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Free NY CDL General Knowledge Practice Test

Every CDL applicant sits General Knowledge. Like the real test, each question has three answer choices, and you need 80% to pass. These ten span ten of its federal knowledge areas.

Take these as an interactive quiz The full NY CDL General Knowledge exams

Question 1 · General Knowledge

Federal rules say you must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition before you drive it. Who carries that duty?
  1. A. The driver, every time the vehicle is driven
  2. B. The mechanic who last serviced it
  3. C. The carrier's safety director, who reviews each vehicle monthly
Show the answer

The answer is A. The rule is on the driver, and it applies at the start of every trip rather than once a month. That is why a pre-trip inspection is the driver's job and cannot be delegated to whoever worked on the vehicle last.

  • B is wrong: A repair order covers the work done that day. It says nothing about the condition of the vehicle the next time somebody climbs into it.
  • C is wrong: A monthly review by the office does not stand in for the check the rules require before the wheels turn.

Question 2 · General Knowledge

What is the right way to bring a heavy vehicle to a smooth stop?
  1. A. Press the pedal hard, then release it
  2. B. Brake evenly, easing off just before you stop
  3. C. Push the clutch in at the start and let the vehicle roll to a halt
Show the answer

The answer is B. Steady pressure, eased off at the end, is what stops the nose from dipping and rebounding. The clutch goes in near the end of the stop, not at the start of it.

  • A is wrong: Braking in one hard push and letting go throws the weight forward and then back, which is rough on the load and on anyone riding with you.
  • C is wrong: Taking the engine out of the equation early means the vehicle is coasting, and a coasting heavy vehicle is harder to control rather than easier.

Question 3 · General Knowledge

Using engine speed to decide when to shift up means:
  1. A. shifting at the same road speed every time
  2. B. shifting when the engine reaches the top of its operating range
  3. C. shifting each time the road levels out, whatever the engine is doing
Show the answer

The answer is B. Learn where your engine's operating range ends and shift there. The tachometer and the sound of the engine both tell you, and both are more reliable than the speedometer.

  • A is wrong: Road speed is not the same thing as engine speed. The same mile an hour sits in a different part of the rev range on a grade than it does on the flat.
  • C is wrong: Letting the shape of the road choose the gear leaves the engine either laboring or screaming, and neither is where it makes its power.

Question 4 · General Knowledge

Whenever you have the choice, which way should you back a heavy vehicle?
  1. A. Toward whichever side is closer
  2. B. Toward the passenger side, because that mirror shows more of the road
  3. C. Toward the driver's side, so you can see
Show the answer

The answer is C. Backing to the left lets you look out of the window and watch the rear of the vehicle directly, instead of working entirely from a mirror on the side you cannot see.

  • A is wrong: Distance is the wrong thing to choose on. A short move you cannot see is worse than a longer one you can.
  • B is wrong: The passenger side is the blind side. Backing that way means trusting a mirror for the part of the move where being wrong costs the most.

Question 5 · General Knowledge

You are driving a 40-foot vehicle at 35 mph on a dry road. What is the least following distance you should keep?
  1. A. Two seconds
  2. B. Seven seconds
  3. C. Four seconds
Show the answer

The answer is C. Allow one second for every ten feet of vehicle length below 40 mph. Forty feet is four seconds. Count it from a fixed object: the vehicle ahead passes it, then you count until you reach it.

  • A is wrong: Two seconds is roughly what a car is taught. A vehicle this long needs about twice that before you add anything for speed.
  • B is wrong: Seven is more than the rule calls for at this length and this speed, and a gap that big in traffic simply fills with other vehicles.

Question 6 · General Knowledge

Your trailer is long and the crossing ahead is humped. What is the risk?
  1. A. Getting hung up on the hump with the trailer across the rails
  2. B. That the rails will damage the tires, because the steel edges cut into rubber at the angle a long trailer crosses at
  3. C. There is no particular risk, as long as you keep moving steadily
Show the answer

The answer is A. A low trailer on a raised crossing can ground out and stop with the wheels either side of the hump. If there is any doubt about the clearance, do not start across. Crossings that are known for it are usually signed.

  • B is wrong: Tires are not what a humped crossing threatens. What it threatens is the underside of a long, low trailer.
  • C is wrong: It is a known and signed hazard, and getting stuck on a crossing is the worst place a vehicle can stop.

Question 7 · General Knowledge

Something blocks your lane and you cannot stop in time. What is usually the better choice?
  1. A. Braking as hard as you can
  2. B. Steering around it
  3. C. Braking hard and holding the wheel straight
Show the answer

The answer is B. A vehicle can turn in far less distance than it can stop, so steering is usually the way out. Steer sharply, and be ready to steer back just as sharply once you are past.

  • A is wrong: Hard braking with nowhere to go still puts you into whatever is ahead, and on a heavy vehicle it can lock the wheels and take your steering away as well.
  • C is wrong: Holding straight guarantees you arrive at the obstacle. It also removes the one option that needs less room than stopping does.

Question 8 · General Knowledge

Your drive wheels have locked and the rear of the vehicle is sliding sideways. What do you do first?
  1. A. Stop braking, so the wheels can roll again
  2. B. Brake harder so the wheels stop sliding sideways
  3. C. Set the parking brake to bring the vehicle straight again
Show the answer

The answer is A. A wheel that is turning grips and a wheel that is sliding does not. Release the brake, let them roll, then steer where you want the front of the vehicle to go and be ready to steer back.

  • B is wrong: The wheels are locked already. More pressure keeps them locked, and a locked wheel has no grip to steer or straighten with.
  • C is wrong: The parking brake works on the same wheels that are already sliding, so it makes the skid worse rather than ending it.

Question 9 · General Knowledge

What is the main reason for a pre-trip inspection?
  1. A. To satisfy the shipper that the load has been handled with care
  2. B. To record the mileage and fuel level at the start of each working day
  3. C. To find problems before they cause a breakdown or a crash
Show the answer

The answer is C. Almost everything that strands a vehicle or causes a crash gives some warning first. The inspection is the chance to find it while you are standing still.

  • A is wrong: The shipper cares about the load. The inspection is about the vehicle, and it would be worth doing if nobody ever asked to see it.
  • B is wrong: Those are paperwork. The inspection is a physical check of the parts that stop the vehicle, steer it and hold the load on.

Question 10 · General Knowledge

Placards on a vehicle tell other road users:
  1. A. who owns the vehicle and which company is operating it
  2. B. what class of hazardous material is on board
  3. C. that the driver has been trained to handle any spill that may occur
Show the answer

The answer is B. Placards exist so that anyone arriving at a crash knows what they are dealing with before they get close. That is also why they must be visible from every side.

  • A is wrong: Ownership is shown by the markings a carrier puts on the door. A placard is about what is inside.
  • C is wrong: Training is shown by the endorsement on a driver's license. A placard makes no claim about who is driving.
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