CDL Driving Licenses Selections Manual Needs CDL: Vehicles - Vehicle having gross weight rating GVWR 26,001

1 pound and more. GVWR is the recomanded maximum weight of vehicle and load as designated by manufacturer. GVWR is found by the driver side door post of power unit, or near by the front of the trailer. Combination Vehicles When vehicle is towing a trailer or other vehicles with GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more with a gross combination of weight of 26,001 or more. Any vehicles designated to carry 16 or more passengers, including the driver; or vehicles carrying hazardous materials in amounts requirring placards.

GVWR maixmum weight of vehicle; GCWR maximum weight of combination vehicles.

Ofenses and Traffic Violations Major Traffic Offenses: Under alcohol influence Under influence of controlled substance Causing a fatality under neglijent operation Having a 0.4 or more alcohol concentration when operating Refussing to take an alcohol test Using vehicle to commit a felony or involving it in manufacturing, distributing or dispense a conrolled substance

Serious Traffic Violations

Speeding 15 miles over the posted limit Following too closely Changing or using lanes erratically/improperly Operating a CMV without CDL license Traffic violation connected by a fatal accident Careless driving Driving CMV without have proper CDL and/or endorsements

Vehicle Inspection Federal and state laws require drivers to inspect their vehicles.

Types of Vehicle Inspection

Pre-trip Inspection This inspection will help you identify problems that could cause a breakdown or crash.

During a trip Inspection Check gauges for signs of trouble; use your senses to identify problems; check critical items while you stop: tires, wheels or reems/brakes and lights/elctrical connections to trailer/cargo securement devices and/or trailer coupling devices. After-trip Inspection and Report This inpection type will help a motor carrier to know when a vehicle needs repairs.

What to look for

Tire problems Too much or lesser air pressure Bad wear. You need at least 4/32 inch thread depth in front tires major groove. No fabric shown should be shown on sidewall or throgh thread Cuts or other damage Dual tires which gets in contact with each other or vehicle parts. Mismatched sizes Radial tires used together Cut or cracked valve systems Regrooved, recapped or rethreaded tires o the front wheel of a bus

Wheel and Rim Problems Damaged rims Rust around wheel nuts means the nuts are loosen Missing clamps, spacers, studs or lugs Missmatched, bent or cracked lock rings Weels or reems with welding repairs are not safe

Bad brake Drums or Shoes Cracked drums Shoes or pads with oil, grease or brake fluid on them Thin shoes, broken or missing

Steering System Defects Missing nuts, bolts or other parts Steering columns, gear box or tie rods for bent, loose or missing parts If power steering equipped check for leaks, fluid level or hoses or pumps defects Steering wheel that plays more than 10 degrees (2 inches of 20 inches at the rim of a steering wheel) will harden properly steering

Suspension System Defects Spring hangers proper position

Cracked or broken spring hangers Missing or broken leaves of the leaf-spring

Exhaust System Defects

When exhaust system is broken, it will let poison smokes into cabin or sleeping berth. Loose, broken or missing pipes, mufflers, tailpipes, clamps, brakets or vertical stakes.

Emergency Equipment Fire extinguishers Spare electrical fuses Warnng devices for parking (reflective triangle)

Cargo (trucks) you must be sure the truck is not overloaded and is balanced and secured before each trip.

CDL Pre-trip Inspection ----- The seven step inspection method Aproaching the vehicle you have to look for its general condition. Look for damage or vehicle leaning on a side. Look under vehicle to notice any leaks, Check the area around vehicle for hazards to vehicle movement (people, wires, other vehicles, etc)

Step 1 - Review last inspection report. Drivers should inspect their vehicle every day and write a daily report. You must sgn the report only if the noted defect were certified repaired or not needed be repaired. Step 2 Check engine compartment. Check that the parking brakes are on and wheels are chocked. Raise the hood or open the engine compartment door and check: engine oil level, coolant level and hose condition, windshield washer fluid, power steering level and hose, battery fluid level, connections and tie-downs, automatic transmission fluid level with engine running, check belts (engine, alternator, etc) for exessive wear and tightness, leaks in engine compartment, cracks or worn of electrical wiring insulation. Step 3 Start engine and inspect inside the cab. Listen for unusual noises. Look at the gauges for oil pressure (will come to normal in seconds after engine starts), air pressure (shuld build from 50 to 90 psi in 3 minutes, ammeter and voltmeter should be in normal range, coolant temperature to raise normal, engine oil temperature, warning lights and buzzers. Controls Condition (check for looseness, sticking, damage or improper setting) of: brakes, steering wheel, accelerator, clutch, transmission control, trailer brakes, interaxle differential lock, horn, wipers nd lights. Check mirrors and windshield and adjust them to see clearly. Check emergency equipment: fuses, 3 reflective triangles, properly charged fire extinguisher, accident reporting kitt

