CDL hazardous materials practice test
The Hazardous Materials (H) test is for you if you haul placarded hazardous materials. It follows federal rules, so these 165 questions apply in every state.
Hazardous Materials practice test
Answer at your own pace. After each question you see the correct answer and why, and at the end a review of what you missed.
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Hazardous Materials questions with answers
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A vehicle that must be placarded for hazardous materials displays how many identical placards?
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Answer D: Four, on the front, the rear, and both sides
Four identical placards are required so the hazard class can be read from any direction the vehicle is approached.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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For hazard classes listed in placarding Table 2, placards are generally required once the aggregate gross weight reaches what figure?
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Answer A: 1,001 pounds
Non-bulk Table 2 materials need placards when their combined gross weight is 1,001 pounds or more on one vehicle.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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How do the materials in placarding Table 1 differ from those in Table 2?
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Answer B: Table 1 materials need placards in any amount
Table 1 lists the most dangerous materials, so any quantity triggers placarding instead of the weight threshold used for Table 2.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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In the hazardous materials class system, which class number covers flammable liquids?
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Answer C: Class 3
The nine classes run from explosives at Class 1 to miscellaneous at Class 9, and flammable and combustible liquids fall in Class 3.
Source: fmcsa.dot.gov
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Which hazard class number is used for corrosives?
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Answer A: Class 8
Corrosives are Class 8, the class immediately before the miscellaneous Class 9.
Source: fmcsa.dot.gov
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Which hazard class covers radioactive materials?
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Answer C: Class 7
Class 7 is radioactive material, one of the nine hazard classes used for labels and placards.
Source: fmcsa.dot.gov
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Where must hazardous materials shipping papers be left when the driver steps out of the cab?
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Answer D: On the driver seat or in a pouch on the driver door
Leaving the papers on the driver seat or in the driver door pouch lets responders identify the load quickly when the driver is not present.
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While the vehicle is moving, hazardous materials shipping papers must be kept how?
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Answer A: Within the driver reach and easy for someone entering the cab to see
The papers have to be reachable with the seat belt fastened and readily visible to anyone who enters the cab after a crash.
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On a shipping paper that lists both regular freight and hazardous materials, how must the hazmat entries be handled?
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Answer D: They must be listed first, highlighted in color, or marked with an X in the HM column
On a shipping paper that mixes hazmat with other freight, the hazmat entries must be listed first, printed in a contrasting color, or marked with an X in a column headed HM so they stand out.
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A placarded hazardous materials vehicle approaching a railroad crossing must stop where?
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Answer A: Between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail
The stop must be no closer than 15 feet and no farther than 50 feet from the nearest rail, close enough to see and hear a train yet clear of it.
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How far must a driver stay from a vehicle loaded with explosives, flammable liquids, flammable solids, or oxidizers before lighting a cigarette?
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Answer B: At least 25 feet
Smoking or carrying a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe is prohibited within 25 feet of a vehicle carrying those materials.
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A driver of a placarded vehicle must examine the tires at which times?
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Answer C: At the start of each trip and each time the vehicle is parked
Tire inspection is required before every trip and each time the placarded vehicle is parked, because an overheated or flat tire can ignite the load.
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A person attending a parked placarded vehicle must meet which requirement?
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Answer B: Be awake, out of the sleeper berth, and within 100 feet with the vehicle in clear view
The attendant must be alert, not in the sleeper berth, and either in the vehicle or within 100 feet of it with an unobstructed view.
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A vehicle carrying Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives must not be parked within 300 feet of what?
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Answer C: A bridge, tunnel, building, open fire, or place where people gather
The 300 foot rule keeps loads of high explosives away from structures, open flame, and crowds.
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What is the Emergency Response Guidebook used for?
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Answer D: Identifying the hazard and guiding the first actions at an incident
The guidebook matches a material or placard to its hazards and sets out the initial response steps at the scene.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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How many hazard classes are used to sort regulated materials for transportation?
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Answer D: Nine
The federal system sorts hazardous materials into nine classes, and several of those classes are broken down further into numbered divisions.
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What does the division number 1.1 tell you about an explosive?
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Answer B: It has a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.1 covers explosives with a mass explosion hazard, which means the whole load can go off at virtually the same instant.
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Which division of Class 2 covers gases that are poisonous by inhalation?
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Answer A: Division 2.3
Class 2 gases are split into flammable gas, non-flammable gas and poison gas, and the poison gas division is 2.3.
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What hazard does a Division 4.3 material present?
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Answer C: It reacts with water and can release flammable gas
Division 4.3 materials react on contact with water and can release flammable or toxic gas, which is why they must be kept dry and covered.
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Class 5 has two divisions. Which one covers organic peroxides?
