drive with your emergency flashers activated. ✓
- Not use any lights.
- Wave an arm out of your window.
Answer: B. Drive with your emergency flashers activated.
If you have to drive slowly enough to hold up other vehicles, turn on your emergency flashers when the law allows it. The handbook addresses this under driving slowly: drivers coming up behind a slow vehicle often misjudge the closing speed until they are close. The suggested response is to alert following drivers by switching on your emergency flashers if that use is legal where you are driving. The handbook also notes that flasher laws vary between states, so the instruction is conditional. It does not tell slow drivers to change lanes, leave lights off, or use hand signals to wave people around.
10. To help prevent rollovers, you should:
- Accelerate quickly after stopping.
- Drive slowly around turns. ✓
- Keep the load near the back of the trailer.
- Keep the load on one side of the trailer.
Answer: B. Drive slowly around turns.
To help prevent rollovers, you should drive slowly around turns. The handbook's rollover section says that keeping the cargo low and driving slowly around turns are the two things that help prevent a rollover. It adds that rollovers happen when you turn too fast, and tells you to drive slowly around corners, on ramps, and off ramps. Turning slowly gives the tall, heavy vehicle less chance to tip over.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook