Speed Limits & Following Distance — Rhode Island
Rhode Island CDL practice test: 378 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Speed Limits & Following Distance: 8 questions.
Posted speed limits, school and construction zones, stopping and following distance.
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 | Speed Limits & Following Distance |
| License test | Rhode Island CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 8 (2% of 378 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (8)
1. What is a bobtail tractor?
- A tractor without a semi-trailer ✓
- A tractor with two semi-trailers
- A tractor that travels faster than the speed limit
Answer: A. A tractor without a semi-trailer
A bobtail tractor is a tractor without a semi-trailer. The handbook uses the term bobtail for a tractor that is running without a semi-trailer attached. It also warns that these tractors can be hard to stop smoothly and may take longer to stop than a fully loaded tractor-semitrailer. That description matches a tractor with no trailer, not a tractor pulling one or two trailers.
2. Maintain a following distance of at least ____ for every 10 feet of your vehicle if you are traveling at a speed under 40 mph.
- One second ✓
- Two seconds
- Three seconds
Answer: A. One second
3. While operating on a downgrade, you should brake until you reach a speed that is:
- 5 mph below your safe speed. ✓
- 10 mph below your safe speed.
- 15 mph below your safe speed.
Answer: A. 5 mph below your safe speed.
Brake until you are about 5 mph below your safe speed, then release the brakes. The handbook describes the braking technique for a long or steep downgrade. With the vehicle in the proper low gear, the engine does most of the slowing and the brakes are only a supplement. You apply the brakes enough to cause a clear slowdown, then release them once your speed is roughly five mph under your safe speed. When speed rises back to the safe speed, you repeat the process. That makes five mph below safe speed the release point.
4. When in heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is:
- Slower than the speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
- The same speed being driven by surrounding traffic. ✓
- Faster than the speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
Answer: B. The same speed being driven by surrounding traffic.
In heavy traffic, the safest speed is the same speed the surrounding traffic is driving. The handbook says directly that when traffic is heavy you should travel at the speed of other vehicles, because vehicles moving the same direction at the same speed are not likely to run into one another. It adds that you should drive with the flow of traffic if you can do so without going at an illegal or unsafe speed. That is why matching surrounding traffic is the correct choice, not picking a speed above or below the pack.
5. An Individual Vehicle Distance Record (IVDR) does not need to include which of the following?
- The dates of a trip
- The total distance traveled
- The number of vehicles passed ✓
Answer: C. The number of vehicles passed
An Individual Vehicle Distance Record does not need to include the number of vehicles passed. The handbook describes the IVDR as a trip record that shows the distance traveled and the fuel purchased for a vehicle running interstate under apportioned registration and IFTA credentials. It also says that although the layout of the form can differ, the information required for proper record keeping stays the same, and the licensee must keep records that back up the quarterly tax return. Counting the vehicles you pass has nothing to do with miles driven or fuel burned, so it falls outside what the record is meant to capture.
6. When traveling in heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is:
- The posted speed limit.
- The speed of surrounding traffic. ✓
- A speed much slower than the flow of surrounding traffic.
Answer: B. The speed of surrounding traffic.
In heavy traffic, the safest driving speed is the speed of surrounding traffic. The handbook's speed-and-traffic-flow rule says that in heavy traffic the safest speed is the speed of the other vehicles. Vehicles moving the same direction at the same speed are unlikely to run into each other. It also tells you to drive with the traffic flow if you can do so without going at an illegal or unsafe speed. That means matching surrounding traffic is the target, not simply holding the posted limit or crawling far below everyone else.
7. What is reaction distance?
- The distance you will travel between realizing you must brake and when you physically hit the brakes ✓
- The distance you will travel between a hazard becoming visible and you seeing the hazard
- The distance you will travel between seeing a hazard and realizing you must brake
Answer: A. The distance you will travel between realizing you must brake and when you physically hit the brakes
Reaction distance is the distance you travel after you realize you must brake until you physically hit the brakes. The handbook separates total stopping distance into perception, reaction, and braking parts. Reaction distance is the ground you cover after you have seen and recognized a hazard and decided to brake, up until the brakes actually take hold. The perception part is already over by then. That matches the choice about traveling between realizing you must brake and physically hitting the brakes.
8. On a slippery surface, stopping distance:
- Is longer than on a regular driving surface. ✓
- Is not as long as on a regular driving surface.
- Is about the same as on a regular driving surface.
Answer: A. Is longer than on a regular driving surface.
On a slippery surface, stopping distance is longer than on a regular driving surface. The handbook says traction is the friction between tires and the road, and slippery conditions reduce it. It states directly that it will take longer to stop when the road is slippery, and wet roads can double stopping distance. That is why you must slow down to stop within the same distance you would need on a dry road. The correct choice simply matches that rule: a slippery surface makes the stop take more distance, not less.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook