South Dakota DPS CDL warm-up test
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age18 years
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1. Why must cargo also be held down against vertical movement and not only against sliding?
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Answer D: Because a load that bounces can jump the blocking and slacken its own tiedowns
Rough road makes an unrestrained article lift; every bounce lets it move a little and works the tiedowns loose until nothing is holding it.
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2. What should the ammeter or voltmeter show once the engine is running?
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Answer D: A reading in the normal charging range
With the engine running, the alternator should be charging; a discharge reading or an abnormal charge level means an electrical fault.
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3. Why should a driver avoid shifting gears in the middle of a turn at an intersection?
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Answer D: Shifting during the turn takes a hand off the wheel and can cost you control
Pick the gear before you begin turning; shifting in the turn removes a hand from the wheel and can interrupt power just when you need steady control.
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4. In dense city traffic you cannot see 12 seconds ahead because other vehicles block the view. What is the best response?
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Answer A: Slow down and open up more space in front of you
When you cannot see far enough ahead, extra following distance buys back the reaction time that the blocked view has taken away.
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5. Your windshield washer reservoir is empty and rain and road spray are expected. What should you do?
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Answer D: Fill it before the trip, because you need the washers to keep the windshield clear
Wipers alone smear the film of oil and grit thrown up by traffic, so the washers are part of keeping a usable view of the road.
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6. What speed and gear should be used when backing a large vehicle?
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Answer B: As slowly as possible, in the lowest reverse gear
Backing slowly in the lowest reverse gear keeps the vehicle under precise control and leaves time to correct the path.
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7. An unblocked article is 15 feet long. What is the minimum number of tiedowns?
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Answer B: Three
Two tiedowns cover the first 10 feet and one more is added for each further 10 feet or any part of it, so 15 feet needs three.
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8. An article of cargo has been blocked so that it cannot move forward. How many tiedowns does the federal rule call for?
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Answer A: One tiedown for every 10 feet of article length, or any part of that
Blocking against forward movement lowers the requirement to one tiedown per 10 feet of length or fraction of 10 feet.
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9. Federal rules say a commercial vehicle may not be driven unless what is true of its cargo?
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Answer B: It is properly distributed and adequately secured
The basic federal requirement is that the load be distributed properly and secured well enough that it cannot move, whatever the paperwork says.
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10. A commercial vehicle stops on the shoulder of an undivided two-lane road that carries traffic in both directions. Where do the warning devices go?
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Answer B: Within 10 feet of the vehicle, plus 100 feet to the front and 100 feet to the rear
On a two-way road the devices must mark the vehicle itself and warn traffic approaching from each direction, and they must be in place within ten minutes.