Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — 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. Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation: 206 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 | South Dakota CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 206 (45% 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
Not yet verified
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Questions (206)
1. Driving with a cargo of hanging meat in a trailer:
- Is discouraged during the summer months.
- Can be problematic because animals are attracted to the smell of the meat.
- Is challenging because the load has a high center of gravity. ✓
Answer: C. Is challenging because the load has a high center of gravity.
Driving with a cargo of hanging meat is challenging because the suspended load has a high center of gravity. The handbook lists hanging meat, such as suspended beef, pork, or lamb, as a very unstable load with a high center of gravity. Because the weight sits high, it calls for particular caution on sharp curves, including on ramps and off ramps, and says to go slowly. That matches the choice about the high center of gravity. The passages do not connect hanging meat to summer driving or to animals being attracted by its smell.
2. Which of the following does not indicate bad brakes?
- Cracked drums
- Pads free of oil or grease ✓
- Very thin shoes
Answer: B. Pads free of oil or grease
Pads free of oil or grease do not indicate bad brakes; clean pads are not a brake defect. The handbook's bad-brake list includes cracked drums, linings or pads contaminated with oil, grease, or brake fluid, and shoes worn dangerously thin, missing, or broken. A pad with no oil or grease is therefore the opposite of the contamination problem. The inspection passage adds that oil or grease on brake parts can reduce braking friction, so clean pads are something you want, not a sign of trouble.
3. An air supply control lever should be in its "normal" position when you are:
- Changing a tire.
- Applying the trailer emergency brakes.
- Pulling a trailer. ✓
- Using your spring brakes.
Answer: C. Pulling a trailer.
The air supply control lever should be in the normal position when you are pulling a trailer. The handbook says the trailer air supply control operates the tractor protection valve. You push the control in to supply air to the trailer, and the normal position is the one used for pulling a trailer. The emergency position does the opposite: it shuts off the air and applies the trailer emergency brakes. So while you are pulling a trailer, the control belongs in normal, not emergency.
4. Brakes out of adjustment will:
- Work properly.
- Cause some of the brakes to overwork and malfunction. ✓
- Allow better acceleration.
Answer: B. Cause some of the brakes to overwork and malfunction.
5. A driver should stop after a short distance after changing a tire to:
- Ensure that the wheel nuts are tight on the newly-changed tire. ✓
- Ensure that there is still enough air pressure in the tire.
- Ensure that the correct tire was changed.
- Ensure that changing one tire did not damage another tire.
Answer: A. Ensure that the wheel nuts are tight on the newly-changed tire.
Stop a short distance after changing a tire to recheck that the wheel nuts on the newly changed tire are tight. The handbook warns that rust around wheel nuts can mean the nuts are loose, and it gives a specific instruction for after a tire change: stop a short while later and recheck nut tightness. That supports checking the wheel nuts on the newly changed tire. The passage does not say to stop for air pressure, to confirm the correct tire was installed, or to check another tire for damage.
6. When transporting cargo, drivers must check the securement of the cargo every:
- 10 miles.
- 150 miles. ✓
- 500 miles.
Answer: B. 150 miles.
Drivers must check cargo securement every 150 miles, or every three hours, whichever comes first, after the first check within 50 miles. The handbook says a truck driver hauling cargo inspects the load within the first 50 miles, then again every 150 miles or every three hours, whichever happens first. That makes 150 miles the distance interval named in the rule, with the three-hour limit as an alternative trigger. The cargo section repeats the same re-check timing after driving 150 miles or three hours and after breaks. So the bank answer fits the handbook's distance figure.
7. Cargo inside a trailer:
- Does not need to be secured.
- Should be stacked no more than three feet high.
- Should be secured to prevent movement. ✓
Answer: C. Should be secured to prevent movement.
Cargo inside a trailer should be secured so it cannot move. The handbook treats securing cargo as a handling issue, not just a flatbed issue. It says that in closed vans tie-downs can be important because shifting cargo may affect how the vehicle handles. It also describes blocking and bracing as ways to keep cargo from sliding, with blocking attached to the cargo deck and bracing running to the floor or walls. So cargo carried inside a trailer needs to be restrained against movement.
8. What do the two systems of a dual air brake system share?
- Hoses
- An air compressor ✓
- Air tanks
Answer: B. An air compressor
The two systems share an air compressor. The handbook describes a dual air brake system as two separate systems that use one set of brake controls. It says each system has its own air tanks, hoses, and lines, so those parts are not shared. The compressor is the air source that pumps air into the storage tanks. That leaves the compressor as the part common to both systems. The handbook does not say "shared compressor" word for word, but the separate tanks and hoses point to it.
9. When performing a pre-trip inspection and looking into the fifth wheel gap, you should:
- Make sure there is a gap between the kingpin and the locking jaws.
- Make sure the locking jaws are fully closed around the kingpin. ✓
- Make sure the locking jaws are loose.
Answer: B. Make sure the locking jaws are fully closed around the kingpin.
Make sure the locking jaws are fully closed around the kingpin. When you look into the fifth wheel gap, the handbook has you check that the locking jaws or lever are secured around the kingpin. It also says to look for play between the kingpin and the locking jaws or lever. Another fifth-wheel check says the jaws should close around the shank of the kingpin, with the locking lever locked and the safety latch in place. That supports checking that the jaws are fully closed around the kingpin, not that they are loose or that a gap should exist.
10. If the brakes pull to one side or the other when used:
- They are working properly.
- They need to be checked. ✓
- They will be the most effective.
Answer: B. They need to be checked.
If the brakes pull to one side when you use them, they need to be checked. The handbook's service brake test tells you to apply the brakes firmly at low speed and notice if the vehicle pulls to one side, feels unusual, or stops late. It says this test can reveal problems you would otherwise find only when you need the brakes on the road. A pull means the braking is not even, so the equipment should be inspected rather than treated as normal. The wet-brakes section also lists pulling as a possible problem when water gets into the brakes, and says to dry them and make a test stop.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook