CDL School

Explanation: Don't roll back when you start. You may hit someone behind you. If you have a manual transmission vehicle, partly engage the clutch before you take your right foot off the brake. Put on the parking brake whenever necessary to keep it from rolling back. Release the parking brake only when you have applied enough engine power to keep from rolling back 

Blocking is used in the front, back, and/or sides of a piece of cargo to keep it from sliding. Blocking is shaped to fit snugly against cargo. It is secured to the cargo deck to prevent cargo movement.

Do the following to correct a drive-wheel braking skid: stop braking letting the rear wheels roll again and keep the rear wheels from sliding; counter-steer as a vehicle turns back on course, it tends to keep on turning. Unless you turn the steering wheel quickly the other way, you may find yourself skidding in the opposite direction.

The total stopping distance is the total minimum distance your vehicle has traveled, in ideal conditions; with everything considered, including perception distance, reaction distance and braking distance, until you can bring your vehicle to a complete stop. At 55 mph, your vehicle will travel a minimum of 450 feet.

Whether or not you load and secure the cargo yourself, you are responsible for inspecting your cargo, recognizing overloads and poorly balanced weight, knowing your cargo is properly secured and does not obscure your view ahead or to the sides, knowing your cargo does not restrict your access to emergency equipment.

Don't over steer, over accelerate, or over brake by adjusting to conditions while driving. These include traction, curves, visibility, traffic and hills.

When people are working on the road, it is a hazard. There may be narrower lanes, sharp turns, or uneven surfaces.

Commercial vehicle must be equipped with 3 red reflective triangles, 6 fuses or 3 liquid burning flares.

With the stab braking method, you apply your brakes all the way and release brakes when wheels lock up. 

You should check your mirrors every 8 to 10 seconds to know what is going on around your vehicle.

Explanation: The gear box is part of the steering system, and other choices are parts of the suspension system.

Never leave your vehicle unattended without applying the parking brakes or chocking the wheels. Your vehicle might roll away and cause injury and damage.

In some vehicles, a control handle on the dashboard may be used to apply the spring brakes gradually. This is called a modulating valve. It is spring loaded, so you have a feel for the braking action. The more you move the control lever, the harder the spring brakes become on. They work this way, so you can control the spring brakes if the service brakes fail.

Watch for: vehicles that may drift over the lane divider lines or within their own lane; vehicles traveling at inconsistent speeds; drivers who are preoccupied with maps, food, cigarettes, cell phones, or other objects; drivers who appear to be involved in conversations with their passengers.

When you're in an accident and not seriously hurt, you need to act to prevent further damage or injury. The basic steps to be taken in any accident are to: protect the area, notify authorities, and care for the injured.

In a front-wheel skid, the front end tends to go in a straight line regardless of how much you turn the steering wheel. On a very slippery surface, you may not be able to steer around a curve or turn.

Stopping is not always the safest thing to do in an emergency. When you don't have enough room to stop, you may have to steer away from what's ahead. Remember, you can almost always turn to miss an obstacle more quickly than you can stop.

If you find yourself being tailgated: avoid quick changes, signal early, reduce speed very gradually, increase your following distance, and don't speed up.

Most good drivers look at least 12 to 15 seconds ahead. That means looking ahead at the distance you will travel in 12 to 15 seconds. At lower speeds, that's about one block. At highway speeds it's about a quarter of a mile.

In some weather, water or slush collects on the road. When this happens, your vehicle can hydroplane. The tires lose contact with the road and have little or no traction. You may not be able to steer or brake. Hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as 30 mph. Hydroplaning is more likely if tire pressure is low, or the tread is worn.

If the surface is icy, reduce speed to a crawl and stop driving as soon as you can safely do so.

¾ second to 1 second.

Too much weight on the steering axle can cause hard steering. It can damage the steering axle and tires.

You must review the inspection report made by the previous driver. Only if defects reported earlier have been certified as repaired or not needed to be repaired, should you sign the previous driver's report.

Poor weight balance can make vehicle handling unsafe. The cargo should be loaded so that it is balanced in the cargo area.

It will take longer to stop, and it will be harder to turn without skidding, when the road is slippery. Wet roads can double stopping distance at any speed, reduce speed, and slow down gradually on a wet road. 

Inspect the cargo and its securing devices again within the first 50 miles after beginning a trip. You need to inspect again after you have driven for 3 hours or 150 miles and after every break you take while driving.

Explanation - For an e-route inspection: check the tires, wheels, and truck body for signs of heat whenever you stop during a trip.

Slow down to a safe speed, and downshift to the right gear before entering the curve. This lets you use some power through the curve to help the vehicle be more stable while turning. It also allows you to speed up as soon as you are out of the curve.

A hazard is any road condition or other road user (driver, bicyclist, pedestrian) that is a possible danger.

While you are at the front of the vehicle, check the following items: headlight, low and high beam; windshield wiper arms for proper spring tension; wiper blades for damage; reflectors.

Because you cannot see everything behind your vehicle, backing is always dangerous. Avoid backing whenever you can. When you must back, here are a few simple safety rules: Start in the proper position, look at your path, use mirrors on both sides, back slowly, back and turn toward the driver's side whenever possible, and use a helper with clear hand signals whenever possible.

Empty trucks actually require greater stopping distances because an empty vehicle has less traction. It can bounce and lock up its wheels, giving much poorer braking.

A stale green light is a traffic light that is green when you first see it, thus you do not know how long it has been green - so we have to assume it will change at any moment.

No matter how small the cargo, it should have at least two tie-downs.

The tire load is the maximum safe weight a tire can carry at a specified pressure. This rating is stated on the side of each tire.

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.

Shut off the engine and take the key with you so someone else won't move the truck while you are under it.

It takes a typical tractor trailer unit at least 14 seconds to clear a single track and more than 15 seconds to clear a double track.

Use windshield washer antifreeze to prevent freezing of the washer liquid.

In a front-wheel skid, the front end tends to go in a straight line regardless of how much you turn the steering wheel.

Protect the accident area: if your vehicle is involved in the accident, try to get it to the side of the road, if you're stopping to help, park away from the accident, put on your flashers, and set out reflective triangles to warn other traffic.

Air pressure increases with temperature. Do not let air out or the pressure will be too low when the tires cool off.

Hauling liquids in tanks requires special skills because of the high center of gravity and liquid movement.

Converter dollies built on or after March 1, 1998, are required to have antilock brakes. These dollies will have a yellow lamp on the left side of the dolly.

Inspect the tires more often than usual, or every two hours or every 100 miles when driving in very hot weather.

Wedge brakes and disc brakes are less common than s-cam brakes.

When driving a loud bang, vibrations, or heavy steering can indicate that a tire has failed.

Most vehicles now have an ABS light on the instrument panel that will light up briefly when the vehicle is started to alert you that the vehicle has ABS, you can check to see if the vehicle was built on or after March 1, 1998, or you can check for wires from your brakes.