Step 4 Turn off engine and check lights: low beam and four way emergency flashers. Step 5 Do walkaround inspection to check lights and signals from outside. Drivers door glass should be clean, doors locks should work properly, check wheels and reems, hub oil level, suspensions (springs, u-bolts and hangers), brakes (drums and hoses), axles and steering system, windshield and wipers for damages, fuel tank conditions (leaks, secure ounting, caps and fuel level), check for leaks, check for

cargo securement to be proper braced, blocked, tied and chained, check for air pressure and spare tire, battery secured and mounted corectly Step 6 Turn off the rest of lights and a helper to put on the brake pedal and apply a trailer hand brake. Turn on stop lights and left signal lights. Go out and check their functionality. After that get in vehicle and check for papers, trip manifest, permits, etc. Step 7 Start engine and check: for hidraulic leaks (pump pedal 3 times, then press firm the pedal for 5 seconds. If it moves and not stay firm, then it is a leak somewhere), brake system (parking brake: drive slow the vehicle then apply parking brake, if is not stoping it is faulty/ test serice brake stoping action: drive by 5 miles per hour and push brake pedal firmly. If it is pulling to one side or other means brake trouble as well as any delay felt in stopping action)

Inspection During a Trip - Should be checked instruments, gauges, mirrors, tires, cargo and covers, any smell, noise or feeling of trouble. Safety inspection drivers of tractor or cargo should inspect cargo securement every 50 miles of a trip and 150 miles or every 3 hours (whichever comes first) After Trip Inspection and Report You should have a written report everyday on the codition of vehicle you drove, and report anything affecting safety or possible mechanical breakdowns.

Q & A Section

Vehicle Inspection

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What is the most important reason for doing an inspection? Safety What should you check during a trip? gauges, brakes, lights, trailer devices and cargo securement devices. Name some key steerig system parts steering wheel, tie rod, fluid reservoir, steering shaft. Name some suspention system defects cracked spring hangers, broken leaves in leaf spring, leaking shock absorbers. What 3 kind of emergency equipment you should have? fire extinguishers, spare fuses, warning devices (3 reflective triangles). What is the mnimum depth thread for front tires and for other tires? front: 4/32 in and other: 2/32 Name some things you should check in front of your vehicle during walkaround inspection lights and signals from outside, locks and driver glass, fuel tank conditions, air pressure, brake drums, hub oil, cargo secure devices and locking 8. What should bearing seals be checked for? leaking 9. How many reflective triangles should you carry? three 10. How do you test hidraulic brakes for leaks? Pump brake peda 3 times, then apply 5 seconds pressure holding your foot on the pedal. Pedal should not move, if it moves, there are leaks that need be fixed. 11. Why put the starter switch key in your pocket during pre-trip inspection?- For safety reasons.

Basic Control of your Vehicle

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Why should you back toward the drivers side? Because you cannot see everything behind your vehicle, backing is always dangerous. Backing toward the drivers side is recommended for safety reasons. If stopped on a hill how can you start moving without rolling back? Slow down and shift down to a speed that you can control without using the brakes hard.

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When backing, why is important to use a helper?- Because there are blind spots you cant see. What is the most important hand signal that you and helper should agree on? Stop! What are the 2 most important conditions where you hould downshift? Before starting a downhill and before entering a curve When you should downshift automatic transmission? When going down grades Reatarders keep you from skidding when road is slippery (T or F) False What are the 2 ways to know when to shift? Using engine speed and road speed

Seeing, Communicating and Speed Control

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How far does the manual say that should you look? 12-15 seconds ahead What are the 2 main things to look ahead? Look for traffic (vehicles maneuvres in front of you like coming into your way or braking or slowing) and signals 3. Whats the most important way to see sides and rear of your vehicle? Using mirrors 4. What means communicating in safe driving? Using signals to let other know what are you intenting to do, for safety reasons. 5. Where should your reflectors be placed when stopped on a divided highway? 10 , 100 , 200 on rear side of your vehicle 6. What 3 things add up a total stopping distance? Perception + Reaction + Braking 7. If you go twice as fast, your stopping distance will increase 2 or 4 times more? 4 times more 8. Empty trucks have best braking (T or F) False 9. What is hydroplaning? is water skiing because of water collected on the road 10. What is black ice? A thin layer of ice clear enough to see the road underneath of it. Managing space and Watching for Hazard

