North Carolina HazMat CDL Practice Test

When shippers package hazardous materials, they must certify that this was done according to the regulations. The only exception is when:

• The shipper is a private carrier carrying his or her own product.
• The shipment is a hazardous waste.
• The driver is given a sealed cargo compartment.

Correct answer: The shipper is a private carrier carrying his or her own product.

The shipper's certification is a signed promise on the shipping paper that the load was packed, marked and labeled by the rules. You rely on that signature when you accept a shipment. A private carrier hauling its own product does not sign it, because the shipper and the carrier are the same company. The packing rules still apply in full. One other exception exists: the carrier supplied the package, such as a cargo tank. Hazardous waste is not an exception. There the shipper must prepare, date and sign the waste manifest by hand.

How many hazard classes of hazardous materials are there?

• 10
• 9
• 16

Correct answer: 9

A material's hazard class tells you what risk it carries. The nine classes are numbered 1 through 9: 1 Explosives, 2 Gases, 3 Flammable, 4 Flammable Solids, 5 Oxidizers, 6 Poisons, 7 Radioactive, 8 Corrosives, and 9 Miscellaneous. You need the hazard class to choose the right placards, so learn the list in order. A material can fit the definition of more than one class, but it is assigned to only one. The table also shows ORM-D and combustible liquids. Those are extra categories, not a tenth hazard class.

Besides the shipping papers and the packages, which two places must show the hazardous material identification number?

• On the Emergency Response Guidebook and on the driver's logbook
• On cargo tanks and on other bulk packaging
• On the driver's hazmat endorsement and on the vehicle registration
• On the tractor's mud flaps and on the trailer license plate

Correct answer: On cargo tanks and on other bulk packaging

Emergency crews must know what is inside a tank before they get close to it. So the rules put the identification number on the container itself: cargo tanks, portable tanks, and other bulk packaging such as dump trucks. Bulk packaging is a single container that holds more than 119 gallons. The number is black, 3.9 inches tall, on an orange panel, a placard, or a white diamond. A tank of 1,000 gallons or more shows it on each side and each end. Logbooks, endorsements, registrations, mud flaps and license plates are never marking places for this number.

What is the minimum number of identical placards that a placarded vehicle must have?

• 2 placards
• 3 placards
• 4 placards
• 6 placards

Correct answer: 4 placards

Placards must warn people who come from any direction. So a placarded vehicle must have at least 4 identical placards: on the front, the rear, and both sides. They must be readable from all 4 directions. Two placards on the front and rear would leave both sides without a warning, and 3 placards would still miss one side. Six placards is more than the rule requires; the minimum is 4.

Why is the shipper required to sign the shipping paper?

• To confirm the carrier has inspected and approved the shipment for transport
• To certify that the shipper prepared the shipment according to the regulations
• To certify that the shipper has insured the shipment against damage in transit

Correct answer: To certify that the shipper prepared the shipment according to the regulations

The shipper packs, classifies and labels the material, so the shipper signs to accept responsibility for that work. The signature certifies that the classification, description, packaging, marking and labeling are all correct. It also certifies that the shipment is in proper condition for transport. As the driver, you may rely on that certification unless a package is clearly unsafe or does not meet the rules. The signed statement passes the hazard information along the chain to you. The carrier does its own check before transport, so the signature is not the carrier's approval. It also has nothing to do with insurance.

Carriers must provide each driver who hauls Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives with:

• a written list of emergency response phone numbers for local fire departments
• a copy of FMCSR Part 383
• a copy of FMCSR Part 397

Correct answer: a copy of FMCSR Part 397

Explosives come with special driving and parking rules, and the driver must keep those rules in the truck. For this reason, a driver hauling Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives must get FMCSR Part 397 from the carrier. The carrier also supplies written instructions for what to do after a delay or an accident. You sign a receipt for these documents. While driving, you must carry the shipping papers, the written emergency instructions, the written route plan and your copy of Part 397. The written instructions list carrier agents or shippers to call, not local fire departments.

Hazardous material identification numbers must be shown on portable tanks, cargo tanks, and other bulk packages. Regulations require black ______ numbers.

