General Driving Knowledge — Virginia
Virginia CDL practice test: 417 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. General Driving Knowledge: 144 questions.
Questions that do not fit a single topic: lane use, turning, signalling and other rules of the road.
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 | General Driving Knowledge |
| License test | Virginia CDL permit (CLP) knowledge tests |
| Topic questions | 144 (35% of 417 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 (144)
1. If you must back up at a student pick-up point, you should:
- Back up before the students load the bus.
- Let the students load the bus before backing up. ✓
- Let half of the students load the bus and then back up to meet the second half.
Answer: B. Let the students load the bus before backing up.
You should let the students load the bus before you back up. The handbook's school bus section says that if you must back up at a student pick-up point, you pick up the students first and then back, checking for latecomers the whole time. It also says to make sure every student is inside the bus before you back. Loading first keeps the kids out of the area behind and beside the bus while it moves, where you have the least ability to see them and where a backing bus is hardest to control.
2. Before evacuating a bus in response to a hazard, a driver should:
- Ask the students if they want to leave.
- Explain the situation to the dispatcher. ✓
- Take their time deciding if an evacuation is necessary.
Answer: B. Explain the situation to the dispatcher.
Before evacuating, the driver should explain the situation to the dispatcher, if time allows. The school bus section says the first step is to recognize the hazard. If time permits, the driver should contact the dispatcher and explain what is happening before deciding whether to evacuate. It also says students are generally safer and easier to control on the bus during an emergency when staying aboard does not expose them to unnecessary risk. The evacuation decision still has to be timely. That supports contacting dispatch first, when possible, rather than polling students or delaying.
3. To avoid a hazard, you:
- Should always come to a complete stop.
- May need to swerve your vehicle out of the way. ✓
- Should change lanes without looking.
Answer: B. May need to swerve your vehicle out of the way.
You may need to swerve your vehicle out of the way to avoid a hazard. The handbook describes a conflict as a situation where you have to change speed or direction to keep from hitting someone. It also says you should look for hazards so you have time to plan a way out of an emergency and be ready to act on that plan. A hazard can require a change of direction, so swerving may be part of avoiding it. The passages do not say every hazard calls for a stop or that you can move lanes without checking.
4. Aggressive driving is:
- Operating a vehicle in a selfish or pushy manner. ✓
- Operating a vehicle with a strong regard for other motorists’ safety.
- Operating a vehicle in the left lane.
Answer: A. Operating a vehicle in a selfish or pushy manner.
Aggressive driving means operating a vehicle in a selfish or pushy manner, without regard for the rights or safety of others. The handbook defines aggressive driving as operating a motor vehicle in a selfish, bold, or pushy way, with no regard for other people's rights or safety. It gives frequent, sudden lane changes without notice as an example. That matches the choice about driving selfishly or pushily. The same passage separates aggressive driving from road rage, which it describes as driving with the intent to harm others or assault a driver or their vehicle.
5. Rough acceleration:
- Can damage parts of a vehicle. ✓
- Is necessary to warm up parts of a vehicle.
- Is encouraged to improve a vehicle's gas mileage.
Answer: A. Can damage parts of a vehicle.
Rough acceleration can damage parts of a vehicle, including the coupling when you are pulling a trailer. The handbook tells you to speed up smoothly and gradually so the vehicle does not jerk, and it says rough acceleration can cause mechanical damage. When a trailer is attached, the coupling is called out as a part that rough acceleration can damage. So the point of accelerating gently is to protect the vehicle's parts, which is exactly what the correct choice says.
6. A slack adjuster should move no more than ____ from where it is attached to the push rod.
- Two inches
- Five inches
- One inch ✓
Answer: C. One inch
A slack adjuster should move no more than about one inch from where it is attached to the push rod. The handbook says to check slack adjusters on S-cam brakes by pulling hard on each one after chocking the wheels and releasing the parking brakes. It states that if a slack adjuster moves more than about one inch where the push rod attaches to it, it probably needs adjustment, and you should adjust it or have it adjusted. The passage also notes that out-of-adjustment brakes are a common roadside inspection problem and that too much brake slack can make a vehicle hard to stop.
7. Load hazardous materials:
- Near heat sources.
- Away from heat sources. ✓
- Away from shadows.
Answer: B. Away from heat sources.
8. Unless excepted, a shipping paper must list:
- An emergency response telephone number. ✓
- The address of the shipper.
- The location of fire departments along the planned route.
Answer: A. An emergency response telephone number.
Unless an exception applies, the shipping paper must include an emergency response telephone number. The handbook's hazardous materials section lists the emergency response telephone number as one of the items a shipping paper must carry unless an exception applies. It also says the shipper is responsible for that number and that emergency responders can use it to get information about hazardous materials involved in a spill or fire. That direct requirement is why the telephone number, not route or shipper address details, is the listed item.
9. Placards are:
- Not needed if a driver feels there is no need to display them.
- Only required on the front of a vehicle.
- Required when transporting hazardous materials. ✓
Answer: C. Required when transporting hazardous materials.
Placards are required when transporting hazardous materials. The handbook ties placards to hazardous materials hauling: drivers who need the hazardous materials endorsement must learn the placard rules, and the driver placards the vehicle when loading if required. It also warns that failing to placard when needed can keep emergency help from knowing about hazardous cargo. Placards may be displayed even when not required, so they are not a matter of personal choice, and placement rules cover more than the front.
10. How much space should be between the upper and lower fifth wheel?
- About five inches of space
- A maximum of two inches of space
- No space ✓
Answer: C. No space
There should be no space at all between the upper and lower fifth wheel. The handbook tells you to check with a flashlight if needed and confirm that no gap exists between the upper and lower fifth wheel. If you do find space, the handbook says something is wrong — the kingpin may be sitting on top of the closed fifth wheel jaws, and the trailer could come loose very easily. That is why the check is done after coupling, before you drive.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook