Parking & Stopping Rules — 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. Parking & Stopping Rules: 11 questions.
Where you may park, distances from hydrants and crossings, hill parking and disabled permits.
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 | Parking & Stopping Rules |
| License test | Maryland CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 11 (2% 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (11)
1. When completing an offset back/left parking maneuver, a driver should:
- Pull straight forward, then back to the left. ✓
- Drive straight back, then pull forward to the left.
- Pull straight forward, then drive straight back.
Answer: A. Pull straight forward, then back to the left.
2. The trailer hand valve:
- Should always be used for parking.
- Should only be used for parking on a downhill.
- Should never be used for parking. ✓
- Should only be used when transporting cargo.
Answer: C. Should never be used for parking.
The trailer hand valve should never be used for parking. The handbook explains that the trailer hand valve works the trailer brakes and is meant only for testing them. It warns against using it while driving because the trailer can skid, and it says never to use it for parking, since all the air might leak out and release the brakes on trailers that don't have spring brakes. Instead, you set the parking brakes, and if the trailer has no spring brakes, you use wheel chocks so it can't roll.
3. When asked to complete an offset back/right parking maneuver, you should:
- Pull straight forward, then back to the right. ✓
- Pull straight forward, then back to the left.
- Pull forward to the right, then back in a straight line.
- Pull forward to the left, then back in a straight line.
Answer: A. Pull straight forward, then back to the right.
4. When completing a driver's side parallel parking maneuver, you should:
- Pull forward directly into the parking space.
- Back up past the parking space, then pull forward into it.
- Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it. ✓
Answer: C. Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it.
Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it. The handbook's backing rules say to start in the proper position, back toward the driver's side whenever possible, and choose parking that lets you pull forward when you leave. Passing the space first and then backing in sets up that start position, keeps the maneuver on the driver's side, and leaves you able to drive out forward later instead of reversing into traffic. Backing is described as always dangerous because you cannot see everything behind you, so the aim is to get the backing done on your terms and keep it out of your exit.
5. A trolley valve:
- Should be used while driving.
- Should only be used to test trailer brakes. ✓
- Should be used when parking uphill.
Answer: B. Should only be used to test trailer brakes.
6. Before beginning downhill, you should:
- Shift into a higher gear.
- Take your vehicle out of gear.
- Shift into a lower gear. ✓
- Rely only on braking to reduce your speed.
Answer: C. Shift into a lower gear.
Before starting down a hill, shift into a lower gear so engine braking helps control your speed. The handbook lists starting down a hill as a special condition for downshifting. Slow down and shift down before you begin the descent, into a gear low enough to control speed without hard braking. It adds that the gear is usually lower than the one you would need to climb that same hill. Doing this lets the engine do its share of the braking. If you wait until speed builds, you may not be able to downshift, and you could lose engine braking. Relying too much on brakes can overheat them and reduce braking power.
7. Once stopped as a part of the stop/start maneuver, you should:
- Use the four-way flashers. ✓
- Not use the four-way flashers because it is just a test, not an emergency.
- Leave the vehicle in first gear.
- Park in front of a fire hydrant.
Answer: A. Use the four-way flashers.
After you have come to a full stop in the stop/start maneuver, use the four-way flashers. After the vehicle is fully stopped, parallel to the curb or shoulder and clear of traffic flow, the handbook's sequence calls for turning on the four-way emergency flashers. It then says to shift to neutral or park and take your feet off the brake and clutch pedals. The same passage also says the stopped vehicle should not block driveways, fire hydrants, intersections, or signs. Nothing in the procedure says the flashers are only for a real emergency, so they belong in this maneuver too.
8. To make it as safe as possible to leave a stop, you should park:
- So that you must back up to leave your parking space.
- So that you can pull forward to leave your parking space. ✓
- On the side of a roadway, not in a parking lot.
- By backing into a parking space.
Answer: B. So that you can pull forward to leave your parking space.
You should park so that you can pull forward to leave your parking space. The handbook says backing is always dangerous because you cannot see everything behind the vehicle, so you should avoid it when you can. It tells you to park in a way that lets you pull forward when you leave. Another section repeats the same idea: park where you will not have to back to get away. That is why the safe choice is to set up your stop so the vehicle can move forward out of the space.
9. Before beginning to drive downhill, you should:
- Take your vehicle out of gear.
- Shift into a lower gear. ✓
- Move into the left lane.
Answer: B. Shift into a lower gear.
Before starting downhill, shift into a lower gear. The handbook says to slow down and shift into a low gear before you begin a downgrade, choosing a gear low enough that you can control your speed without hard braking. It warns that relying on the brakes can overheat them and cause a loss of braking power. It also explains that engine braking is strongest in the lower gears, so you should be in the right low gear before speed builds; trying to downshift later may not work and can cost you engine braking. That is why the correct action is to shift down before the hill.
10. To check the automatic transmission fluid level in some vehicles, the vehicle:
- Should be parked uphill.
- Should be parked downhill.
- Must be washed.
- May have to be left running. ✓
Answer: D. May have to be left running.
On some vehicles, the automatic transmission fluid level may have to be checked with the engine left running. The handbook's pre-trip inspection checklist says to check the automatic transmission fluid level, and notes that this check may require the engine to be running. Nothing in the checklist says the vehicle has to be parked on a slope or washed before you check the fluid, so the only supported point is that the engine may need to stay on.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook