Speed Limits & Following Distance — 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. Speed Limits & Following Distance: 18 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 | Texas CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 18 (4% 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 (18)
1. A special permit will be required if you wish to drive a vehicle:
- More slowly than the speed limit.
- That is hauling an empty trailer.
- On dirt roads.
- That is hauling a load larger than the legal limits. ✓
Answer: D. That is hauling a load larger than the legal limits.
2. When driving on the expressway during the skills test, you should:
- Switch lanes frequently.
- Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed. ✓
- Drive on the left side of the lane.
- Drive above the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Use your mirrors to check traffic as needed.
You should use your mirrors to check traffic as needed while driving on the expressway during the skills test. The handbook's expressway instructions tell you to check traffic and your mirrors thoroughly in all directions when you resume, and its general driving section calls for regular mirror checks to stay aware of traffic around you. That makes mirror use the expected habit during the on-road test. The same expressway section also says to merge smoothly and keep your vehicle centered in the proper lane, so the test is not asking you to wander in the lane or change lanes for no reason.
3. When using road speed to know when to switch gears, you should:
- Learn what speeds each gear is good for and shift up when necessary. ✓
- Watch other vehicles and try to keep pace.
- Watch other trucks and shift when they shift.
- Use the speed limit as a guide.
Answer: A. Learn what speeds each gear is good for and shift up when necessary.
Learn what speeds each gear is good for, then use your speedometer to know when to shift up. The handbook lists two ways to know when to shift: engine speed or road speed. For the road speed method, it says to learn the speeds each gear is good for and use the speedometer to know when to shift up. That is a general skill tied to your own vehicle and gears, not something you pick up by copying traffic around you.
4. Drive below the posted speed limit when:
- You see a police car.
- Driving on a highway where there are other cars.
- Anything makes conditions less than perfect. ✓
- You are on a four-lane road.
Answer: C. Anything makes conditions less than perfect.
Drive below the posted speed limit when anything makes conditions less than perfect. The handbook tells drivers to reduce speed for adverse weather or road conditions, and it warns that fog, rain, or other conditions may require slowing so you can stop within the distance you can see. It also says to adjust speed for curves and work zones. The correct choice matches that broad safety rule: when anything makes conditions less than perfect, drive below the posted maximum.
5. Farm tractors and other vehicles using wheels with cleats, lugs, flanges, studs, or spikes are not permitted to operate:
- On dirt roads.
- Under the legal speed limit.
- On highways. ✓
- Under poor weather conditions.
Answer: C. On highways.
Farm tractors and other vehicles with wheels that have cleats, lugs, flanges, studs, spikes, or similar rim extensions may not be operated on highways. The handbook says it is unlawful to operate on a highway any vehicle whose wheels have cleats, lugs, flanges, studs, spikes, or other extensions on the rim that would damage the road. The rule is written for any vehicle, so it covers farm tractors with this kind of wheel equipment. The same passage notes that tire chains used for safety are allowed, but that does not change the ban on road-damaging wheel extensions.
6. You may tailgate:
- If the vehicle in front of you is traveling under the speed limit.
- When traveling under speeds of 35 mph.
- If the vehicle in front of you has a slow-moving emblem.
- Under no circumstances. ✓
Answer: D. Under no circumstances.
7. A sign indicating a maximum safe speed:
- Is suggesting a driving speed, but vehicles may travel faster than the posted speed.
- Is suggesting a speed limit to be followed only by vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.
- Should be followed and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed. ✓
- Is only applicable to automobiles.
Answer: C. Should be followed and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed.
A sign indicating a maximum safe speed should be followed, and no vehicle should travel faster than the posted speed. The handbook says that when there is a sign indicating "Maximum Safe Speed," you should never exceed the speed shown. It treats that sign as a speed you must stay at or below, not as a casual suggestion. So the safe and proper action is to follow the posted maximum safe speed and not go faster than it.
8. A driver should always:
- Stay in the right lane.
- Have an emergency plan. ✓
- Stay in the left lane.
- Drive above the speed limit.
Answer: B. Have an emergency plan.
A driver should always have an emergency plan. The handbook tells drivers to always have a plan. It says you should keep looking for hazards because they may turn into emergencies. When you see a hazard, think about what emergencies could develop and decide what you would do. Then be ready to act on that plan. Doing this makes you a prepared, defensive driver and improves safety for you and others on the road.
9. When driving through a work zone, you should:
- Slow down. ✓
- Speed up.
- Use a cell phone.
- Steer with one hand to keep the other hand free.
Answer: A. Slow down.
When you drive through a work zone, you should slow down. The handbook's work-zone section says speeding is the leading cause of injury and death there, so you must watch the posted limit when you approach and pass through a work zone. It also tells you to keep checking your speedometer so your speed does not creep up in a long construction section. You should reduce speed further for bad weather or road conditions, and even more when a worker is near the roadway. That guidance points to slowing down, not doing anything that makes the vehicle harder to control.
10. If braking at a speed of 55 mph while driving on dry pavement, the brake lag can add ____ to your vehicle's total stopping distance.
- 32 feet ✓
- 15 feet
- 50 feet
- 10 feet
Answer: A. 32 feet
Brake lag at 55 mph on dry pavement adds about 32 feet to your total stopping distance. The handbook explains that with air brakes there is a delay called brake lag, the time it takes for air to move through the lines and reach the brakes after you push the pedal. Because of that delay, the vehicle keeps rolling a little before the brakes actually work. The handbook puts that added lag distance at roughly 32 feet when you are going 55 mph on dry pavement, and it lists brake lag distance as one of the four pieces of total stopping distance.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook