Virginia CDL DMV Knowledge Test Class B 1

A modulating control valve allows a driver to gradually apply spring brakes. In equipped vehicles, the valve is controlled by a lever located on the dashboard.

Strong winds can make it difficult to keep a vehicle in its proper lane. Strong wind can be a particular problem when a vehicle is being driven out of a tunnel.

Vehicles equipped with Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) have yellow malfunction lights to indicate issues in the braking system.

Tires should not have tread separation. When inspecting your vehicle, you should ensure that your tires do not have tread separation.

If your brakes fail on a downgrade, your best option is to use an escape ramp. If no escape ramp is available, it is a good idea to look for a different escape route, such as a side road or open field.

Skids happen when tires' traction with the road surface decreases. This can be caused by over-braking, over-accelerating, over-steering, and driving too fast.

When backing, you should pull forward to reposition your vehicle whenever needed. Drift should be corrected immediately by turning the steering wheel in the direction of the drift.

The faster you are driving, the longer your stopping distance will become. Brake accordingly.

In an air brake system, air tank drains are used to remove water and compressor oil from the air tanks. When operating a drain, be sure to drain the tank completely.

Avoid being an aggressive driver by being realistic about your travel time, making allowance for delays, maintaining reasonable following distances, and not making hand gestures that could anger another driver.

If you must drive so slowly that you will impede the flow of traffic, you should turn on your four-way flashers to alert drivers behind you (as long as local laws allow the use of flashers).

The leading cause of injury and death in roadway work zones is excessive speed by passing drivers. Lower your speed when driving through a work zone.

Containerized loads are generally used when freight is carried partway by rail or ship. Sealed materials cannot be inspected, but a driver should ensure that the containers do not exceed safe and legal weight limits.

Factors that can affect stopping distance include the vehicle's speed, its weight, and the traction provided by the road surface.

There are two indicators that determine when you need to shift into a higher gear. One indicator is the engine speed (rpm). You should read your vehicle's manual to learn its rpm range and shift up when you reach the top of that range. The other indicator is road speed (mph). You should learn which speeds each gear can accommodate, then keep an eye on the speedometer and shift up as needed.

A steering wheel should be held firmly with each hand on opposite sides of the wheel.

The liver removes alcohol from the body at a fixed rate, so the only way to sober up after consuming alcohol is to allow your body time to remove the alcohol on its own.

If you encounter a driver who seems distracted on the road, you should give them plenty of room and maintain a safe following distance.

Texting while driving is particularly dangerous because it is both a mental and physical distraction to the driver. In addition to diverting a driver's mental attention away from the road, texting requires a person to remove at least one hand from the vehicle's controls.

If you remain in neutral for too long while switching gears, you may have difficulty putting the vehicle into the next gear. If this happens, do not try to force the gear shift. Instead, return to neutral, release the clutch, increase the engine speed to match the road speed, and try again.

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. Tire sizes should not be mismatched.

Air brakes are really three different braking systems: the service brake, the parking brake, and the emergency brake. Emergency and parking brakes are applied with mechanical force.

When making a left turn, you should wait until you reach the center of the intersection before actually beginning to turn. Due to off-tracking, the left side of your vehicle could hit another driver if you begin turning too early.

You must always properly signal before turning or changing lanes.

For safe driving, it is essential that you maintain cushions of space on all sides of your vehicle. This helps to ensure that you will have time to take appropriate action if a problem arises.

If your drive wheels begin to spin while accelerating on a surface with poor traction, you should remove your foot from the accelerator.

If you are asked to complete an offset back/left parking maneuver, you should first pull straight forward, then back up to the left. Your vehicle must be parked completely within the boundaries of the parking space.

At speeds below 40 mph, you should allow at least one second of following distance for every 10 feet of your vehicle. When traveling at higher speeds, follow the same formula, then add one additional second to your following distance.

It is essential to the safe operation of a CMV that cargo be properly loaded. Improper loading can affect handling and damage the vehicle. Additionally, improperly loaded materials can cause injury or death by falling off of the vehicle.

When approaching your vehicle for an inspection, you should look underneath the vehicle for fresh leaks of oil, coolant, grease, or fuel. Seeing a fresh puddle of any of these fluids could indicate a safety issue with your vehicle.

On many vehicles, multi-speed rear axles and auxiliary transmissions are used to provide extra gears.

Cargo should be inspected before beginning a trip, within the first 50 miles of the trip, and every three hours or 150 miles traveled thereafter. Cargo should be inspected every time the driver stops to take a break. The driver of a truck transporting cargo is responsible for the cargo being safely secured throughout the trip.

A properly adjusted mirror will show some portion of the vehicle. This will provide a point of reference to help the driver judge the distance of other objects to the vehicle.

Skids caused by acceleration frequently occur on slippery road surfaces. These skids can generally be resolved by the driver removing their foot from the accelerator.

When inspecting a vehicle equipped with power steering, you should inspect the hoses, pumps, and fluid levels. Specifically check the hoses for leaks.