CDL Foundations
Start with general knowledge, safety, and emergency judgment.
This module builds the commercial-driver mindset: space management, speed control, hazard awareness, and emergency judgment all carry more weight when the vehicle is bigger and slower to recover. Treat these topics as operating principles, because later air-brake, inspection, and combination-vehicle questions all assume you already think in terms of consequence and margin.
Read this in the handbook
Start with the handbook sections that match this module, then come back for sample questions and drills.
Lesson videos
Practice cdl foundations questions
The 30-minute rest break rule requires property-carrying drivers to take a break after how many hours of driving time?
- A. 10 hours
- B. 6 hours
- C. 8 hours
- D. 4 hours
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C. 8 hours — Drivers using the 60/70-hour rule must take a 30-minute rest break after driving for 8 cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption. The break can be off-duty or sleeper berth time.
If you are first at the scene of an accident, you should:
- A. Protect the area, notify emergency services, and care for the injured without moving them unless necessary
- B. Move all injured people immediately
- C. Leave to avoid liability, abandoning the injured without notifying emergency services
- D. Direct traffic into the scene
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A. Protect the area, notify emergency services, and care for the injured without moving them unless necessary — Securing the scene, calling for help, and avoiding unnecessary movement of the injured prevents further harm until responders arrive.
A CMV driver's medical examiner's certificate (DOT medical card) is generally valid for a maximum of:
- A. 6 months
- B. 5 years
- C. 12 months
- D. 24 months
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D. 24 months — A standard DOT medical card lasts up to 24 months; a driver with certain conditions may be certified for a shorter period.
When driving in mountains, you should select a safe speed and gear:
- A. At the bottom of the hill
- B. Before starting down the grade
- C. Halfway down the grade
- D. After you notice the brakes fading
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B. Before starting down the grade — Select a lower gear before starting down a grade. This lets the engine help control speed and preserves your brakes.
Roads are usually most slippery:
- A. After it has rained for several hours
- B. Only in freezing weather
- C. Only when fully flooded, which is a separate hazard from the oil-and-water slick
- D. Just as rain begins, when water mixes with oil on the road
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D. Just as rain begins, when water mixes with oil on the road — When rain first starts, it lifts oil and dust into a slick film, making the road most slippery before the rain washes it away.
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