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Answer D: Division 5.2
Division 5.1 covers oxidizers and Division 5.2 covers organic peroxides, which are thermally unstable and can decompose on their own.
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Class 6 has two divisions. What does Division 6.2 cover?
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Answer B: Infectious substances
Division 6.1 covers poisonous material and Division 6.2 covers infectious substances, such as diagnostic cultures and medical waste.
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In the hazardous materials table, what is true of words printed in italics in the shipping name column?
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Answer A: They are not part of the proper shipping name, although they may be shown in addition to it
The proper shipping name is the text printed in regular type; punctuation and words in italics are not part of it, even though they may be shown along with it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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The hazard class column of the hazardous materials table shows the word Forbidden for a material. What does that mean?
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Answer C: It must never be offered or accepted for transportation
A Forbidden entry means the material in that form may never be offered for transport and may never be accepted by a carrier.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What prefixes appear with the identification numbers listed in the hazardous materials table?
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Answer B: UN and NA
An identification number carries a UN prefix when it is recognized internationally and an NA prefix when it is used in North America only.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Packing groups are shown in the hazardous materials table as Roman numerals. What does Packing Group I indicate?
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Answer D: The greatest degree of danger
Packing Group I marks the greatest degree of danger, Packing Group II a medium degree and Packing Group III the least.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which four items make up the basic description of a hazardous material on a shipping paper?
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Answer B: Identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class or division, and packing group
The basic description is built from the identification number, the proper shipping name, the hazard class or division and the packing group.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Where must the emergency response information for a hazardous materials shipment be kept?
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Answer C: In the same place as the shipping paper
Emergency response information travels with the shipping paper so that a responder finds both documents in one place.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is required of the emergency response telephone number shown on a shipping paper?
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Answer A: It must be monitored at all times while the material is in transportation
The number has to be monitored the entire time the shipment is moving and must reach someone who knows the material or can reach that knowledge at once.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A shipper hands over hazardous materials packages but no shipping paper. What must the driver do?
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Answer D: Refuse the shipment
A hazardous materials shipment may not be transported without a properly prepared shipping paper, so the driver does not take it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is the shipper certification on a hazardous materials shipping paper?
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Answer A: A signed statement that the shipment was prepared according to the regulations
By signing the certification the shipper states that the material was properly classed, described, packaged, marked and labeled for transport.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is the difference between a hazard label and a placard?
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Answer B: Labels go on packages and placards go on the vehicle or bulk package
The shipper labels individual packages, while placards are the larger diamonds displayed on the transport vehicle or on a bulk packaging.
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What is the minimum length of each side of a placard?
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Answer C: 9.84 inches
A placard must measure at least 250 mm, about 9.84 inches, on each side so that it can be read from a distance.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How far must a placard be kept from advertising or other markings on the vehicle?
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Answer A: At least 3 inches
Placards must sit at least 3 inches away from any marking or advertising that could reduce how well the warning stands out.
Source: ecfr.gov
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On a tractor-trailer, where may the required front placard be displayed?
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Answer D: On the front of the truck tractor
The front placard may be displayed on the front of the truck tractor instead of, or in addition to, the front of the cargo body.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When may a DANGEROUS placard be displayed instead of a separate placard for each material?
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Answer B: When non-bulk packages from two or more Table 2 hazard categories are on board
A vehicle carrying non-bulk packages from two or more Table 2 hazard categories may show a single DANGEROUS placard in place of the individual ones.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You are running a DANGEROUS placard, then load 2,500 pounds of one hazard category at a single facility. What must you do?
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Answer C: Display the specific placard for that hazard category
Once 2,205 pounds or more of one category is loaded at one place, the placard named for that category must be displayed instead of relying on DANGEROUS.
Source: ecfr.gov
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The 1,001 pound threshold that triggers Table 2 placards does not apply to which packaging?
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Answer B: Bulk packagings such as cargo tanks and portable tanks
Bulk packagings must be placarded no matter how small the quantity of hazardous material they hold.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A cargo tank has been emptied of a hazardous material but has not been cleaned or purged. What applies to it?
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Answer A: It must remain placarded
A bulk packaging keeps its placards after unloading until it has been cleaned and purged of vapor or refilled with something that needs no placard.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is true about the CLASS 9 placard in domestic highway transportation?
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Answer D: It is not required
A CLASS 9 placard is not required for domestic transportation, although a bulk packaging still has to display the identification number.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Where may packages bearing a POISON or POISON INHALATION HAZARD label never be carried?
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Answer B: In the driver compartment, including the sleeper berth
Poison labeled packages are barred from the driver compartment and sleeper berth, because a leak there would leave the driver no escape.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is the rule about carrying poisonous materials together with food?
