Bad Weather & Night Driving — Minnesota
Minnesota CDL practice test: 458 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 35 questions.
Rain, snow, ice, fog and night driving: visibility, traction and headlight use.
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 | Bad Weather & Night Driving |
| License test | Minnesota CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 35 (8% of 458 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 (35)
1. What happens when a vehicle hydroplanes?
- The tires lose contact with the road. ✓
- The tires have extra traction.
- The vehicle is easier to control.
- The vehicle becomes heavier.
Answer: A. The tires lose contact with the road.
When a vehicle hydroplanes, the tires lose contact with the road. The handbook describes hydroplaning as water skiing: water or slush collects on the road, and the tires lose their contact with the road and have little or no traction. In that state, you may not be able to steer or brake. That is why the correct description is that the tires lose contact with the road, not that they gain grip or make the vehicle easier to handle.
2. Headlights:
- Are not usually necessary when driving at night.
- Provide better light than the sun.
- Should be on the high beam setting whenever possible. ✓
- Should always be on the high beam setting.
Answer: C. Should be on the high beam setting whenever possible.
3. Water that has collected on a roadway can cause:
- Hydroplaning. ✓
- Acceleration.
- Stopping.
Answer: A. Hydroplaning.
Water collected on a roadway can cause hydroplaning. When water or slush collects on the road, the handbook says your vehicle can hydroplane. The tires lose contact with the road and have little or no traction, so you might not be able to steer or brake. Another passage says surfaces where water collects create the conditions for hydroplaning. That matches the answer: the collected water causes hydroplaning.
4. When it is difficult for others to see your vehicle, such as at dawn or dusk, you can help other drivers by:
- Keeping your lights off.
- Turning your lights on. ✓
- Driving on the shoulder.
- Waving an arm out the window.
Answer: B. Turning your lights on.
When visibility is poor, you can help other drivers see you by turning your lights on. The handbook's section on communicating your presence says that at dawn, dusk, in rain, or snow you should make yourself easier to see. It explains that when your own view of other vehicles is poor, theirs of you is likely poor too, and it tells you to turn on your lights. It specifically calls for the headlights rather than only clearance or identification lights, and for low beams because high beams can bother people. Turning the lights on is the action the handbook gives for being seen in poor visibility.
5. When driving on packed snow, you should reduce your speed:
- By at least one-half. ✓
- By about one-third.
- By about one-quarter.
- By about one-eighth.
Answer: A. By at least one-half.
On packed snow, reduce your speed by at least one-half. The handbook ties speed to traction: on a slippery surface it takes longer to stop and is harder to turn without skidding. It gives a specific cut for packed snow: reduce speed by a half, or more. That matches the answer calling for at least one-half. The same passage gives a smaller reduction, about one-third, for a wet road, so it is the packed-snow figure that supports going slower by half or more.
6. When preparing to drive in the winter, be sure to check:
- The coolant level.
- The defrosting and heating equipment.
- The windshield wipers.
- All of the above. ✓
Answer: D. All of the above.
You should check all of the above: the coolant level, the defrosting and heating equipment, and the windshield wipers. The handbook says to make a regular vehicle inspection before winter driving and pay extra attention to certain items. It lists checking the coolant level and antifreeze amount, making sure the defrosters and heater work, and making sure the windshield wiper blades are in good condition and the washers work. Since the question asks what to check and all three listed items are part of that winter inspection, the answer that includes all of them fits the handbook.
7. An air supply control in its "emergency" position will:
- Turn on the air supply.
- Apply the trailer emergency brakes. ✓
- Prevent a skid.
- Accelerate the vehicle.
Answer: B. Apply the trailer emergency brakes.
An air supply control in the "emergency" position applies the trailer emergency brakes. The handbook describes the trailer air supply control as the valve you use to manage the tractor protection valve. Pushing it in sends air to the trailer; pulling it out cuts that air off and sets the trailer emergency brakes. The same section says the emergency position is for shutting off the air and applying those brakes, while normal is for pulling a trailer. That matches the answer.
8. Roads are especially slippery when it first begins to rain because:
- Water is always very slippery.
- The fresh rain mixes with oil on the roadway. ✓
- The water has nowhere to go.
Answer: B. The fresh rain mixes with oil on the roadway.
The correct answer is that the fresh rain mixes with oil on the roadway. The handbook says that right after rain starts, the water mixes with oil left on the road by vehicles, and this makes the road very slippery. It also says that if the rain continues, it will wash the oil away. So the first rain is the risky time because the oil is still there and gets mixed with the water, not because water by itself is always slippery or because it has nowhere to go. That is why the answer points to fresh rain mixing with roadway oil.
9. To help your vehicle be seen by others:
- Headlights should be clean. ✓
- Headlights should be turned off during the day.
- Headlights should be covered with grease.
- Headlights should only be used in the rain.
Answer: A. Headlights should be clean.
Keep your headlights clean so other drivers can see your vehicle. The handbook says that for you to be seen easily, your lights must be clean and working properly. It also explains that dirty headlights give off much less light, which makes it harder for you to see and harder for others to see you. Clean headlights therefore belong with the basic steps for being visible.
10. If you see taillights ahead while you are driving in fog:
- The lights may not indicate where the road is as the vehicle may have pulled off the roadway. ✓
- You can assume the vehicle ahead is on the road.
- It may be an optical illusion.
Answer: A. The lights may not indicate where the road is as the vehicle may have pulled off the roadway.
The lights may not indicate where the road is, because the vehicle ahead may have pulled off the roadway. The handbook warns that taillights or headlights you see ahead in fog are not a reliable guide to the road's path. The vehicle you are following might not be on the road at all; it could be standing off to the side. That is why the handbook tells you to use roadside reflectors to help judge the curve ahead and to listen for traffic you cannot see. So you should not treat those lights as proof of where the roadway is.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook