CDL Hazardous Materials Sample Questions

Questions from each area of the CDL Hazardous Materials test. Pick an answer to see whether you're right, how everyone else did, and why.

CDL Hazmat Test exam guide

1 Hazardous materials regulations

A material has an entry in Column 7 of the Hazardous Materials Table. That means you must:

  1. look up that special provision in the regulations.
  2. look up that packaging section in Part 173.
  3. look up that label code in the label table.

Answer: A, look up that special provision in the regulations.. Column 7 holds codes for special provisions, which are extra rules for that material. Their meaning is in the regulations (49 CFR 172.102), so you must look them up. (49 CFR 172.101(h))

On a portable tank, the proper shipping name of the hazmat must be marked:

  1. on the rear end
  2. on two opposite sides of the tank
  3. on both ends of the tank

Answer: B, on two opposite sides of the tank. A portable tank must show the proper shipping name on two opposite sides. Then people on either side of the vehicle can read what is inside. (49 CFR 172.326)

2 Hazardous materials handling

When you load charged storage batteries with other freight, you must:

  1. keep them upright and protect them from falling cargo and short circuits.
  2. set heavy freight on top and around them so they cannot slide.
  3. lay them flat on their sides and block them so they cannot tip.

Answer: A, keep them upright and protect them from falling cargo and short circuits.. Charged batteries hold liquid that spills if they tip. Keep them upright, and stop other cargo from falling on them or touching the terminals (49 CFR 177.839(b); CDL manual 9.4).

Your engine runs the pump for a compressed gas delivery. When the transfer is finished, you should:

  1. shut off the engine, then unhook the hoses
  2. slow the engine to idle, then unhook the hoses
  3. unhook the hoses, then shut off the engine

Answer: A, shut off the engine, then unhook the hoses. Unhooking a hose can release some gas. Shut the engine off after the transfer ends and before you unhook the hoses, so the engine cannot ignite that gas. (CDL manual 9.5.4)

3 Operation of emergency equipment

What leak-control kit must a chlorine cargo tank vehicle carry?

  1. An emergency kit for leaks in the discharge hose couplings
  2. An emergency kit for leaks in the dome cover plate fittings
  3. An emergency kit for leaks in the tank's bottom outlet valve

Answer: B, An emergency kit for leaks in the dome cover plate fittings. A chlorine cargo tank vehicle must carry an emergency kit for controlling leaks in the fittings on the dome cover plate (49 CFR 177.840(e)(2)).

A small fire starts near your truck's tires, and your trailer holds hazmat. After you call for help, use your extinguisher to:

  1. keep the fire from spreading to the cargo.
  2. put out the cargo if it starts to burn.
  3. cool the cargo by spraying it through the doors.

Answer: A, keep the fire from spreading to the cargo.. Call for help first. Then you may use the extinguisher on a small truck fire to stop it from reaching the hazmat load before firefighters come. (CDL manual 9.7.3)

4 Emergency response procedures

When you deliver Division 1.2 explosives, you may hand them over only to:

  1. any employee at the receiving business.
  2. anyone who will sign the shipping paper.
  3. a person authorized to accept them.

Answer: C, a person authorized to accept them.. Explosives must go only to someone who is authorized to receive them. If no such person is there, leave them in a locked room built for storing explosives. (CDL manual 9.6.5)

Your leaking hazmat truck is on a wide shoulder. Moving it off the road means crossing a ditch. Leave it there because:

  1. moving it would spread the contamination.
  2. a leaking truck stays where the leak was first found.
  3. moving it first needs approval from the police.

Answer: A, moving it would spread the contamination.. Do not move a leaking vehicle when moving it would spread the material or damage the truck. Driving through a ditch would do both (CDL manual 9.7.3).

5 Operating practices and procedures not otherwise specified

A paint dealer hands you a shipping paper with no hazmat entries. You should:

  1. check the packages for signs of hazmat, like labels.
  2. refuse it, since paint loads need a hazmat placard.
  3. accept it, since the paper lists no hazmat entries.

Answer: A, check the packages for signs of hazmat, like labels.. Paint dealers often ship hazmat, so the shipper's business is a warning sign. Look at the packages for labels or ID numbers before you trust the paper. (CDL manual 9.3.8)

You stop to change a flat tire on a placarded truck. Do the hazmat parking and attending rules still apply?

  1. Yes, both the parking rules and the attending rules apply.
  2. No, neither set of rules applies during tire work.
  3. Partly: the parking rules apply, but not the attending rules.

Answer: A, Yes, both the parking rules and the attending rules apply.. Tire work does not suspend any hazmat rule. You must still follow the rules on where you park and on watching the vehicle while you check, repair, or replace a tire. (49 CFR 397.17)