Bad Weather & Night Driving — New York
New York CDL practice test: 389 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: 18 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 | New York CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 18 (5% of 389 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 (18)
1. 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.
2. When other vehicles have trouble seeing you at dawn or dusk, you can increase your visibility by:
- Turning on your four-way flashers.
- Honking your horn.
- Turning on your headlights. ✓
- Turning on your windshield wipers.
Answer: C. Turning on your headlights.
Turning on your headlights is the way to increase your visibility to other drivers at dawn or dusk. The handbook says that at dawn, dusk, rain, or snow you need to make yourself easier to see. It points out that if you have trouble seeing other vehicles, they likely have trouble seeing you. The instruction is to turn on your lights, and specifically to use your headlights, not just the identification or clearance lights. It also says to use low beams because high beams can bother other people. Turning on your headlights helps other drivers notice your vehicle.
3. Skids caused by acceleration can usually be resolved by:
- Speeding up.
- Taking your foot off the accelerator. ✓
- Coming to a complete stop.
- Switching into a higher gear.
Answer: B. Taking your foot off the accelerator.
The correct action is to take your foot off the accelerator. The handbook says the most common skid happens when the rear wheels lose grip because of too much braking or acceleration. Acceleration-caused skids usually occur on ice or snow, and the simple fix is to stop feeding power to the drive wheels by lifting off the accelerator. The passage adds that in very slippery conditions you may push the clutch in, because otherwise the engine can keep the wheels from rolling freely and regaining traction.
4. Many carriers have passenger and safety rules. To avoid issues with passengers reacting to these rules, you should:
- Not transport any passengers.
- Not have passengers sit next to each other.
- Have passengers who may want to smoke sit next to each other.
- Explain the rules at the start of the trip. ✓
Answer: D. Explain the rules at the start of the trip.
Explain the rules at the start of the trip so passengers know what is expected before problems come up. The handbook says many charter and intercity carriers have passenger comfort and safety rules. It advises mentioning rules about smoking, drinking, or use of radio and tape players at the start of the trip. It adds that explaining the rules at the start helps avoid trouble later on. That directly supports telling passengers the rules early rather than changing seating or refusing passengers.
5. Hydroplaning:
- Only occurs at extremely high speeds.
- Can occur at speeds as slow as 30 mph. ✓
- Happens most frequently when tire pressure is too high.
- Happens most frequently when tires have good tread.
Answer: B. Can occur at speeds as slow as 30 mph.
Hydroplaning can occur at speeds as slow as 30 mph when there is a lot of water on the road. The handbook says it does not take much water to cause hydroplaning, and that it can happen at speeds as low as 30 mph if there is a lot of water. So speed alone does not protect you; a slow-moving truck can still lose contact with the road on a wet surface. The same passage adds that low tire pressure and worn tread make hydroplaning more likely, which points to keeping tires properly inflated and checking tread.
6. When driving in fog, you should:
- Use the windshield wipers.
- Use the low beam lights. ✓
- Use the high beam lights.
- Use the heater.
Answer: B. Use the low beam lights.
When driving in fog, you should use your low beam headlights. The fog section of the handbook tells you to slow down before entering fog and to use low-beam headlights and fog lights for the best visibility, even during the day. It also says fog is often unexpected and visibility can drop fast, and that the best advice is to avoid driving in it at all by pulling off into a rest area or truck stop. If you do keep going, low beams are the lights the handbook names for fog.
7. The best way to recognize that your trailer has begun to skid is by:
- Seeing other drivers' faces.
- Seeing it in your mirrors. ✓
- Feeling it.
- Listening to the radio.
Answer: B. Seeing it in your mirrors.
The best way to catch a trailer skid early is by seeing it in your mirrors. The handbook's trailer skid procedure starts with recognizing the skid, and it says the earliest and best way to notice the trailer has started to skid is by watching it in your mirrors. It adds that whenever you brake hard, you should check the mirrors to confirm the trailer is staying where it belongs, because once the trailer swings out of your lane a jackknife becomes very hard to prevent. So the skill it teaches is a visual habit: hard braking means a mirror check.
8. Roads are most slippery right after it begins to rain because:
- The water mixes with oil and grease on the road. ✓
- The roads are naturally slippery.
- The gravel gets washed to the middle of the lane.
- Some tires are not designed for rain.
Answer: A. The water mixes with oil and grease on the road.
Roads are most slippery right after rain starts because the water mixes with oil left on the road by vehicles. The handbook lists "just after rain begins" as one of the signs of a slippery road. It explains that when rain first starts, the water combines with oil that vehicles have left on the surface, and this makes the road very slippery. It adds that if the rain keeps falling, it washes that oil away, so the worst grip comes early in the storm, not later. That is why you slow down and leave yourself room to stop on a wet road.
9. If a trailer begins to skid, the driver should:
- Lock the brakes.
- Release the brakes. ✓
- Steer in the opposite direction.
- Accelerate.
Answer: B. Release the brakes.
Release the brakes so the trailer wheels can regain traction. The handbook says that when a trailer starts to skid, you should release the brakes to get traction back. It explains that the trailer wheel brakes caused the skid, so using the trailer hand brake to try to straighten the rig is the wrong move. Once the trailer wheels grip the road again, the trailer will follow the tractor and straighten out.
10. Regarding winter driving, all of the following are true, except:
- Front tires should have a tread depth of at least 4/32 an inch.
- Tires should be slightly deflated. ✓
- Rear tires should have a tread depth of at least 2/32 an inch.
- Use a gauge to verify that each tire has a safe tread depth.
Answer: B. Tires should be slightly deflated.
The statement that is not true is that tires should be slightly deflated; the winter check is about having enough tread, not lowering tire pressure. The handbook's winter vehicle check says to make sure your tires have enough tread for traction. It gives minimum tread depths: at least 4/32 inch in every major groove on front tires and at least 2/32 inch on the other tires, with more being better. It also says to use a gauge to determine whether the tread is enough. The passage never says to deflate tires slightly, so that statement is the exception.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook