Bad Weather & Night Driving — Mississippi
Mississippi CDL practice test: 463 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: 31 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 | Mississippi CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 31 (7% of 463 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 (31)
1. If you use the trailer hand brake while your trailer is skidding, it will:
- Stop the skid.
- Straighten the trailer.
- Continue the skid. ✓
Answer: C. Continue the skid.
Using the trailer hand brake while the trailer is skidding will continue the skid. The handbook says the trailer hand valve is for testing trailer brakes, not for use while driving. It warns that using it can make the trailer skid. When a trailer is already skidding, applying the hand brake does not fix it: the handbook says not to use it to straighten the rig because the trailer wheel brakes caused the skid in the first place. Releasing the brakes is what lets the wheels regain grip, after which the trailer follows the tractor and straightens out.
2. If a roadway is covered by fog, it is best for you to:
- Drive faster than usual.
- Use your high beam headlights.
- Turn off your headlights.
- Avoid driving. ✓
Answer: D. Avoid driving.
The best choice is to avoid driving in fog when you can, waiting until visibility improves. The handbook says fog is often unexpected and visibility can drop fast, and it gives this blunt advice: the best advice for driving in fog is don't. It suggests pulling off into a rest area or truck stop until conditions get better. Only if you must drive does it list steps like slowing down before you enter the fog, obeying fog warning signs, and using low-beam headlights and fog lights. So the safest answer is to stay off the road rather than drive through it.
3. Which of the following surfaces provides the least amount of traction?
- Ice that is dry
- Ice that is wet ✓
- Wet pavement
- Dry pavement
Answer: B. Ice that is wet
Wet ice provides the least traction. The handbook explains that slight melting makes ice wet, and once ice is wet it has far less grip than ice that stays dry. It also treats icy surfaces as the most serious case, telling drivers to slow to a crawl and stop as soon as they safely can. Wet pavement is slippery enough to stretch stopping distance and calls for a partial speed reduction, but the handbook does not rank it as bad as ice. Dry pavement is the normal surface used for comparison.
4. To help your vehicle be seen by others:
- Your headlights should be clean. ✓
- Your headlights should be turned off during the day.
- Your headlights should be covered with grease.
- Your headlights should be used, but only in the rain.
Answer: A. Your headlights should be clean.
Keep your headlights clean so other drivers can see you. The handbook lists cleanliness as part of being seen, saying the lights you rely on to be seen easily must be clean and working properly. It repeats this for headlights specifically: dirty headlights may give only half the light they should, which cuts down what you can see and makes it harder for others to see you. The fix the manual gives is simple — make sure the lights are clean and working. Grease, dirt or anything else on the lens works against that goal.
5. When you need to stop in an emergency, you should:
- Lock the wheels and skid to a stop.
- Stop in a way that keeps your vehicle in a straight line. ✓
- Stop in a way that turns your vehicle.
- Expect your vehicle to slow down more quickly than usual.
Answer: B. Stop in a way that keeps your vehicle in a straight line.
When you need to stop in an emergency, you should brake in a way that keeps your vehicle in a straight line. The handbook's quick-stop section says to brake so the vehicle stays straight and can still be steered if you need to turn. It gives two methods, controlled braking and stab braking. With controlled braking you press as hard as you can without locking the wheels, keep steering movements small, and release and re-apply the brakes if the wheels lock or you need a bigger steering change. Staying straight keeps you able to steer around the problem and avoids a skid.
6. You should specifically look out for black ice:
- When it is snowing.
- When the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet. ✓
- When the temperature is above freezing and there is snow on the ground.
Answer: B. When the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet.
Look out for black ice when the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet. The handbook describes black ice as a thin, clear layer that lets you see the road underneath, so the pavement looks wet. It gives a specific warning: any time the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet, watch for black ice. That matches the condition of below-freezing air plus a wet-looking road, not simply snowfall or above-freezing weather with snow on the ground.
7. Roads are slippery when it first begins to rain because:
- Water is slippery.
- The fresh rain mixes with oil on the roadway. ✓
- The water has nowhere to go.
- Concrete can be slippery.
Answer: B. The fresh rain mixes with oil on the roadway.
Roads are slippery when it first begins to rain because the fresh rain mixes with oil left on the roadway by vehicles. The handbook says that right after rain starts, the water mixes with oil that vehicles have left on the road, and that combination makes the pavement very slippery. It also notes that if the rain continues, it washes the oil away. So the first rain is the risky period, not simply because water or concrete is slippery in general. That is why the answer points to fresh rain mixing with oil.
8. If there is ice on the front of your side mirror:
- You should exit the roadway.
- You can expect ice to be on the roadway. ✓
- There will not be ice on the roadway.
Answer: B. You can expect ice to be on the roadway.
If there is ice on the front of your side mirror, you can expect ice to be on the roadway. The handbook lists vehicle icing as a sign of slippery roads. It says to open the window and feel the front of the mirror, mirror support, or antenna; if ice is there, the road surface is probably starting to ice up. Another passage says that ice on mirrors or wiper blades means the road most likely will be icy as well. So ice on the front of your side mirror is a warning to expect ice on the road and to slow down.
9. One way to prevent hydroplaning on wet road surfaces is to:
- Ensure that your tires have good tread depth. ✓
- Under-inflate your tires.
- Drive faster than usual.
Answer: A. Ensure that your tires have good tread depth.
One way to prevent hydroplaning is to ensure that your tires have good tread depth. The handbook's inspection section says low tread depth increases the effect of hydroplaning. It also lists tread depth as an inspection item, with minimum measurements in the major grooves. So keeping adequate tread is the supported way to reduce hydroplaning, not a tire pressure change or higher speed. The driving section also says wet roads call for lower speed because traction is reduced.
10. To make driving at night easier, you should:
- Keep your interior light turned on.
- Adjust the instrument panel lights as dimly as you can while still being able to read the gauges. ✓
- Not take a nap before driving.
- Use only your low beam headlights.
Answer: B. Adjust the instrument panel lights as dimly as you can while still being able to read the gauges.
Dim the instrument panel lights as low as you can while still reading the gauges. The handbook warns that a bright cab makes it harder to see outside at night, so it tells you to keep the interior light off and turn the instrument lights down as far as you can and still read the gauges. A dim panel keeps your eyes adapted to the dark road ahead, which is the whole point of the advice on that page.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook