Maryland CDL DMV Knowledge Test Class A 1

Strategies to avoid becoming an aggressive driver include having realistic expectations about your travel time and the possibility of delays; driving an appropriate speed and keeping a reasonable following distance; avoiding gesturing at other drivers; and keeping your hands on the wheel.

Cargo and its securement must be inspected every time you take a break during a trip. Be sure to inspect the cargo at least every 150 miles.

If approaching a railroad crossing while driving a transit bus, school bus, or placarded vehicle, special procedures apply. Before crossing, stop your vehicle within 50 feet of, but not less than 15 feet from, the nearest rail. Activate your four-way flashers while crossing. Do not stop, change gears, or change lanes while any part of your vehicle is proceeding across the tracks.

Never apply the brake pedal if your spring breaks are activated. Brakes can be damaged if they are subject to both springs and air pressure.

To reduce the chances of driving distracted, you should avoid eating, drinking, or smoking while driving. Anything that diverts attention from the task of driving is a distraction.

A passive railroad crossing is a crossing that lacks control devices, like gates or warning lights. Before crossing a passive railroad crossing, you should search the tracks for approaching trains coming from either direction.

On- and off-ramps can be dangerous when driving a truck. Remember that posted speed limits for ramps may be safe for cars but too fast for trucks.

An Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is in place as an addition to a braking system. It intervenes to prevent brakes from locking up during hard braking. If ABS is not working, the basic braking functions on a vehicle will still remain, so the driver can continue to drive and brake normally.

When inspecting your vehicle's suspension, verify that leaf springs do not have missing or broken leaves. If at least one-fourth of the leaves in a leaf spring are missing, the vehicle will be put out-of-service until the defect is fixed.

You may be asked to complete a conventional parallel parking maneuver into a parking space that is to the right of your vehicle. You should drive past the parking space before backing into it while bringing the rear of your vehicle as close to the rear of the space as possible. Your vehicle should be completely within the boundaries of the space.

Cargo should be restrained by at least one tie-down for every 10 feet of cargo. However, all cargo should have at least two tie-downs, no matter the size of the cargo.

If you must drive slowly, you should use your emergency flashers to warn other drivers. Be sure that the use of emergency flashers is permitted by local laws.

In a vehicle with dual parking control valves, there is a separate air tank that can be used to temporarily release the spring brakes if they have been activated due to low air pressure. Pushing in the proper control will release the spring brakes for a short period of time, allowing the driver to move the vehicle in an emergency.

Always change lanes slowly and smoothly. If you did not see drivers who are already using the lane you wish to occupy, this will give them a chance to get out of your way or honk their horns to alert you. Always signal when changing lanes.

Many large vehicles have curved, convex mirrors. Convex mirrors allow drivers to see a wider area than flat mirrors. However, they also make objects seem smaller and farther away than they really are.

Front wheel braking is effective under all road conditions. It is unlikely that you will experience a front wheel skid, even on ice.

Lane changes should always be executed slowly and smoothly. This will result in safer handling of your vehicle while allowing time for other drivers to react to your movements.

Before a trip, you should check each slack adjuster after parking, setting wheel chocks, and disengaging the parking brake. Pull the slack adjusters to make sure that they do not move more than about one inch from where the push rod is attached. If they move more than one inch, they may be out of adjustment and will need to be fixed.

The most important reason to inspect your vehicle before a trip is to ensure the safety of yourself and others on the road. Safety inspections before every trip are required by state and federal laws.

Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle's tires lose contact with the road surface and instead glide along on a film of water above the surface of the road.

After the brake pedal is pushed down in a vehicle with air brakes, it takes a half-second or more for air to flow through the lines and make the brakes work. This contrasts with hydraulic brakes used in cars and light and medium trucks, which instantly begin working when the pedal is pushed.

When driving, you should always scan the road for potential hazards. Formulate plans for how to deal with the hazards if they develop into emergencies.

When performing a static leakage test on a triple combination vehicle with air brakes, the leakage rate should be no more than 5 psi in one minute. If air leaks from the air brake system at a quicker rate, the vehicle should not be driven because something likely needs to be repaired.

While regular mirror checks should always be part of your driving routine, you should make a particular point of checking the mirrors when changing lanes, turning, merging, or making tight maneuvers.

If you must back up, it is safest to back toward the driver's side of the vehicle. This way, as the driver, you will have the best possible view of your path of travel.

If the coolant temperature gauge goes above the highest safe temperature, you should stop driving as soon as possible and try to figure out what is wrong. There could be an issue in your vehicle that could lead to engine failure and possibly a fire.

A pre-trip inspection should be completed in the same way before every drive. Consistency will help you learn all of the proper steps and decrease the likelihood that you will forget to check something.

If being shipped on a flatbed trailer or on a trailer without sides, cargo must be securely tied down to keep it from shifting or falling off while the vehicle moves.

The securement of cargo must be checked before beginning a trip, within the first 50 miles of a trip, and then again every three hours or 150 miles.

Stopping is not always the most effective response to a hazard. You can usually turn out of the path of a hazard more quickly than you can come to a complete stop. However, swerving is not without its hazards, as it may result in a rollover in a vehicle that is either top-heavy or pulling multiple trailers.

It is essential that a vehicle's engine have adequate oil pressure. An engine can be destroyed rapidly if it is run without oil.

Regrooved, recapped, or retreaded tires are not allowed to be used on the front wheels of a bus.

When checking the tires as part of a pre-trip inspection, make sure the tires have sufficient tread. There should be at least 4/32 of an inch of tread in every major groove of the front tires, and at least 2/32 of an inch of tread depth on the other tires. Tires should not be mismatched in size and radial and bias-ply tires should not be used together.

If you see a distracted driver, give them plenty of space and maintain a safe following distance.

Backing a large CMV is always dangerous because you will not be able to see everything behind you. If you must back up, use a helper, if possible.