Missouri DOR CDL warm-up test

  • Questions50
  • Correct to pass40
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age18 years

10 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 8 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A fire starts in the cargo area of a van trailer. Why should you keep the doors closed until firefighters arrive?

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    Answer D: Opening the doors lets in air that feeds the fire

    A fire in a closed van is starved of oxygen; opening the doors gives it the air it needs to flare up.

  2. 2. Which items belong to the in-cab part of the inspection?

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    Answer D: Gauges, controls, mirrors, windshield, wipers, horn, heater and defroster

    The in-cab step checks the instruments and controls the driver depends on, along with mirrors, glass, wipers, horn and the heater and defroster.

  3. 3. What color must the clearance and side marker lamps and reflectors at the front of a trailer be?

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    Answer A: Amber

    Amber marks the front and the forward part of the sides of a vehicle, while red marks the rear, so another driver can tell which way the vehicle is facing.

  4. 4. What is the danger of letting engine speed climb past the top of the rated rpm range before you shift?

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    Answer B: You can damage the engine, so the shift should be made before that point

    Every engine has a rated operating range; running above it can cause serious engine damage, so the upshift belongs at the top of that range, not beyond it.

  5. 5. You are backing into a yard where electrical wires cross overhead. What is the main concern?

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    Answer C: The wires may hang lower than the top of your vehicle

    Overhead space has to be checked like any other space around the vehicle, because wires and cables are often lower than they look from the cab.

  6. 6. The only way into a customer yard forces you to back toward the right, or blind, side of the vehicle. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Use a helper and get out to check the path more often than you normally would

    Blind side backing is allowed but far riskier, so it calls for a spotter you can see and for repeated checks of the path on foot.

  7. 7. Besides the hours when the law requires them, when should headlights be switched on?

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    Answer A: Any time visibility is poor, such as in rain, fog or at dusk

    Headlights are used to be seen as much as to see, so they belong on whenever light or weather makes the vehicle harder to spot.

  8. 8. Why must a bent, cracked or badly seated lock ring be reported?

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    Answer D: It can come off under pressure and let the tire and rim separate violently

    The lock ring holds the assembly together against the full pressure of the tire, so a damaged ring can release with enough force to kill.

  9. 9. Your speedometer stops working during the pre-trip check. How should it be treated?

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    Answer D: As a defect, because the driver cannot judge and control speed without it

    A working speedometer is required equipment, because judging speed by feel in a heavy vehicle is unreliable and speed governs stopping distance.

  10. 10. Federal rules say a commercial vehicle may not be driven unless what is true of its cargo?

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    Answer B: It is properly distributed and adequately secured

    The basic federal requirement is that the load be distributed properly and secured well enough that it cannot move, whatever the paperwork says.