CDL School

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

To know how much space you have, wait until the vehicle ahead passes a shadow on the road, a pavement marking, or some other clear landmark. Then count off the seconds like this: "one thousand-and-one, one thousand-and-two" and so on, until you reach the same spot.

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

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.

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.

You need at least one second for each 10 feet of vehicle length at speeds below 40 mph. At greater speeds, you must add 1 second for safety. If your vehicle is 40 feet long and you are traveling at 50 mph, your following distance should be 5 seconds or more.

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 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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

Remember that when the road is slippery, you need much more space to stop, and should keep more space in front of your vehicle.

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.

Explanation: To drive a vehicle safely, you must be able to control its speed and direction. Safe operation of a commercial vehicle requires skill in accelerating, steering, stopping, and backing safely.

Short breaks can keep your alert. But the time to take them is before you feel really drowsy or tired. Stop often. Walk around and inspect your vehicle. It may help to do some physical exercise.

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

Strong winds make it difficult to stay in your lane. The problem is usually worse for lighter vehicles. This problem can be especially bad coming out of tunnels.

Before you begin backing, work out a set of hand signals that you both understand. Agree on a signal for "stop."

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

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

Accident statistics show that the chance of a crash is much greater for drivers who have been drinking than for drivers who have not.

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.

¾ second to 1 second.

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.

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.

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.

You should brake in a way that will keep your vehicle in a straight line and allow you to turn if it becomes necessary. You can use the "controlled braking" method or the "stab braking" method. 

Heavy vehicles are often tailgated when they can't keep up with the speed of traffic. This often happens when you're going uphill. If a heavy load is slowing you down, stay in the right lane if you can. Going uphill, you should not pass another slow vehicle unless you can get around quickly and safely.

Explanation: If you stop on a two-lane road carrying traffic in both directions or on an undivided highway, place warning devices within 10 feet of the front or rear corners to mark the location of the vehicle and 100 feet behind and ahead of the vehicle, on the shoulder or in the lane you stopped in.

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.

Driving too fast is a major cause of fatal crashes. You must adjust your speed depending on driving conditions. These include traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills.

Do not try to downshift after your speed has already built up. You will not be able to shift into a lower gear. You may not even be able to get back into any gear and all engine braking effect will be lost.

Front-end header boards ("headache racks") protect you from your cargo in case of a crash or emergency stop. The front-end structure should block the forward movement of any cargo you carry.

Explanation: ¾ second to 1 second. At 55 mph this accounts for 61 feet traveled.

When the low air pressure warning light and buzzer first come on, bring the vehicle to a safe stop right away, while you can still control the brakes.

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

Use either the tachometer or the speedometer and upshift/downshift at the right rpm or road speed.

If the load is more than two feet wide and extends more than four feet behind the rear of the vehicle, two square red flags must be placed at the end of the load.

Some vehicles have sight glasses, see-through coolant overflow containers, or coolant recovery containers. These permit you to check the coolant level while the engine is hot. If the container is not part of the pressurized system, the cap can be safely removed, and coolant added even when the engine is at operating temperature.

What you should do is make a lane change or slow down to prevent a crash if the car suddenly cuts in front of you, and you should not honk or stay close behind the car.

Without ABS you still have normal brake functions. Drive and brake as you always have.

Your CDL will be disqualified after two or more convictions of any state law on texting while operating a CMV. No motor carrier shall allow or require its drivers to engage in texting while driving.

Cargo should have at least one tie-down for each ten feet of cargo. You will need two tie downs for a 20-foot load.

Basic method for shifting up: release accelerator, push in clutch and shift to neutral at the same time. Release clutch. Let the engine and gears slow down to the rpm required for the next gear. Push in clutch and shift to the higher gear at the same time. Release clutch and press accelerator at the same time.

You will lose your CDL for at least one year for a first offense for: Driving a CMV if your blood alcohol concentration is .04% or higher or driving a CMV under the influence of alcohol.

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