• 75 mm
• 125 mm
• 100 mm

Correct answer: 100 mm

Emergency responders read the four-digit identification number to find out what the tank holds before they approach it. The number has to be readable at a glance, so the rules fix its size and its color. Use black 100 mm (3.9 inch) numbers on orange panels, on placards, or on a white, diamond-shaped background when placards are not required. The numbers must still be visible once the portable tank is on the vehicle; if they are not, display the number on both sides and both ends of the vehicle. 75 mm is the tempting guess, but only 100 mm meets the rule.

Helium is classified as a Class ____ hazardous material.

• 1
• 2
• 9

Correct answer: 2

A hazard class tells you the kind of risk a material presents. Class 2 is the gases class. Helium is listed there with propane and oxygen. Inside Class 2, helium is Division 2.2, a non-flammable gas. Propane is 2.1 and compressed fluorine is 2.3. There are nine hazard classes in all. The class number decides which placard goes on the vehicle, and that placard warns everyone else what you are hauling. Class 1 is Explosives and Class 9 is Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials, so neither one fits helium.

Who must select the safest route when transporting placarded radioactive materials?

• The receiver/consignee
• The state highway department
• The carrier

Correct answer: The carrier

The carrier plans the trip, so the carrier must choose the safest route for placarded radioactive materials. After choosing the route, the carrier tells the driver what the load is and shows the driver the route plan. A safe route keeps the load away from heavily populated areas, crowds, tunnels, narrow streets, and alleys, so a crash or a leak puts fewer people near the material. States and counties can limit which routes you may use, but they do not plan your trip. The carrier picks the route, and the driver must carry and follow it.

You may park most placarded vehicles within 5 feet of the traveled part of the road for a short time, if your work requires it. Which load may you NEVER park that close to the road?

• Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives
• Corrosives and oxidizers
• Acids and poisons

Correct answer: Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives

The rules keep Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives well away from traffic, bridges, buildings and crowds. So you may never park with that load within 5 feet of the traveled part of the road, not even for a moment. Any other placarded load may park that close, but only if your work requires it, and only for a short time. Someone must always watch the vehicle on a public roadway or shoulder. Corrosives, oxidizers, acids and poisons get no five-foot exception of their own.

A truck is carrying hazardous materials but does not have the required placards. When may it be moved?

• Never
• When the shipper says it's OK
• During an emergency, to protect life or property

Correct answer: During an emergency, to protect life or property

Attach the appropriate placards to your vehicle before you drive it. That rule has one narrow exception: during an emergency, you may move an improperly placarded vehicle in order to protect life or property. Placards warn others what you are hauling, and police and firefighters read them before they approach a wreck. Moving without them leaves responders blind to the hazard. The shipper supplies the placards, but the shipper cannot give you permission to drive without them. Outside an emergency, fix the placards before the wheels turn.

A bulk package has been unloaded, but the residue of a hazardous material is still inside. Which statement about placards is true?

• Placards are needed only if the residue weighs 1,001 pounds or more.
• The bulk package and the vehicle carrying it must still be placarded.
• Placards may be removed because the package is no longer loaded.
• Placards are needed only if the material is listed in Placard Table 1.

Correct answer: The bulk package and the vehicle carrying it must still be placarded.

Residue that stays in a bulk package is still a hazardous material, so the warning must remain. Even when only residue is left, the bulk package needs placards. The vehicle that carries it needs placards as well. The 1,001-pound choice is the tempting wrong answer. That limit applies to materials in Placard Table 2, and it does not apply to bulk packaging. Bulk packaging means one large container, such as a cargo tank.

You are hauling Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives. What is a safe haven?

• A rest area where you may leave the vehicle for a short time
• A spot at least 300 feet from a bridge, tunnel, or building
• An approved place to park an unattended vehicle loaded with explosives
• A truck stop that has a security guard on duty all night

Correct answer: An approved place to park an unattended vehicle loaded with explosives

A parked vehicle loaded with explosives must not be left alone. Someone must always watch it, and that person must know what to do in an emergency. A safe haven is the one exception. It is an approved place for parking unattended vehicles loaded with explosives, and local authorities usually choose these places. A spot 300 feet from a building is not a safe haven. That distance only tells you where you may park, and someone must still watch the vehicle.

Under what circumstances may a shipper shorten (abbreviate) the proper shipping name or hazardous material identification number on a shipping paper?

