Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — 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. Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation: 207 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 | Maryland CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 207 (45% 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 (207)
1. Which of the following is a sign that brakes will need repair?
- Brake pads are not covered in grease.
- Brake pads are not covered in oil.
- Brake shoes are worn thin. ✓
Answer: C. Brake shoes are worn thin.
Brake shoes worn thin is a sign that the brakes need repair. The handbook lists bad brake drums or shoes as something to look for during inspection. It specifically names cracked drums, shoes or pads with oil, grease, or brake fluid on them, and shoes that are worn dangerously thin, missing, or broken. A worn-thin brake shoe matches that list, so it points to a brake defect that needs attention. Clean brake pads without grease or oil are not described as a problem.
2. A steering wheel should be:
- Held with one hand while the other hand rests.
- Held with both hands to ensure an adequate grip. ✓
- Released if the vehicle is approaching a bump.
Answer: B. Held with both hands to ensure an adequate grip.
A steering wheel should be held with both hands to ensure an adequate grip. The handbook's steering section says to keep a firm grip on the wheel with both hands, placed on opposite sides. It explains that hitting a curb or pothole can pull the wheel away unless you have a firm hold. The emergency steering section makes the same point: a firm two-handed grip lets you turn quickly, and the best way to have both hands on the wheel in an emergency is to keep them there all the time.
3. Retreaded tires:
- May be used on the front axle of a school bus.
- May be used on the rear axles of a school bus. ✓
- Cannot be used on a school bus.
Answer: B. May be used on the rear axles of a school bus.
Retreaded tires may be used on the rear axles of a school bus. The handbook lists re-grooved, recapped, and retreaded tires among things prohibited on the front wheels of a bus. That wording limits the ban to the front wheels, so a school bus's rear axles are not included in the prohibition. The other passages cover vehicle length, load limits, and inspection checklist items, not retreaded tires. Reading the tire rule as written, the permitted use among these choices is on the rear axles of a school bus.
4. When braking with ABS, you should:
- Push the brake pedal harder than usual.
- Push the brake pedal as you normally would. ✓
- Push the brake pedal more lightly than usual.
Answer: B. Push the brake pedal as you normally would.
5. Having weight loaded in a way that creates a high center of gravity:
- Increases the likelihood of a rollover. ✓
- Increases the likelihood that items will fall down.
- Increases the difficulty of unloading the cargo.
Answer: A. Increases the likelihood of a rollover.
Having a high center of gravity increases the likelihood of a rollover. The handbook says a high center of gravity makes a vehicle more likely to tip over, especially when cargo is piled high or heavy cargo sits on top. It warns that this is most dangerous in curves or when you must swerve to avoid a hazard, and it says to place the heaviest parts under the lightest parts so the load sits as low as possible. Loading weight high therefore raises rollover risk rather than affecting unloading or making items fall down.
6. To use the stab braking method, you should:
- Apply the brakes completely until the wheels lock up, release the brakes until the wheels start rolling, then repeat the process. ✓
- Apply the brakes about halfway, but allow the wheels to keep rolling.
- Apply the brakes completely until the wheels lock up and the vehicle stops.
- Apply the emergency brake until the vehicle starts to slow.
Answer: A. Apply the brakes completely until the wheels lock up, release the brakes until the wheels start rolling, then repeat the process.
Apply the brakes fully until the wheels lock, release them until the wheels start rolling again, and then apply the brakes fully again. The handbook describes stab braking as a repeating cycle: press the brake pedal all the way, let up when the wheels lock, and press fully again once the wheels begin rolling. It also notes that it can take up to a second for the wheels to roll after you release the brakes; reapplying too soon keeps the vehicle from straightening out. That is why the correct method involves releasing and reapplying rather than holding the brakes down continuously.
7. If being shipped on either a flatbed trailer or a trailer without sides, cargo must be:
- Glued to the bed.
- Strapped down. ✓
- Loose to allow it to shift when the vehicle turns.
- Heavy enough that it won’t shift.
Answer: B. Strapped down.
Cargo shipped on a flatbed trailer or a trailer without sides must be strapped down, meaning secured so it cannot shift or fall off. The handbook passage for flatbed trailers and trailers without sides says cargo must be secured to keep it from shifting or falling off. It also says tie-downs must be the proper type and strength and attached correctly to the vehicle. A load that is merely placed on an open trailer does not meet that rule, so the answer is to have it strapped down with proper tie-down equipment.
8. You should not use the parking brake:
- If your vehicle is stopped on a level surface.
- If your vehicle is stopped on a slight incline.
- If your vehicle's brakes are very hot. ✓
- If your vehicle's other braking systems seem to be working adequately.
Answer: C. If your vehicle's brakes are very hot.
You should not use the parking brake when your vehicle's brakes are very hot. The handbook says to use the parking brakes any time you park, with two exceptions: brakes that are very hot, such as after a steep downgrade, and brakes that are very wet in freezing temperatures. It explains that applying the parking brake while the brakes are very hot can damage them from the heat, and it says to let hot brakes cool before using the parking brakes. That makes hot brakes the situation in the question where you should hold off.
9. When starting an engine, oil pressure should come up to a normal level:
- Within seconds. ✓
- Within five minutes.
- After about three minutes.
Answer: A. Within seconds.
Oil pressure should reach a normal level within seconds after you start the engine. The handbook's vehicle inspection section says to look at the oil pressure gauge after starting the engine and that it should rise to normal within seconds. That wording makes the short time frame the correct one. The same passage gives a three-minute figure for air pressure buildup, not oil pressure, so it does not support treating oil pressure as a slow gauge.
10. Which of the following is not a type of retarder?
- Exhaust
- Engine
- Air ✓
- Electric
Answer: C. Air
Air is not one of the four basic types of retarders; the handbook lists exhaust, engine, hydraulic, and electric retarders. The Texas CDL Handbook describes retarders as devices that help slow a vehicle, cut down on brake use, and reduce brake wear, and it says the driver can switch them on or off. It then states there are four basic types: exhaust, engine, hydraulic, and electric. Air does not appear on that list, so it is the choice that is not a retarder type. Remember that air is what powers an air brake system, which the handbook covers in a separate section.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook