Parking & Stopping

Study questions with answers

12 sample Parking & Stopping questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. How do you test during inspection whether the parking brake will hold the vehicle?

   Correct answer: Gently try to pull forward against the set brake

   With the parking brake set and the vehicle in low gear, gently pull forward against it; if the brake does not hold, it is faulty and must be fixed.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.1: Vehicle Inspection

2. 2. When stopped on a one-way or divided highway, where should the three warning devices be placed?

   Correct answer: At 10, 100, and 200 feet toward approaching traffic

   On a one-way or divided road, place your warning devices toward oncoming traffic at distances of roughly 10, 100, and 200 feet behind the vehicle.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating

3. 3. When you park, how should you position the vehicle to make leaving safer?

   Correct answer: So you will pull forward when you leave

   Try to park so you can pull forward when you leave, since backing is always more dangerous.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.2: Basic Control of Your Vehicle

4. 4. On an undivided two-lane road that carries traffic both ways, where must the warning devices be placed when you stop?

   Correct answer: One at 10 feet, and one 100 feet ahead and 100 feet behind

   On an undivided two-way road, place a device within 10 feet of the vehicle to mark it, plus one 100 feet behind and one 100 feet ahead.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating

5. 5. Within how many minutes of stopping on a road or shoulder must you put out your emergency warning devices?

   Correct answer: Within ten minutes

   Any time you are stopped on a roadway or its shoulder, the emergency warning devices must be set out within ten minutes.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating

6. 6. What should you do with the parking brake whenever you leave your vehicle?

   Correct answer: Apply it

   Apply the parking brake any time you leave the vehicle to keep it from moving.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.2: Basic Control of Your Vehicle

7. 7. During the engine-compartment step of a pre-trip inspection, what must be done before raising the hood or tilting the cab?

   Correct answer: Confirm the parking brake is on or wheels are chocked

   Make sure the parking brakes are on and/or the wheels are chocked before you check the engine compartment.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.1: Vehicle Inspection

8. 8. Why should you not rely on your taillights alone when parked at the roadside?

   Correct answer: Because others may think the parked vehicle is moving normally

   Drivers have crashed into parked vehicles because they mistook the taillights for a vehicle moving normally, so use the four-way flashers instead.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating

9. 9. When you finish the walk-around and get back in to prepare to drive, what should you do with loose articles in the cab?

   Correct answer: Secure them so they cannot interfere or hit you

   Secure any loose items in the cab, because they could interfere with the controls or strike you in a crash.

   Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.1: Vehicle Inspection

10. 10. If a hill or curve blocks other drivers from seeing your stopped vehicle, where should the rear warning device go?

    Correct answer: Back beyond the obstruction so drivers get warning within 500 feet

    Move the rear-most triangle farther back beyond the hill or curve—so it warns drivers who otherwise could not see the vehicle within 500 feet.

    Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating

11. 11. Before beginning to back, what is the first of the basic safety rules?

    Correct answer: Start in the proper position

    Start in the proper position, which places the vehicle where it can be backed safely for the type of maneuver you are doing.

    Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.2: Basic Control of Your Vehicle

12. 12. When you set out reflective triangles, how should you hold them for your own safety?

    Correct answer: Between yourself and oncoming traffic

    Hold each triangle between yourself and the oncoming traffic as you place it, so approaching drivers can see you.

    Source: Missouri CDL Manual — Section 2.5: Communicating