• Only when the shipment is moving by highway within the same state
• Only if regulations specifically authorize the shipper to do it
• Only when the material is non-flammable and low hazard

Correct answer: Only if regulations specifically authorize the shipper to do it

The name on the package must match the name on the shipping paper, and you compare them before you accept the load. A shortened name or number breaks that match and can point to the wrong material. For that reason, a shipper may shorten the identification number, shipping name, or hazard class only when the regulations specifically allow it. Other parts of the entry can be shortened, such as the packaging type and the unit of measurement, as in 10 ctns. UN1263, Paint, 3, PG II, 500 lbs. Staying inside one state does not change the rule, and neither does a low hazard class.

You must stop before a railroad crossing if your vehicle is transporting _______ of chlorine.

• more than 110 gallons
• more than 1,000 pounds
• any amount

Correct answer: any amount

Chlorine is treated as dangerous in any quantity. A driver hauling it in cargo tanks must carry an approved gas mask and an emergency kit for leaks in the dome cover plate fittings. A crash at a crossing could start that kind of leak, so no gallon limit applies. Stop before a railroad crossing whenever your vehicle carries any amount of chlorine. You also stop if the vehicle is placarded, or has cargo tanks used for hazardous materials, loaded or empty. Stop 15 to 50 feet before the nearest rail, and do not shift gears while you cross.

You may allow another person to watch your vehicle only when it is:

• parked at a public rest area while you take a break
• on the property of the shipper, carrier, or receiver
• in the care of any licensed driver

Correct answer: on the property of the shipper, carrier, or receiver

Someone must always watch your parked vehicle, because that person has to act if something goes wrong. The person attending it must be in the vehicle, awake and out of the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet of it with the vehicle in clear view. That person must know the hazards of the load, know what to do in an emergency, and be able to move the vehicle. You may hand this job to another person only on the shipper's, the carrier's, or the consignee's property. A public rest area is not one of those places, and a driver's license alone does not make someone a qualified attendant.

Which hazard class covers both flammable gases and non-flammable gases?

• 2
• 4
• 9

Correct answer: 2

Hazard class 2 is the gases class. It holds three divisions: 2.1 flammable gases such as propane, 2.2 non-flammable gases such as helium, and 2.3 poisonous gases such as compressed fluorine. One class number therefore covers both flammable and non-flammable gases. You need the hazard class to choose the right placard, so the wrong class puts the wrong placard on your vehicle. Class 4 is flammable solids, not gases. Class 9 is the miscellaneous catch-all for materials that fit nowhere else. Neither one covers gases, so 2 is the only correct answer.

If you think there may be a cargo fire in your trailer and the cargo doors feel hot, what should you do?

• Leave the doors closed.
• Crack the doors slightly to let heat and smoke escape.
• Swing the doors fully open to ventilate the trailer.

Correct answer: Leave the doors closed.

Hot doors are a warning sign. They tell you the cargo may be burning inside. Keep the doors shut. Opening them supplies the fire with oxygen, and the load can then burn very fast. With no air, many fires only smolder until firefighters arrive, and the damage stays smaller. Do not crack the doors open either, because even a small gap lets air in. Call for help, keep other people away, and do not fight a hazardous materials fire yourself.

By law, how regularly must employees involved in transporting hazardous materials be tested?

• At least once every 6 months
• At least once every 5 years
• At least once every 3 years

Correct answer: At least once every 3 years

Your employer, or someone your employer names, trains and tests you on the hazardous materials rules. You repeat that training and test at least once every 3 years, because government regulations change constantly. The training also covers security: you learn to recognize and respond to possible security threats. Five years is too long a gap and does not meet the rule. Every 6 months is more often than the rule requires.

In Column 1 of the Hazardous Materials Table, what does the symbol "G" mean?

• Identifies a proper shipping name that may be used only for gases carried in cylinders or cargo tanks
• Identifies a generic shipping name, which must be accompanied by the material's technical name on the shipping paper
• Identifies a proper shipping name that is used only for materials moving in international transportation

Correct answer: Identifies a generic shipping name, which must be accompanied by the material's technical name on the shipping paper

A generic shipping name does not name the actual chemical. The symbol "G" tells the shipper to add the technical name — the specific chemical that makes the product hazardous — to the shipping paper along with the basic description. Emergency responders read that paper first at a spill or fire. Without the technical name they cannot tell which chemical they face, so they may choose the wrong firefighting or clean-up method. The "G" does not limit a name to gases in cylinders or cargo tanks, or to international shipments. It marks a generic name, and only "G" adds the technical-name duty.