Right-of-Way

Study questions with answers

12 sample Right-of-Way questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. At a crossbuck sign with no lights or gates, who has the right-of-way?

   Correct answer: The train, to which you must yield

   A crossbuck tells you the train holds the right-of-way, so it always proceeds first.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Railroad-highway Crossings)

2. 2. How should you treat grade crossings located in city yard areas and towns?

   Correct answer: With the same caution as rural crossings

   Yard-area and in-town crossings are just as dangerous as rural ones and must be approached with the same caution.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Railroad-highway Crossings)

3. 3. When merging onto a highway, how do you judge whether to enter the traffic stream?

   Correct answer: Use your mirrors to confirm the gap is big enough

   Check your mirrors to confirm the opening in traffic is wide enough for your rig before you move into it.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)

4. 4. When a car coming toward you wanders into your lane, which direction is usually the safest to steer?

   Correct answer: To the right

   Steering to your right is usually best, because a driver who realizes the mistake will naturally return to their own lane.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Driving Emergencies)

5. 5. Why should you not swing wide to the left as you begin a right turn?

   Correct answer: A following driver may think you're turning left and pass you on the right

   If you drift left first, a driver behind may assume a left turn is coming and slip past on your right, causing a crash as you swing back.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)

6. 6. When a train has just cleared a crossing with more than one track, what must you check before proceeding?

   Correct answer: Whether another train is coming on a different track

   After one train passes, make sure no other train is approaching on another track before you start across.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Railroad-highway Crossings)

7. 7. Because a large vehicle accelerates slowly, how big a gap do you need to cross or enter traffic?

   Correct answer: A much larger gap than a car would need

   Slow acceleration and the space a large vehicle needs mean you must wait for a much larger gap than a car would require.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)

8. 8. At a passive railroad crossing with no signals, who decides whether it is safe to cross?

   Correct answer: The driver, who must look and decide alone

   A passive crossing has no traffic-control device, so the decision to stop or go rests entirely with the driver.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Railroad-highway Crossings)

9. 9. When you must cross into an oncoming lane to complete a wide right turn, what should you avoid doing?

   Correct answer: Backing up for oncoming vehicles

   Watch for oncoming vehicles and give them room, but do not back up for them, because you could hit someone stopped behind you.

   Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)

10. 10. Why should a driver never try to beat a train to a crossing?

    Correct answer: It is very difficult to judge how fast a train is really moving

    Because the speed of a nearing train is so hard to gauge, trying to race it across is never safe.

    Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Railroad-highway Crossings)

11. 11. Before turning left at an intersection, where should a large vehicle be positioned?

    Correct answer: Reach the center of the intersection before starting the turn

    Reach the center of the intersection before you begin the left turn, or off-tracking may pull the left side of your vehicle into another vehicle.

    Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)

12. 12. When approaching a stopped emergency vehicle on the roadside, what does a driver owe it?

    Correct answer: A yield: slow down and move over when it is safe

    You should yield by slowing and, if safe, moving into a lane away from the stopped emergency vehicle.

    Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Hazardous Roads / Move-Over Laws)