Parking & Stopping Rules — Texas
Texas CDL practice test: 429 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: 12 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 | Texas CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 12 (3% of 429 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 (12)
1. To make it as safe as possible to leave a stop, you should park:
- So that you must back up to leave your parking space.
- So that you can pull forward to leave your parking space. ✓
- On the side of a roadway, not in a parking lot.
- By backing into a parking space.
Answer: B. So that you can pull forward to leave your parking space.
You should park so that you can pull forward to leave your parking space. The handbook says backing is always dangerous because you cannot see everything behind the vehicle, so you should avoid it when you can. It tells you to park in a way that lets you pull forward when you leave. Another section repeats the same idea: park where you will not have to back to get away. That is why the safe choice is to set up your stop so the vehicle can move forward out of the space.
2. When asked to complete a driver's side parallel parking maneuver, you should:
- Pass the parking space while backing, then pull forward into it.
- Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it. ✓
- Pull forward into the parking space without passing it first.
- Back into the parking space without passing it first.
Answer: B. Pull forward past the parking space, then back into it.
You should pull forward past the parking space first, then back into it. The handbook warns that backing is always dangerous because you cannot see everything behind you, so it says to avoid backing whenever you can and, when you must back, to back and turn toward the driver's side whenever possible. The maneuver follows that idea: you drive beyond the space so the vehicle can be backed in on the driver's side, where your mirrors and view are best, instead of trying to work your way in from a position short of the space.
3. If you need to enter a driveway to park, it is a good idea to:
- Accelerate.
- Back into the driveway. ✓
- Drive forward into the driveway.
- Refuse the help of another individual.
Answer: B. Back into the driveway.
Back into the driveway so you can drive out forward and see where you are going. The handbook says that if you must back in or out of a driveway, back into the driveway from the street when possible. That way you can drive out forward later and see where you are going. The rule is about setting up your parking so leaving is easier and safer, not about rushing into the driveway or refusing help. It also fits the surrounding advice to use someone to guide you and to park where you will not have to back out.
4. If a semitrailer must be parked on the shoulder of a two-way roadway and flags are being used in the place of lighted lamps, the flags should be placed:
- 100 feet in front of and behind the vehicle. ✓
- 100 and 200 feet in front of the vehicle.
- 100 and 200 feet behind the vehicle.
- 300 feet in front of and behind the vehicle.
Answer: A. 100 feet in front of and behind the vehicle.
The flags should be placed 100 feet in front of and 100 feet behind the vehicle. The handbook says that when you stop on a two-way road or undivided highway, warning devices go within 10 feet of the front or rear corners and 100 feet to the rear and 100 feet to the front, on the shoulder or in the lane where you stopped. It also says red flags can be used in place of flares, lights, or reflectors when lighted lamps are not required. So the flags serve as the warning devices and follow the same 100-foot placement on each side.
5. If a semitrailer must be parked on the shoulder of a roadway where the view is obstructed, and flags are being used in the place of lighted lamps, the flags should be placed:
- In front of and behind the vehicle. ✓
- Only in front of the vehicle.
- Only behind the vehicle.
- On the front and rear of the vehicle.
Answer: A. In front of and behind the vehicle.
Place the flags in front of and behind the semitrailer. The handbook says two red flags can be used in place of flares, lights, or reflectors when lighted lamps are not required. Its warning-device rule has you mark the stopped vehicle at both ends, ahead and behind, and move the rear warning farther back when a hill or curve blocks the view. Applying that to the flags means one warning belongs in front and one behind, so drivers coming from either direction get notice of the parked semitrailer.
6. Before beginning downhill, you should:
- Shift into a higher gear.
- Take your vehicle out of gear.
- Shift into a lower gear. ✓
- Rely only on braking to reduce your speed.
Answer: C. Shift into a lower gear.
Before starting down a hill, shift into a lower gear so engine braking helps control your speed. The handbook lists starting down a hill as a special condition for downshifting. Slow down and shift down before you begin the descent, into a gear low enough to control speed without hard braking. It adds that the gear is usually lower than the one you would need to climb that same hill. Doing this lets the engine do its share of the braking. If you wait until speed builds, you may not be able to downshift, and you could lose engine braking. Relying too much on brakes can overheat them and reduce braking power.
7. During a basic vehicle control skills test, you may be asked to:
- Parallel park. ✓
- Inspect your tires.
- Monitor your gauges.
- Pull forward into a parking space.
Answer: A. Parallel park.
8. Sometimes, when checking the automatic transmission fluid level:
- Your vehicle should be parked uphill.
- Your vehicle should be parked downhill.
- Your vehicle should be washed.
- Your vehicle may have to be left running. ✓
Answer: D. Your vehicle may have to be left running.
Sometimes your vehicle may have to be left running while you check the automatic transmission fluid level. The handbook's engine-compartment checklist includes the automatic transmission fluid level and notes that this check may need the engine to be running. So the correct choice is the one saying the vehicle may have to be left running. The passages do not connect this check to parking on a slope or washing the vehicle.
9. The trailer hand valve:
- Should always be used for parking.
- Should only be used for parking on a downhill.
- Should never be used for parking. ✓
- Should only be used when transporting cargo.
Answer: C. Should never be used for parking.
The trailer hand valve should never be used for parking. The handbook explains that the trailer hand valve works the trailer brakes and is meant only for testing them. It warns against using it while driving because the trailer can skid, and it says never to use it for parking, since all the air might leak out and release the brakes on trailers that don't have spring brakes. Instead, you set the parking brakes, and if the trailer has no spring brakes, you use wheel chocks so it can't roll.
10. When turning right in a long vehicle, you should approach the corner at a distance of about ____ from the curb.
- Seven feet
- Four feet ✓
- Eight inches
- Two feet
Answer: B. Four feet
Approach the corner in your proper lane about four feet from the curb. The handbook's right-turn method for tractor-trailers and long wheelbase trucks and buses says to begin from the proper lane with roughly four feet between the vehicle and the curb. That spacing is close enough to discourage a car from trying to pass on your right, while still letting you turn wide so the right rear wheels clear the curb. The same passage also covers narrow streets: you may swing left first, but not so far that you invite passing on the right.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook