CDL Practice Tests For Safe Driving Page 15

2.11.3 – Roadway Factors

Poor Lighting: In the daytime there is usually enough light to see well. This is not true at night. Some areas may have bright street lights, but many areas will have poor lighting. On most roads you will probably have to depend entirely on your headlights.

Less light means you will not be able to see hazards as well as in daytime. Road users who do not have lights are hard to see. There are many accidents at night involving pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists and animals. Even when there are lights, the road scene can be confusing. Traffic signals and hazards can be hard to see against a background of signs, shop windows and other lights.

Drive slower when lighting is poor or confusing. Drive slow enough to be sure you can stop in the distance you can see ahead.

Do not drive in fog if at all possible. It is preferable that you pull off the road into a rest area or truck stop until visibility is better. If you must drive, be sure to consider the following:

• Obey all fog-related warning signs.
• Slow down before you enter fog.
• Use low-beam headlights and fog lights for best visibility even in daytime and be alert for other drivers who may have forgotten to turn on their lights.
• Turn on your four-way flashers. This will give vehicles approaching you from behind a quicker opportunity to notice your vehicle.
• Watch for vehicles on the side of the roadway. Seeing taillights or headlights in front of you may not be a true indication of where the road is ahead of you. The vehicle may not be on the road at all.
• Use roadside highway reflectors as guides to determine how the road may curve ahead of you.
• Listen for traffic you cannot see.
• Avoid passing other vehicles.
• Do not stop along the side of the road, unless absolutely necessary.

Tractors, trucks and buses will have yellow ABS malfunction lamps on the instrument panel.

2.18.6 – Braking with ABS

When you drive a vehicle with ABS, you should brake as you always have. In other words:

• Use only the braking force necessary to stop safely and stay in control.
• Brake the same way, regardless of whether you have ABS on the bus, tractor, the trailer or both.
• As you slow down, monitor your tractor and trailer and back off the brakes (if it is safe to do so) to stay in control.
• There is only one exception to this procedure. If you drive a straight truck or combination with working ABS on all axles, in an emergency stop, you can fully apply the brakes.

2.18.7 – Braking If ABS Is Not Working

• Without ABS you still have normal brake functions. Drive and brake as you always have.
• Vehicles with ABS have yellow malfunction lamps to tell you if something is not working.
• As a system check on newer vehicles, the malfunction lamp comes on at start-up for a bulb check and then goes out quickly. On older systems, the lamp could stay on until you are driving over five mph.
• If the lamp stays on after the bulb check, or goes on once you are under way, you may have lost ABS control on one or more wheels.
• Remember, if your ABS malfunctions, you still have regular brakes. Drive normally, but get the system serviced soon.

• Remember:

  The best vehicle safety feature is still a safe driver

• Remember:

  Drive so you never need to use your ABS

• Remember:

  If you need it, ABS could help to prevent a serious crash

You should consult your physician or a local sleep disorder center if you suffer from frequent daytime sleepiness, have difficulty sleeping at night, take frequent naps, fall asleep at strange times, snore loudly, gasp and choke in your sleep and/or wake up feeling as though you have not had enough sleep.

Hazardous materials are products that pose a risk to health, safety and property during transportation. (See Figure 2.24.)

2.24.2 – Why Are There Rules?

You must follow the many rules about transporting hazardous materials.

The intent of the rules is to:

• Contain the product.
• Communicate the risk.
• Ensure safe drivers and equipment.

Placards:

Placards are used to warn others of hazardous materials. Placards are signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo. A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards. They are put on the front, rear and both sides.

Placards must be readable from all four directions. They must be at least 10 3/4 inches square, turned upright on a point, in a diamond shape. Cargo tanks and other bulk packaging display the identification number of their contents on placards or orange panels.

Placards:

Placards are used to warn others of hazardous materials. Placards are signs put on the outside of a vehicle that identify the hazard class of the cargo. A placarded vehicle must have at least four identical placards. They are put on the front, rear and both sides.

Placards must be readable from all four directions. They must be at least 10 3/4 inches square, turned upright on a point, in a diamond shape. Cargo tanks and other bulk packaging display the identification number of their contents on placards or orange panels.

Not all vehicles carrying hazardous materials need to have placards. The rules about placards are explained in Section 9 of this manual.

You can drive a vehicle that carries hazardous materials if it does not require placards. If it requires placards, you cannot drive it unless your driver license has the hazardous materials endorsement.