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How do you find how many second of following distance you have?- 1 second for every 10 feet of vehice length at under 40 miles /hour. Over 40 miles you should add 1 second for safety. If you drive a 30 foot vehicle length at 55 mph, how many seconds of following distance you have? 4 seconds You should decrease distance if somebody follows you too closely (T or F) False If you swing wide to the left, before turning right, another driver will try to pass you on the right (T or F) True What is a hazard? Any road condition, vehicle or passenger that cooul be a possible danger. Why make emergency lans when see hazards? to have time to plan a way out of any emergency.

Distracted Driving, Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

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What are some tips to avoid you become an distracted driver? Be familiar with any vehicle eletronics devices usage before you drive, review maps and route before driving, adjust mirrors before driving, etc. How do you use in-vehicle communication devices cautiosly? Using hands-free cell phone devices, pulling off the road in a safe and legal place in order to make/receive calls on communication equipment. How do you recognize a distracted driver? Vehicle driving at inconsistent speeds or drifting over divider lanes or within their own line, drivers checking maps, phones, involving in conversations with other passengers. What is the difference between an aggressive driver and road rage? Aggressive driving is operating a vehicle in a bold, pushy manner without regard for others safety/ while road rage is operating vehicle with intention to harm others or their vehicle. What should you do when confronting with aggressive drivers? Attempt to get away from their way, report them to the nearest authorithies describing their vehicle, plate number or call the policeif you have a cell phone and you can doi it safely.

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How can you reduce your stress before and while you drive? Listening easy listen music, be realistic and expect delays in your time, give your full attention to drive.

Driving in special Conditions

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You should use your low beams whenever you can (T or F) False What should you do before you drive if you are drowsy ? Sleep efore you drive What effects wet brakes may have? How ca you avoid these problems? They get weak, can cause lack of braking, wheel lockupor jacknife. Avoid driving in flowing waters or deep puddles. You should let air go out of your tires so the pressure goes back to normal (T or F) False You can safely remove the radiator cap as the engine isnt overheated (T or F) False

Railroad Crossing, Driving procedures

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What factors determine your selection of a safe speed when going down a long steep downgrade? weather, total weight of cargo and vehicle, steepness and length of the grade, road conditions Why should you be in a propergear before starting down a downhill? ecause you will possible not be able shift in any gear after and forcing an automatic transmission shift into lower gear at high speed can damage transmission as well the engine braking efect. Describe the proper braking techinique when going down a long steep downgrade Apply brakes enough to feel a definite slowdown, when your speed goes 5 mph below safe speed, release brakes. When your speed reaches safe speed repeat everything again. How long it takes for a typical tractor-trailer unit to cear a double track? More than 15 seconds.

Driving Emergencies, Quick and Safe Stopping, Other tire Failures

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Stopping is not always the safest thing to do in emergencies (T or F) True What advantages of going right instead of left around an obstacle are? you will know which lane is empty to use it safely, no one is likely driving on the shoulder while someone passes you on your left, if you are blocked both sides and decide go right you can avoid a possible head-on collision. What is an escape ramp? Is a long bed of loose, soft material made to slow or stop runaway vehicles in safe conditions, without injuring drivers and passengers. If a tire blows up, you should put the brakes on hard to stop quickly (T or F) False How do you know if your vehicle has antilock brakes? They have lamps that lights when the engine is started or stay on until vehicle runs over 5 mph. What is the proper vehicle braking tehnique when driving a vehicle ABS equipped? You should brakes as you always do. How ABS helps you? Helps avoid wheel locks and maintain control on slippery surfaces.

Accident Procedures, Alcohol and Other Drugs

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Common medicine for colds can make you sleepy (T or F) True

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What should you do if you become sleepy while you drive Stop and sleep Coffee and a litle fresh air will help a drinker sober up (T or F) False What is hazardouse material placard? They are signs put outside of vehicle to identify hazard class material of cargo. Why are placards used? To warn others. What is sleep debt? Is the sleeping time you owe to sleep. What are danger signals of drowsy driving? Cant stop yawning, Drift between lines, tailgates or miss traffic signs, have trouble keeping head up or keeping eyes open and focused.

