Parking & Stopping Rules — Tennessee
Tennessee CDL practice test: 468 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Parking & Stopping Rules: 11 questions.
Where you may park, distances from hydrants and crossings, hill parking and disabled permits.
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 | Parking & Stopping Rules |
| License test | Tennessee CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 11 (2% of 468 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 (11)
1. When you must travel down a hill, when should you switch into a lower gear?
- As you begin to move downward
- As you go downhill and pick up speed
- Before you start going downhill ✓
Answer: C. Before you start going downhill
You should switch into a lower gear before you start going downhill. The handbook says to shift to a low gear before starting down the grade. It warns not to wait until your speed has built up, because then you may not be able to downshift; you might not get back into any gear and lose engine braking. It also says to slow down and choose a gear low enough to control the vehicle without hard braking, so the brakes do not overheat and fade. That makes preparing before the downhill start the safe choice.
2. When parked on the side of the road, you should:
- Use only the rear flashing lights.
- Use one set of turn signals.
- Use your high beam headlights.
- Use your four-way flashers. ✓
Answer: D. Use your four-way flashers.
When parked on the side of the road, you should use your four-way flashers. The handbook instructs you to switch on the four-way emergency flashers after pulling off the road and stopping. It says this matters especially at night, because taillights alone are not a dependable warning. Drivers have hit parked vehicles from behind because they assumed the vehicle was moving normally. Another passage adds that four-way flashers help approaching drivers notice your vehicle sooner. Together, these passages point to the four-way flashers as the right warning light for a vehicle parked at the roadside.
3. When alley docking, your vehicle should be parked:
- With the front bumper on top of the front boundary line.
- With the rear wheels over the rear boundary line.
- Straight within the boundaries of the parking space. ✓
- At an angle within the boundaries of the parking space.
Answer: C. Straight within the boundaries of the parking space.
When alley docking, the vehicle should be parked straight within the boundaries of the parking space. The handbook's reverse offset backing/alley exercise says the vehicle must be straight within the alley when you finish and completely inside the defined exercise boundaries, except for mirrors or similar high parts. That matches parking straight within the parking space boundaries. The exercise also says backing beyond the rear boundary requires pulling forward and resuming, so the finished position cannot have wheels over the rear line. The front bumper sitting on the front boundary line is likewise not the described finished position; the whole vehicle must be within the boundaries.
4. When traveling with Division 1.1 explosives, you may park no closer than ____ from the nearest building.
- 10 feet
- 50 feet
- 300 feet ✓
Answer: C. 300 feet
You may park no closer than 300 feet from the nearest building when traveling with Division 1.1 explosives. The handbook's hazardous materials section says that with Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives you must not park within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, building, place where people gather, or open fire. It allows only short stops for things the vehicle needs, such as fueling, and says to park briefly if you must stop to do your job. A building is on that list, so the required separation is 300 feet.
5. During a basic vehicle control skills test, you may be asked to:
- Swerve to avoid a hazard.
- Parallel park. ✓
- Drive straight into a parking space.
Answer: B. Parallel park.
You may be asked to parallel park during the basic vehicle control skills test. You may be asked to parallel park during the basic vehicle control skills test. The handbook's basic control skills section includes diagrams labeled Parallel Park (Driver Side) and Parallel Park (Conventional), which places parallel parking among the maneuvers in that test. The test is about slow-speed control and judging the vehicle's position, and the listed exercises are forward stopping, straight-line backing, and offset tracking and backing. Nothing in the passages says the examiner will ask you to swerve around a hazard or drive straight into a parking space.
6. To ensure you do not interfere with traffic while driving a heavy vehicle, you should:
- Switch gears while driving uphill.
- Try to pass other vehicles while driving uphill.
- Stay in the right lane. ✓
- Ride the brakes while driving downhill.
Answer: C. Stay in the right lane.
Stay in the right lane. That keeps a heavy vehicle from holding up faster traffic when a load slows it down. The handbook says heavy vehicles often get tailgated when they cannot keep up, especially uphill. When a heavy load reduces your speed, use the right lane if possible. It also says to remain in the right-most lane unless it is blocked. Passing uphill is limited to cases where you can get around quickly and safely. Keeping right leaves room for other traffic to pass and lowers the chance that you interfere with the flow.
7. When completing an offset back/left parking maneuver, a driver should:
- Pull straight forward, then back to the left. ✓
- Drive straight back, then pull forward to the left.
- Pull straight forward, then drive straight back.
Answer: A. Pull straight forward, then back to the left.
8. Once stopped as a part of the stop/start maneuver, you should:
- Use the four-way flashers. ✓
- Not use the four-way flashers because it is just a test, not an emergency.
- Leave the vehicle in first gear.
- Park in front of a fire hydrant.
Answer: A. Use the four-way flashers.
After you have come to a full stop in the stop/start maneuver, use the four-way flashers. After the vehicle is fully stopped, parallel to the curb or shoulder and clear of traffic flow, the handbook's sequence calls for turning on the four-way emergency flashers. It then says to shift to neutral or park and take your feet off the brake and clutch pedals. The same passage also says the stopped vehicle should not block driveways, fire hydrants, intersections, or signs. Nothing in the procedure says the flashers are only for a real emergency, so they belong in this maneuver too.
9. A trolley valve:
- Should be used while driving.
- Should only be used to test trailer brakes. ✓
- Should be used when parking uphill.
Answer: B. Should only be used to test trailer brakes.
10. When completing a driver's side parallel parking maneuver, you should:
- Pull forward directly into the parking space.
- Back up past the parking space, then pull forward into it.
- Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it. ✓
Answer: C. Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it.
Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it. The handbook's backing rules say to start in the proper position, back toward the driver's side whenever possible, and choose parking that lets you pull forward when you leave. Passing the space first and then backing in sets up that start position, keeps the maneuver on the driver's side, and leaves you able to drive out forward later instead of reversing into traffic. Backing is described as always dangerous because you cannot see everything behind you, so the aim is to get the backing done on your terms and keep it out of your exit.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook