General Driving Knowledge — South Dakota
South Dakota CDL practice test: 460 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. General Driving Knowledge: 151 questions.
Questions that do not fit a single topic: lane use, turning, signalling and other rules of the road.
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 | General Driving Knowledge |
| License test | South Dakota CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 151 (33% of 460 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 (151)
1. When loading compressed gas, the liquid discharge valves should be:
- Closed.
- Removed.
- Opened. ✓
Answer: C. Opened.
When you are loading compressed gas, the liquid discharge valves should be opened. The compressed gas section says to keep the liquid discharge valves on the tank closed except when loading and unloading. That exception is what makes loading different from normal travel: during the transfer the valve is open, and once the loading is finished the valves go back to the closed position for the road. The tank vehicle section adds that you check the intake, discharge, and cut-off valves and make sure they sit in the correct position before loading, unloading, or moving the vehicle.
2. When refueling a vehicle transporting hazardous materials:
- The engine should be left on.
- The engine should be turned off. ✓
- The gas nozzle may be left unattended.
- Someone other than the driver should do it.
Answer: B. The engine should be turned off.
The engine should be turned off before you refuel a vehicle that contains hazardous materials. The hazardous materials section of the handbook says plainly to shut the engine down before fueling a motor vehicle carrying hazmat. The same sentence adds that someone has to stay at the nozzle and control the fuel flow the whole time. So the safe routine is: engine off, then fuel, with a person standing at the nozzle. Leaving the engine running while fuel is being transferred is exactly what the rule tells you not to do.
3. A manifest for transporting hazardous waste:
- Must be signed by hand. ✓
- Must be sent electronically.
- Must be attached to the outside of the trailer.
Answer: A. Must be signed by hand.
A hazardous waste manifest must be signed by hand. The handbook's hazardous waste section says that when you haul hazardous waste you must sign the manifest by hand and carry the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest. Shippers also prepare, date, and sign it by hand, and every carrier moving the shipment signs it by hand too. After delivery you keep your copy, and every copy needs the required signatures and dates, including the signature of the person who took the waste. Nothing in the passage describes an electronic substitute, so the hand signature is what the rule requires.
4. When you are seated behind the steering wheel, shipping papers should be:
- Within reach. ✓
- In the sleeping compartment.
- Hidden under the seat.
- Taped to the passenger's side window.
Answer: A. Within reach.
When you are seated behind the steering wheel, shipping papers should be within reach. While you are seated behind the wheel, the handbook says hazardous materials shipping papers belong within your reach while your seat belt is fastened, or in the pouch on the driver's door. It also says they must be easy for someone entering the cab to see. The reason given is that after a crash or spill, police and firefighters may need to find the papers quickly, and your safety and others' safety can depend on that.
5. When turning, you should:
- Signal before the turn. ✓
- Turn off your turn signal just before starting the turn.
- Signal only if vehicles are in front of you.
Answer: A. Signal before the turn.
You should signal before the turn, well ahead of time, and keep the signal on until the turn is completed. The handbook's turn-signal rule says to signal early, before you turn, because that helps keep other drivers from trying to pass you. It also says to signal continuously and not cancel until you have completed the turn; only then should you turn the signal off. Another section repeats that you activate signals at appropriate times and cancel them when the turn or lane change is done. That supports signaling before the turn and keeping it on through the turn, not shutting it off as you begin.
6. Combination vehicles are usually:
- Easier to drive than single commercial vehicles.
- Lighter than single commercial vehicles.
- More difficult to drive than single commercial vehicles. ✓
Answer: C. More difficult to drive than single commercial vehicles.
Combination vehicles are usually more difficult to drive than single commercial vehicles. The handbook's combination-vehicle section says these rigs are usually heavier and longer than single commercial vehicles, and they call for more driving skill. That is why the correct choice is the one saying they are more difficult to drive. The passage adds that people operating them need more knowledge and skill than drivers of single vehicles. Nothing in the passages suggests they are easier or lighter.
7. When a combination vehicle goes around a corner:
- The vehicle must use at least two lanes.
- The front and rear wheels will move in different paths. ✓
- It is best to allow the rear wheels to drive over the curb.
Answer: B. The front and rear wheels will move in different paths.
When a combination vehicle goes around a corner, the front and rear wheels will move in different paths. The handbook calls this off-tracking. As the vehicle turns, the rear wheels do not follow the same line as the front wheels. Longer vehicles off-track more, and a trailer's rear wheels off-track even more than the powered unit's rear wheels. That is why you steer the front end wide enough around the corner so the rear end does not run over the curb or pedestrians, while still keeping the rear close to the curb.
8. If you plan to transport hazardous materials, you will:
- Need to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement. ✓
- Need to drive while using flashing lights.
- Need to wear a gas mask.
Answer: A. Need to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement.
You need to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement on your CDL before you haul hazardous materials. The handbook says any driver who wants to haul materials designated as hazardous and requiring placards must add a hazardous materials endorsement to the CDL. It also says the driver must pass a special written exam on recognizing, handling, and transporting hazardous materials, and that background checks are required. Because transporting hazardous materials is tied to this endorsement, getting the endorsement is the choice that matches the rule.
9. On low bridges:
- Height warnings must always be posted.
- Height warnings must be posted at least twice.
- Height warnings may be posted, but do not have to be. ✓
Answer: C. Height warnings may be posted, but do not have to be.
Height warnings may be posted on low bridges, but they do not have to be. The handbook says warnings are often posted on low bridges or underpasses, but sometimes they are not. That means you cannot count on a sign being there to tell you the clearance, so you have to judge it yourself. The same section tells you not to assume posted heights are even correct, since repaving or packed snow can reduce clearance after the number was put up. This is why the answer says warnings are allowed but not required.
10. You should always be able to stop within:
- 10 feet of your vehicle.
- 1,000 feet of your vehicle.
- Your view of the road ahead. ✓
- 30 seconds of hitting the brakes.
Answer: C. Your view of the road ahead.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook