The High Road™ Online CDL Training Program

For normal or emergency stopping using anti-lock brakes, the driver's foot remains on the brake pedal in which the anti-lock module then acts as a foot pumping the air brake system. On the air-brake system the driver must pump or use stab braking in an emergency. If the anti-lock brake system fails or malfunctions, the driver must resort to stopping the vehicle by using the normal air-brake method. If an emergency arises, the driver should use the controlled or stab braking method. The anti-lock brake system should be serviced as soon as possible.

Day 1

Day 2

Violations: There is an 11 hour rule violation from 6:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and a 14 hour rule violation from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., both on Day 2.

Explanation - 11 Hour Limit: After 10 hours off duty, the driver had 11 hours of driving time available at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. The driver did not have another 10 hour break (or the equivalent) until 1:00 p.m. on Day 2, so the calculation point never changes. The driver accumulated 6 total hours of driving on Day 1 and reached the 11 hour limit at 6:30 a.m. on Day 2.

Explanation - 30 Minute Break: Since the driver was never on duty beyond an 8 consecutive hour period without taking at least 30 consecutive minutes off duty, the 30 minute break provision does not apply and no violations took place.

Explanation - 14 Hour Limit: Calculation of the 14 hour limit begins at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. At midnight on Day 1, the driver still had 8 hours remaining because any sleeper berth period of at least 8 but less than 10 consecutive hours is excluded from the 14 hour calculation. The driver reached the 14 hour limit at 8:00 a.m. on Day 2, where the violation began. To remain in compliance, the driver should have stayed in the sleeper berth for 2 hours minimum, from 4:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m., on Day 2. This would have moved the calculation point to 11:00 p.m. on Day 1 - the end of the first of the two qualifying breaks used to obtain the equivalent of 10 hours off - and the driver would have remained in compliance with the 14 hour rule and could have continued driving until 11:30 a.m., the 11 hour limit.

Drivers can be blinded for a short time by bright light. It takes time to recover from this blindness. Older drivers are especially bothered by glare. Most people have been temporarily blinded by camera flash units or by the high beams of an oncoming vehicle. It can take several seconds to recover from glare. Even 2 seconds of glare blindness can be dangerous. A vehicle going 55 mph will travel more than half the distance of a football field during that time. Do not look directly at bright lights when driving. Look at the right side of the road. Watch the sidelines when someone coming toward you has very bright lights.

A major leak in the emergency line will cause the tractor protection valve to close and the trailer emergency brakes to come on.

Computerized Written Knowledge Exam - The computerized written knowledge exam consists of standardized multiple-choice questions. In addition, specialized exams are added if you wish to operate any of the following vehicles:

• Vehicles with air brakes (also requires a skills and road test)
• Combination vehicles
• Double or triple trailers
• Vehicles carrying hazardous materials
• Passenger-carrying vehicles
• School buses
• Tanker vehicles

Stopping distance - Keep in mind how much space you need to stop your vehicle. Remember that wet roads double the normal stopping distance. Empty tank vehicles may take longer to stop than full ones.

Unbaffled liquid tankers (sometimes called "smooth bore" tanks) have nothing inside to slow down the flow of the liquid. Therefore, forward-and-back surge is very strong. Unbaffled tanks are usually those that transport food products (e.g., milk). (Sanitation regulations forbid the use of baffles because of the difficulty in cleaning the inside of the tank.) Be extremely cautious (slow and careful) in driving smooth bore tanks, especially when starting and stopping.

If transporting Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 (Class A or Class B) explosives, you must have a written route plan and follow that plan. Carriers prepare the route plan in advance and give the driver a copy. You may plan the route yourself if you pick up the explosives at a location other than your employer's terminal. Write out the plan in advance. Keep a copy of it with you while transporting the explosives. Deliver shipments of explosives only to authorized persons or leave them in locked rooms designed for explosives storage.

A material's hazard class reflects the risks associated with it. The hazard class of a hazardous material is indicated by its class (or division) number, its class name, or by the letters "ORM-D." Figure 9-1 below lists class numbers, division numbers, class or division names and those sections of this subchapter that contain definitions for classifying hazardous materials, including forbidden materials.

You do not have to stop, but you must slow down and carefully check for other vehicles:

• At street car crossings.
• At railroad tracks used only for industrial switching within a business district.
• Where a policeman or flagman is directing traffic.
• If a traffic signal shows green.
• At crossings marked "exempt" or "abandoned."