Vehicle Equipment & Safe Operation — Vermont
Vermont CDL practice test: 438 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: 181 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 | Vermont CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 181 (41% of 438 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
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Questions (181)
1. Pre-trip inspections should be done:
- Differently each time in order to place emphasis on different items.
- The same way each time to prevent you from forgetting anything. ✓
- Once in a while.
Answer: B. The same way each time to prevent you from forgetting anything.
Pre-trip inspections should be done the same way each time to prevent you from forgetting anything. The handbook's seven-step inspection method says you should inspect your vehicle the same way every time. Doing it in a fixed order helps you learn all the steps and makes it less likely that you will skip or forget something. That is the reason the handbook gives for keeping the routine consistent, so the answer is the one about repeating the same procedure.
2. If an air compressor is belt-driven, the belt should be routinely checked to ensure that it is:
- Thin.
- Properly tightened. ✓
- Cracked.
Answer: B. Properly tightened.
The belt should be routinely checked to make sure it is properly tightened. The handbook places the air compressor drive belt in the engine compartment checks. If the compressor is belt-driven, you check the belt's condition and tightness, and it should be in good condition. That makes proper tightness the item to confirm routinely. The general belt guidance also says to check v-belt tightness and to look for cracking or wear, which fits the same idea: you are checking that the belt is serviceable, not that it is thin or cracked.
3. When backing a trailer, you must turn the steering wheel:
- In the direction you want the trailer to move.
- In the direction opposite of where you want the trailer to move. ✓
- To the left until backing is complete.
Answer: B. In the direction opposite of where you want the trailer to move.
When backing a trailer, you turn the steering wheel in the direction opposite of where you want the trailer to move. The handbook says that backing a car, straight truck, or bus means turning the top of the wheel toward where you want to go. With a trailer, the rule changes: you turn the wheel the opposite way. Then, once the trailer starts to turn, you turn the wheel the other way to follow it. The handbook also advises backing in a straight line when possible and backing to the driver's side if you must follow a curve.
4. Braking mechanisms are located inside:
- The fifth wheel.
- A brake drum. ✓
- The landing gear.
Answer: B. A brake drum.
The braking mechanism is located inside a brake drum. The handbook describes foundation brakes at each wheel and names the s-cam drum brake as the most common type. It says brake drums sit on each end of the vehicle's axles, the wheels are bolted to them, and the braking mechanism is inside the drum. To slow the vehicle, the brake shoes and linings are pushed against the inside of the drum, creating friction. That direct description points to the brake drum as the place where the braking mechanism is housed, not to other vehicle parts.
5. Look into the back of the fifth wheel:
- While testing your air brakes.
- If your vehicle begins to skid.
- When inspecting a coupling. ✓
Answer: C. When inspecting a coupling.
You look into the back of the fifth wheel when inspecting a coupling, to confirm the locking jaws or lever are fully secured around the kingpin. The handbook's inspection section says the locking connection and safety devices are what hold the trailer in place, and that the trailer could uncouple while moving if those mechanisms are not secured. For fifth wheel systems, the check is to look into the fifth wheel gap and confirm the locking jaws or lever are fully closed around the kingpin, with no play between them. The test-your-knowledge question for combination vehicles asks the same thing, so this look happens as part of coupling inspection.
6. You should not use your mirrors:
- When changing lanes.
- When making a turn.
- To determine how fast you are traveling. ✓
Answer: C. To determine how fast you are traveling.
7. Which of the following is not a reason to use your mirrors?
- You are changing lanes.
- You are making a turn.
- You are looking at fuel prices. ✓
Answer: C. You are looking at fuel prices.
Looking at fuel prices is not a reason to use your mirrors. The handbook treats mirrors as a driving tool: you glance in them quickly, look back and forth between the mirrors and the road ahead, and never stare at them, because focusing on a mirror too long means you cover distance without knowing what is happening in front of you. It also mentions checking the mirrors for signs of smoke from tires or the vehicle. Watching prices at the roadside has nothing to do with either job, and it would pull your attention away from the road in exactly the way the handbook warns against.
8. Backing with a trailer is dangerous because:
- It is difficult to see behind the vehicle. ✓
- Most trucks do not have the ability to move in reverse.
- Cargo may fall out of the trailer.
Answer: A. It is difficult to see behind the vehicle.
Backing with a trailer is dangerous because you cannot see everything behind your vehicle, so the area you are moving into is partly hidden from you. The handbook says plainly that because you cannot see everything behind your vehicle, backing is always dangerous, and it tells you to avoid backing whenever you can. When you park, set up so you can pull forward when you leave. When backing is unavoidable, it lists the basic safeguards: start in the right position, use mirrors on both sides, turn toward the driver's side when you can, and use a helper when possible. All of those steps exist because your view to the rear is limited.
9. When backing with a trailer, you should begin by:
- Turning the steering wheel in the direction of the turn.
- Turning the steering wheel in the direction opposite of the turn. ✓
- Turning the wheel as sharply as possible.
Answer: B. Turning the steering wheel in the direction opposite of the turn.
10. When braking while pulling a trailer equipped with anti-lock brakes, you should:
- Pump the brakes.
- Use extra braking force to ensure the brakes kick in.
- Brake as you would without anti-lock brakes. ✓
Answer: C. Brake as you would without anti-lock brakes.
When pulling a trailer with anti-lock brakes, brake as you would without anti-lock brakes. The handbook's ABS braking section says you should brake the same way you always do, using only the force needed to stop safely and stay in control. It adds that this applies whether ABS is on the tractor, the trailer, or both. So trailer ABS does not call for pumping or for extra force; you brake normally and let the system do its job. ABS helps prevent wheel lockup and keeps you able to steer while braking, though it may not shorten stopping distance.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook