Bad Weather & Night Driving — Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania CDL practice test: 392 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: 20 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 | Pennsylvania CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 20 (5% of 392 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 (20)
1. 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.
2. What is black ice?
- A thick layer of ice on the road
- A thin layer of ice on the road ✓
- Ice that is black from debris on the road
- Ice that is easily seen
Answer: B. A thin layer of ice on the road
Black ice is a thin layer of ice on the road that is clear enough to see the pavement underneath. The handbook describes black ice as a thin, clear coating that lets the pavement show through, so the road looks wet rather than icy. It also says to watch for black ice whenever the temperature is below freezing and the road looks wet. That matches a thin layer of ice on the road, not a thick slab or ice colored by debris.
3. With your low beam headlights turned on, you should be able to see about ____ ahead of your vehicle.
- 15 feet
- 75 feet
- 100 feet
- 250 feet ✓
Answer: D. 250 feet
With low beam headlights on, you should be able to see roughly 250 feet ahead. The handbook says headlights are usually your main light source at night, and you see much less than in daytime. It gives the low-beam sight distance as about 250 feet, while high beams reach about 350 to 500 feet. It also says you must go slowly enough to stop within the distance your lights let you see. That makes the 250-foot figure the one that fits this question.
4. Areas of the road that are shaded:
- Usually do not freeze.
- Usually do not contain moisture, so they can’t freeze.
- Will remain slick after ice on other areas of the road has melted. ✓
- Should always be avoided.
Answer: C. Will remain slick after ice on other areas of the road has melted.
Shaded areas of the road can stay icy and slick even after ice in open, sunny areas has melted. The handbook lists shaded areas as one sign of a slippery road. It says shady parts stay icy and slippery long after open areas have melted. That matches the choice saying these areas remain slick after other parts of the road clear. The point for a driver is that sunshine melting ice elsewhere does not mean the shaded stretch is safe, so lower speed and care are still needed there.
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. 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.
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. Which of the following is not an example of a driver who might be a hazard?
- A driver operating a vehicle without first scraping ice off the windshield
- The operator of a rental truck
- The driver of a station wagon with items covering the back windows
- A person operating a pick-up truck ✓
Answer: D. A person operating a pick-up truck
9. 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.
10. If unsure if a road is becoming icy, a driver can:
- Guess.
- Open the window and check the front of the mirror for ice. ✓
- Try to look at the road closely.
- Look at a weather forecast.
Answer: B. Open the window and check the front of the mirror for ice.
Open the window and feel the front of the mirror, mirror support, or antenna for ice. The handbook describes an easy, direct way to tell whether the road is starting to freeze: roll down the window and feel the front of the mirror, the mirror support, or the antenna. If ice has formed on those parts, the road surface is probably starting to ice up too. That makes the mirror check a physical test of the conditions around your truck rather than a guess, and it matches what the handbook lists among the signs of a slippery road.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook