Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — 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. Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation: 175 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 | Texas CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 175 (41% 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
Advertisement
Questions (175)
1. If you are operating a vehicle built before 1998 and are unsure if the trailer has an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), you can:
- Check for wheel speed sensors coming from the back of the brakes. ✓
- Look for a red light on the front right corner of the converter dolly.
- Pump the air brakes to activate the ABS.
- Assume the vehicle has ABS.
Answer: A. Check for wheel speed sensors coming from the back of the brakes.
Check the back of the brakes for wheel speed sensors. For towed units built before the Department of Transportation required ABS, the handbook says it can be hard to tell whether the unit has it. The handbook's check is to look under the vehicle for the electronic control unit and for sensor wiring at the back of the brakes. That physical inspection matches checking the back of the brakes for wheel speed sensors. A yellow lamp can help on trailers or dollies, but the question asks what to do when you are unsure about an older trailer.
2. The brake pedal is part of which braking system?
- The service brake system ✓
- The parking brake system
- The emergency brake system
- The auxiliary brake system
Answer: A. The service brake system
3. When carrying a sealed load, the driver:
- Should inspect the contents.
- Should ensure the weight of the cargo does not violate weight limits. ✓
- Must go through each container.
- Should unseal the load to ensure safety.
Answer: B. Should ensure the weight of the cargo does not violate weight limits.
When carrying a sealed load, the driver should ensure the cargo's weight does not exceed gross and axle weight limits. The handbook says you cannot inspect sealed loads. Since the contents are closed to you, the check you can make is on weight. It says to check that you do not exceed gross weight and axle weight limits. Another passage adds that you are responsible for not being overloaded and must keep weights within legal limits. That makes checking cargo weight the correct action.
4. Foundation brakes are used:
- Only at the front wheels.
- Only at the rear wheels.
- Only at the driver’s side wheels.
- At each wheel. ✓
Answer: D. At each wheel.
Foundation brakes are used at each wheel. The air brakes section of the handbook says plainly that foundation brakes are used at each wheel, and it names the s-cam drum brake as the usual type. It goes on to describe brake drums on each end of the vehicle's axles, with the braking mechanism inside each drum, and air being let into each brake chamber when you press the pedal. The whole system is built to slow the vehicle at every wheel, so limiting foundation brakes to one axle or one side does not match how the handbook describes them.
5. When coupling a trailer:
- Make sure to couple matching glad hands. ✓
- Any glad hand can be connected to any other glad hand.
- It is best to leave one glad hand unattached.
- Only one set of glad hands should be connected.
Answer: A. Make sure to couple matching glad hands.
When coupling a trailer, make sure the proper glad hands are paired together. The handbook describes glad hands as the couplers that join the service and emergency air lines. It says to clean the seals first, then make sure the correct couplers go together. It also notes color coding and tags as aids, with red for emergency and blue for service. The coupling procedure separately says to connect the tractor emergency line to the trailer emergency glad hand and the service line to the trailer service glad hand. Matching the right lines is what this answer is asking for.
6. During the pre-trip vehicle inspection test:
- Applicants will not have to identify the ABS.
- Windshield wipers are not to be addressed.
- Shock absorbers only need to be checked on one axle.
- The steering box should be checked for leaks. ✓
Answer: D. The steering box should be checked for leaks.
During the pre-trip inspection, the steering box is one of the steering parts you check for leaks, so that statement is the correct one. The handbook lists the steering gear box among the steering parts that must not be bent, loose, or broken, and it tells you to check the power steering hoses, pump, and fluid level and to look for leaks. The vehicle inspection section repeats that steering hoses and connections must not be cracked, worn, or leaking, and it explains that correct fluid levels are what let the steering system work as it should. So looking for leaks around the steering box fits the inspection the handbook describes.
7. During a static leakage test, the maximum leakage rate for a triple combination vehicle with air brakes is ____ in a minute.
- 3 psi
- 5 psi ✓
- 7 psi
- 9 psi
Answer: B. 5 psi
8. Antifreeze helps to keep an engine functioning properly:
- But only in cold weather.
- But only in hot weather.
- Regardless of the weather. ✓
- While minimizing the vehicle's fuel use.
Answer: C. Regardless of the weather.
Antifreeze helps keep the engine working properly regardless of the weather. The handbook's hot-weather checklist says to make sure the cooling system has enough water and antifreeze, following the manufacturer's directions, and it notes that antifreeze helps the engine in hot conditions as well as cold ones. The winter section also calls for enough antifreeze to protect against freezing. Together those passages show the benefit is not tied to one season, which is why the answer covers all weather.
9. The most common type of foundation brake used is the:
- S-cam drum brake. ✓
- C-cam drum brake.
- G-cam disc brake.
- P-cam disc brake.
Answer: A. S-cam drum brake.
The most common type of foundation brake is the S-cam drum brake. The handbook says foundation brakes are used at each wheel and identifies the S-cam drum brake as the most common type. It explains that air pressure pushes a rod, moves the slack adjuster, and twists the brake camshaft. That turns the S-shaped cam, which forces the brake shoes against the inside of the drum to create friction and slow the vehicle. Another passage says wedge brakes and disc brakes are less common than S-cam brakes, so the S-cam drum brake is the right choice.
10. During a basic vehicle control skills test, what is considered an encroachment?
- A driver placing the vehicle in neutral and applying the parking brake.
- The vehicle touching an exercise boundary line. ✓
- A driver properly completing an exercise in the skills test.
- An applicant trying to bribe the examiner.
Answer: B. The vehicle touching an exercise boundary line.
An encroachment is when the vehicle touches an exercise boundary line, so the correct choice is the one about touching an exercise boundary line. The handbook says an encroachment happens when any part of your vehicle makes contact with or goes past a boundary line or cone, except for mirrors or certain high-mounted unique parts. The answer describes the vehicle touching an exercise boundary line, which fits that definition. The examiner counts each touch or crossing as an error and stops you so you can return the vehicle within the exercise boundaries.
Advertisement
Source
Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook