Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — North Dakota
North Dakota CDL practice test: 419 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: 199 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 | North Dakota CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 199 (47% of 419 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 (199)
1. During a vehicle inspection, ensure that lug nuts are all of the following, except:
- Free of cracks.
- Free of distortions.
- Loose. ✓
- Free of rust.
Answer: C. Loose.
The exception is loose: during inspection, lug nuts must not be loose. The handbook says to check that all lug nuts are present and that they are not loose. It also says to look for rust trails or shiny threads, which can be signs of looseness. A loose lug nut is a defect, not a condition you want to ensure. The handbook warns that loose or missing nuts can let a wheel come off and cause a crash, so the inspection is meant to catch looseness, not confirm it.
2. Vehicles with dual air brake systems:
- Have air pressure in the braking system even when the vehicle is not running.
- Maintain some air pressure in the braking system when the vehicle is not running.
- Must be run to build air pressure to allow the brakes to operate properly. ✓
- Maintain air pressure when shut off for periods of less than four hours.
Answer: C. Must be run to build air pressure to allow the brakes to operate properly.
Vehicles with dual air brake systems must be run to build air pressure before the brakes will operate properly. The handbook says that before driving a dual air system you should let the air compressor build up at least 100 psi in both the primary and secondary systems, and you watch both gauges plus the low pressure warning light and buzzer. The compressor only works while the engine runs, so air pressure has to be built up that way rather than being present on its own. The handbook also warns that if pressure builds too slowly, pressure can drop too low while driving and force an emergency stop, so you should not drive until the problem is fixed.
3. If driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, you can prevent your vehicle from rolling backward when starting from a stop by:
- Partly engaging the clutch before removing your foot from the brake pedal. ✓
- Placing the vehicle in reverse before moving forward.
- Fully engaging the clutch before removing your foot from the brake pedal.
- Placing the vehicle in neutral before moving forward.
Answer: A. Partly engaging the clutch before removing your foot from the brake pedal.
You prevent rollback by partly engaging the clutch before you remove your foot from the brake pedal. The handbook tells you not to roll back when you start, because you could hit someone behind you. For a manual transmission, it says to partly engage the clutch before you take your right foot off the brake. That keeps the vehicle from moving backward while you make the change from brake to engine power. If you need more help, the handbook also mentions using the parking brake until you have enough engine power to keep from rolling back. The key detail is partly engaging the clutch, not fully engaging it.
4. Which of the following is not another name for convex mirrors?
- Fisheye mirrors
- Spot mirrors
- Bug-eye mirrors
- Flat side mirrors ✓
Answer: D. Flat side mirrors
Flat side mirrors is not another name for convex mirrors, because flat mirrors are a separate mirror type from the curved convex mirrors. The handbook describes curved mirrors as convex and lists the other names people use for them: fisheye, spot, and bug-eye. It contrasts these with flat mirrors, which show a narrower area than the curved ones. So fisheye, spot, and bug-eye all point to the same curved mirror, while a flat side mirror is a different thing altogether and does not belong with that group of names.
5. The trailer hand valve should be used:
- Regularly to activate the trailer brakes in all driving conditions.
- Only to test the trailer brakes. ✓
- Only in inclement weather when the trailer may skid.
- Only if the trailer is carrying a load.
Answer: B. Only to test the trailer brakes.
6. In a dual air brake system, a leak in one system:
- Always means there are leaks in both systems.
- May not affect the other system. ✓
- Is not something to worry about.
- Will also affect the other system.
Answer: B. May not affect the other system.
A leak in one system may not affect the other system. The handbook describes a dual air brake setup as two separate brake systems that share one set of controls. Each side has its own air tanks, hoses, and lines, and one usually works the rear brakes while the other works the front. Because they are separate, a leak in one side does not automatically mean the other side is leaking or affected. The handbook still says low pressure in either system needs attention because braking may be reduced.
7. Pre-trip inspections should be done:
- Differently each time, emphasizing different items.
- The same way each time so you are less likely to forget something. ✓
- Once in a while.
- By someone other than the driver.
Answer: B. The same way each time so you are less likely to forget something.
Pre-trip inspections should be done the same way each time so you are less likely to forget something. The handbook describes a seven-step inspection method and says to inspect your vehicle in the same order on every check. Repeating one consistent routine helps you learn all the steps and makes it harder to skip an item. That matches the choice about doing inspections the same way each time. The handbook does not support changing the routine, inspecting only occasionally, or having someone else take over the driver's inspection.
8. If a vehicle is found to be over-length during a pre-trip inspection, the driver should:
- Trim the length of the load.
- Ask someone else to drive.
- Ensure flags and lights indicating the oversize load are fastened securely. ✓
- Drive without making any changes.
Answer: C. Ensure flags and lights indicating the oversize load are fastened securely.
The driver should make sure the flags and lights that mark an oversize load are securely fastened. The handbook's pre-trip cargo check says that when a load is over-length or over-width, all signs and any extra lights or flags must be safely and properly mounted, and the required permits must be with the driver. That makes securing the oversize markings the right response to an over-length finding during inspection. The passages do not say to shorten the load or to hand the vehicle to another driver, and they do not support driving on without making changes.
9. When loading liquid cargo, you should take into account:
- The weight of the liquid. ✓
- The color of the cargo.
- The air pressure in the tires.
- The speed limits on the route.
Answer: A. The weight of the liquid.
When loading liquid cargo, you should take into account the weight of the liquid. The tank vehicle section warns that a full tank of dense liquid, such as some acids, may exceed legal weight limits, so you often fill such tanks only partway. It also says the amount you load depends on how much the liquid will expand in transit, and that you must never fill a tank completely because liquids expand as they warm. Both points are about controlling how much weight and volume you put aboard, which is why the weight of the liquid is the thing you account for.
10. In a newer vehicle, you apply the parking brake:
- By using a diamond-shaped yellow knob. ✓
- By using a round red knob.
- By using a square green knob.
- By using a black round knob.
Answer: A. By using a diamond-shaped yellow knob.
In a newer air-brake vehicle, you apply the parking brake by pulling out the diamond-shaped yellow push-pull knob. The handbook's air-brake section describes the parking brake control in newer vehicles as a yellow, diamond-shaped push-pull knob. You pull it out to set the spring brakes and push it in to release them. The same section repeats that any time you park you should use the parking brakes, and it again identifies the newer control by that yellow diamond shape. That direct description matches the bank answer, so the shape and color are the identifying features.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook