Maine CDL — General Knowledge practice
Maine CDL — General Knowledge: Alcohol & Drugs practice test
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
12 questions · pass with 10 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
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12 sample Alcohol & Drugs questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
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1. How does the manual rank drowsy driving among the causes of traffic collisions?
Correct answer: As one of the leading causes
Fatigued or drowsy driving is described as one of the leading causes of collisions, with about 100,000 police-reported crashes a year attributed to it.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
2. A drunk rider is causing trouble on your bus. Whose safety does the manual say you must look after?
Correct answer: The disruptive rider's as well as everyone else's
The driver is responsible for the drunk or disruptive rider too, which is why such a rider is not put off where it would be unsafe.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 4.3.2, At Stops
3. Using the manual's drinks chart, before any adjustment for time, at how many drinks does a 160-pound person first show a BAC of .08 or higher?
Correct answer: Four
For 160 pounds the chart shows .07 after three drinks and .09 after four, so the fourth drink is the first to reach .08 or more.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.22.1, Alcohol and Driving
4. Research cited in the manual identifies groups at higher risk of a fall-asleep crash. Which of these is NOT one of them?
Correct answer: Drivers who make only short daytime trips
The higher-risk groups are young males, shift workers, commercial drivers (long-haul above all) and people with untreated sleep disorders or sleep deprivation.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
5. How much 80-proof liquor contains the same amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce glass of 5% beer?
Correct answer: One and a half ounces
A 12-ounce beer at 5%, a 5-ounce glass of 12% wine and a 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor all carry the same alcohol.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.22.1, Alcohol and Driving
6. For staying alert behind the wheel, what does the manual suggest about the temperature in the cab?
Correct answer: Stay cool: open a window or run the air conditioning
Staying cool is one of the listed ways to keep alert, alongside rest breaks, avoiding heavy meals and sharing the driving.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
7. What does the manual's advice on staying alert say about food?
Correct answer: Avoid heavy foods
Heavy food is on the list of things to avoid when you need to stay alert on the road.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
8. The manual defines fatigue as tiredness with several possible causes. Which of these is NOT one it names?
Correct answer: Bright daylight
Fatigue is described as physical or mental tiredness brought on by strain, repetitive tasks, illness or too little sleep.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
9. Which of these is NOT among the abilities the manual says alcohol impairs?
Correct answer: Hearing
The manual's list is reaction time, muscle coordination, night vision and depth perception, plus the judgment and inhibition controlled by the brain. Hearing is not mentioned.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.22.1, Alcohol and Driving
10. The manual names several sedating medications that raise drowsy-driving risk. Which of these is NOT on its list?
Correct answer: Vitamin supplements
The at-risk checklist mentions sedating medications and gives antidepressants, cold tablets and antihistamines as examples.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
11. The manual's table of BAC effects notes how much alcohol the liver can handle. About how much is that?
Correct answer: About one drink per hour
The liver deals with roughly one drink an hour. Anything beyond that accumulates in the blood, which is why drinking faster raises BAC.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.22.1, Alcohol and Driving
12. At 6 a.m. a roadside check finds a CMV driver with a detectable amount of alcohol, but under .04%. Under the rule in the manual, when does the out-of-service period end?
Correct answer: At 6 a.m. the next day
Any detectable alcohol below .04% puts the driver out of service for 24 hours, so a 6 a.m. finding runs until 6 a.m. the following day.
Source: Maine Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 1.3.2, Alcohol, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Commission of a Felony
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