Transporting Cargo Safely

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What 4 things realted to cargo are drivers responsible for ? Inspecting cargo, recognizing overloads and poor balance of weight, cargo properly securization, having access to emergency equipment. How often you must stop to check your cargo? 3 hours or 150 miles. How is GCWR different than GCW? GCWR is manufacturer gross combination weight rating while GCW is vehicle total weight of a vehicle plus its load Name 2 situation when legal vehicle load might not be safe being top-heavy and being poor balanced weight What happen if you dont have enough weight on front axle? steering axle is too light to steer safely. What is the minimum tiedown number for any flat bed load? 2 What is the minimum tie-downs for 20 foot load? 10 Name 2 reasons for covering cargo and and open bed? protect people from spills and protect cargo from weather. What must you check before transporting a sealed load? not exceed axle weight limits and gross weight.

Air Brakes Systems

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Why must air brakes be drained? To avoid failure in cold time What is a supply pressure gauge used for? Protects tank from exra presssure All vehicle with air brakes must have a low air presssure (T or F) True What are spring brakes? emergency brakes Front wheel brakes are good under all conditions (T or F) True How do you know if your vehicle has ABS? has a yellow lamp on board.

Inspecting Air Brakes

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What is a dual air brake system? Is a system mode using one set of two separate air sytem brakes What are slack adujsters Are adjusting brakes to legal limit How you check slack adjusters Vehicle park on level ground and wheels chock to avoid move, then pull hard every slack adjusters to see if it moves more than 1 inch when the push rod is attached to it. How can you test low pressure warning signal? Turn engine on, step on and off brake and pressure should go less than 60 psi and warning signal should start. What is maximum leakage leaks? 125 psi

Using Air Brakes

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Why should you be in proper gear before starting down a hill? You can roll What factors can cause brakes to fail or fade? Heat The use of brakes on a long steep downgrage is only a supplement of engine brake effect (T or F) True If you are away from your vehicle only a short time, you dont need to use parking brake (T or F) False How often should you drain your tanks? At the end of every working day How do you brake a tractor trailer combination with ABS? Normally, monitoring back off brake. You still have normal brake functions if your ABS fails (T or F) True

Combination Vehicles

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What 2 things are important to prevent a roll over? keep cargo as low to the ground and drive slowly around turns When you turn suddenly while pulling doubles, which trailer is most likely to turn over? Last Why shouldnt use a hand brake to straighten out a jacknifing trailer? is a wrong thing to do. What is offtracking? When a vehicle goes around the corner, rear whels takes a different path than front wheels When you back a trailer, you should position your vehicle so you can back in a curved side to the driver side (T or F) True What type of trailers can get stuck on railroad-highway crossings? single axle pulling a long trailer and low slung units.

Combination Vehicle Air Brakes

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Why sould you not use a trailer hand drive when driving? trailer can skid What trailer air control supply does? It is used to control tractor protection valve by turning it off when air drops between 20psi40psi. What the service line is for? carries air controlled by foot brake or trailer hand brake What is mergency line for? supply air to the air tanks and controls emergency lines on combination vehicles. Why should use choks when parking trailer without emergency brakes? because they have parking brakes Where are shutt-off valves? At back of trailers used to tow other trailers.

Antilock Brake Systems

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What might happen if the trailer is to high whe you try to couple? It may no couple correctly After coupling,how much space should be between the upper and lower 5 th wheel? No space You should look into the back of fifth wheel to if it is locked onto kingpin (T or F) True To drive you need to raise landing gear until it just lifts off the pavement (T or F) True How do you know if your trailer is equipped with ABS? Have yellow malfunction lamps on left side or on the front, or rear corner.

Inspecting Combination Vehicle

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Which shut off valves should be open and which closed? service line valve open, emergency line valve closed

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How can you test if air flows to all trailers? when air pressure goes to normal, push air supply knob, then going at the rear of rig open emergency line shut-off valve. You should hear air escaping if system is charged. How can you test tractor protection valve? With air brake system of trailer charged, turn engine off. Step several times on brake pedal to reduce pressure to 20psi-45psi. If works normally, air protection valve should pop out or go from normal to emergency position. How you are testing trailer brakes? With trailer air brake system charged check if trailer rolls freely Then stop and pull out trailer emergency valve, and oull gently on trailer with tractor to check if trailer emergncy brakes are on. How you check trailer service brakes? check for normal air pressure, release paking brakes while moving vehicle forward slowly, then apply trailer brakes with hand control (called trolley valve). You shoud feel brakes working.