Florida CDL — General Knowledge: Signals & Pavement Markings Practice Test

Question 1

A car behind you wants to pass and, from your high seat, the road ahead looks clear. Should you wave the driver around?

Accepted Answer

No, never signal another driver that passing is safe — Waving someone past makes you responsible for whatever happens next, and a resulting crash can be blamed on you at enormous cost. Let other drivers decide for themselves when to pass.

Answer

Yes, if you can see at least a quarter mile of open road

Answer

Yes, because your seat lets you see farther than they can

Answer

Yes, provided you flash your headlights first

Question 2

Objects seen in a convex ('spot') mirror on a truck appear:

Accepted Answer

Smaller and farther away than they really are — Convex mirrors show a wider area but make everything look smaller and farther away than it really is. A vehicle in a convex mirror is closer and larger than it appears.

Answer

Larger and closer than they really are

Answer

Exactly their true size and distance

Question 3

A white line is painted across the pavement just ahead of a set of railroad tracks. What is a stopping driver expected to do about it?

Accepted Answer

Keep the front of the vehicle behind it while stopped — That painted line marks the safe place to wait. A school bus, for one, has to hold its front bumper behind the line while the driver looks and listens for a train.

Answer

Straddle it so the vehicle can be seen from both directions

Answer

Treat it as the spot where crossing gates will come down

Answer

Roll over it and stop with the cab past the rails

Question 4

You are about to slow down where drivers behind may not expect it. How can you warn them?

Accepted Answer

Tap the brake pedal to flash your brake lights and use flashers if needed — Tap the brake pedal a few times to flash your brake lights, and use the four-way flashers if you must travel much slower than surrounding traffic. This warns drivers who might otherwise close in fast.

Answer

Speed up so no one catches you

Answer

Turn your headlights off and on

Question 5

When is it best for a commercial driver to use the horn?

Accepted Answer

Only when needed to warn others and help avoid a crash — The horn can startle other drivers or road users and cause a wrong reaction, such as a pedestrian stepping the wrong way. Use it only when it is needed to warn someone of danger.

Answer

Often, to hurry slower drivers along

Answer

Whenever passing any parked car

Answer

To greet other drivers you recognize

Question 6

The signals at a gated crossing begin flashing as you approach. When may you drive across?

Accepted Answer

After the gates rise fully and the lights go dark, if the way is clear — Stop before the gate starts down and stay put. Only when the arms are back up, the flashing has ended and you have checked every set of rails should you move ahead.

Answer

As soon as the last car of the train clears the crossing

Answer

Once the bells go quiet, even with the gates still down

Answer

Whenever there is room to steer around a lowered gate

Question 7

How often should a commercial driver check the mirrors while driving?

Accepted Answer

Regularly, and especially before lane changes and turns — Check your mirrors regularly to track traffic beside and behind you, especially before changing lanes, turning, merging, or slowing. Remember that mirrors leave blind spots you still must watch.

Answer

Only when parking

Answer

Once at the start of the trip

Question 8

Which sequence of lights should a school bus driver use when arriving at and stopping for a student pick-up?

Accepted Answer

Alternating amber lights well before the stop, then alternating red lights with the stop arm out — The amber pair warns following traffic that a stop is coming, roughly two hundred feet or several seconds ahead. The red pair and the extended stop arm come on only once the bus has halted and traffic is a safe distance back.

Answer

Red lights on the approach, then amber once the door opens

Answer

Hazard flashers on the approach and nothing after that

Answer

Headlights flashed twice, followed by the amber lights

Question 9

When should a commercial driver signal before turning or changing lanes?

Accepted Answer

Early, and keep signaling until the maneuver is complete — Signal early and keep the signal on through the maneuver so others have plenty of warning. A large vehicle moves and stops slowly, so nearby drivers need extra time to react.

Answer

Only after you begin to turn

Answer

Only if another vehicle is close behind

Question 10

At dawn, at dusk, or in rain, turning on your headlights helps mainly by:

Accepted Answer

Making your large vehicle easier for others to see — In dim light or bad weather, low-beam headlights make your large vehicle far more visible to others. Being seen matters as much as seeing, so use headlights — not just daytime running lights — when visibility drops.

Answer

Warming up the engine faster

Answer

Letting you drive above the speed limit

Answer

Turning off your brake lights

Florida CDL — General Knowledge: Signals & Pavement Markings practice test

Study questions with answers

1. A car behind you wants to pass and, from your high seat, the road ahead looks clear. Should you wave the driver around?

2. Objects seen in a convex ('spot') mirror on a truck appear:

3. A white line is painted across the pavement just ahead of a set of railroad tracks. What is a stopping driver expected to do about it?

4. You are about to slow down where drivers behind may not expect it. How can you warn them?

5. When is it best for a commercial driver to use the horn?

6. The signals at a gated crossing begin flashing as you approach. When may you drive across?

7. How often should a commercial driver check the mirrors while driving?

8. Which sequence of lights should a school bus driver use when arriving at and stopping for a student pick-up?

9. When should a commercial driver signal before turning or changing lanes?

10. At dawn, at dusk, or in rain, turning on your headlights helps mainly by:

More CDL — General Knowledge topics

Practice Signals & Pavement Markings in another state