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Answer C: They must not be loaded with material marked as food, feed or other edible product
Poisonous material may not be loaded with anything marked as food, feed or other edible product for people or animals, because contamination would go undetected.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How must packages of nitric acid be positioned in a load?
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Answer A: Never above another product
Nitric acid is never loaded above any other product, because a leak from an upper position would run down into the rest of the freight.
Source: oregon.gov
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How must compressed gas cylinders be carried when the vehicle has no racks for them?
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Answer B: Upright, or braced in boxes so they cannot turn over
Cylinders must be held upright or secured in boxes or racks so they cannot fall over and damage a valve.
Source: oregon.gov
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What does the segregation table for hazardous materials tell a loader?
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Answer D: Which materials may not be loaded together in the same cargo space
The segregation table pairs hazard classes and divisions to show which combinations must be kept apart because they could react with each other.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Where may a Class 8 corrosive liquid not be loaded?
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Answer C: Above or next to Class 4 or Class 5 material
Corrosive liquids may not be loaded above or adjacent to flammable solid, spontaneously combustible, dangerous when wet or oxidizing material, because a spill could start a reaction.
Source: ecfr.gov
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The letters RQ appear on a shipping paper. What do they indicate?
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Answer C: A hazardous substance carried at or above its reportable quantity
RQ marks a hazardous substance present in an amount at or above the reportable quantity, which means a release has to be reported.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What may be written in the HM column beside a regulated entry?
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Answer A: An X, or the letters RQ when the entry is a hazardous substance
An X in the HM column identifies each regulated entry, and RQ may be used in its place when that entry is a hazardous substance.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A parked placarded vehicle counts as attended when the person in charge is where?
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Answer B: In the vehicle awake and out of the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet with the vehicle in clear view
Attending means being on the vehicle, awake and not in the sleeper berth, or standing within 100 feet with an unobstructed view of it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is a safe haven?
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Answer D: An area approved in writing by government authorities for parking unattended explosives vehicles
A safe haven is an area specifically approved in writing by local, state or federal authorities for parking unattended vehicles loaded with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Where may a vehicle loaded with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives be left unattended?
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Answer C: On property of the carrier, shipper or consignee, or in a safe haven
Explosives may be left unattended only on the property of the carrier, shipper or consignee or in an approved safe haven.
Source: ecfr.gov
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While crossing railroad tracks in a placarded vehicle, what must the driver avoid doing?
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Answer B: Shifting gears
The crossing is made in a gear that will carry the vehicle all the way over, because a missed shift could leave it stalled on the rails.
Source: ecfr.gov
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In which situation is a placarded vehicle not required to stop at a railroad crossing?
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Answer A: A police officer or flagman is directing traffic through the crossing
No stop is required when an officer or flagman is directing traffic, when a working traffic signal shows green, or at a crossing marked exempt or abandoned.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How much clearance is required between a parked explosives load and the traveled portion of a public road?
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Answer D: 5 feet
Explosives in those divisions may not be parked on or within 5 feet of the traveled portion of a public street or highway.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How far from an open fire must a vehicle carrying hazardous materials stay when parking?
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Answer C: 300 feet
A vehicle containing hazardous materials must not be parked within 300 feet of an open fire.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must a driver never do with a placarded trailer on a public street?
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Answer B: Uncouple it and leave it standing
A trailer loaded with hazardous materials must not be uncoupled and left standing on a public street.
Source: oregon.gov
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What is required when fueling a vehicle that contains hazardous materials?
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Answer A: The engine must be shut off and a person must control the nozzle
The engine is not left running during fueling, and someone must stay in control of the fuel flow at the point where the tank is being filled.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What fire extinguisher rating must the power unit of a placarded vehicle carry?
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Answer C: 10 B:C
A power unit transporting hazardous materials that require placards must carry an extinguisher rated at least 10 B:C.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Hazardous material is spilling from your vehicle while you drive. What should you do?
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Answer D: Park it and move it no farther than safety requires
A leaking vehicle is not driven any farther than safety demands, because every extra mile spreads contamination along the road.
Source: oregon.gov
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You see smoke coming from a closed trailer. What should you check before opening the doors?
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Answer D: Whether the doors are hot
Hot doors point to a cargo fire, and opening them feeds the fire fresh air, so the doors stay shut and help is called.
Source: oregon.gov
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How should a driver try to identify a material that is leaking from the load?
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Answer A: Read the shipping paper and its emergency response information from a safe distance
Leaking material is never touched or smelled; the shipping paper and the emergency response information are the safe way to identify it.
Source: oregon.gov
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Which of these requires immediate notice of a hazardous materials incident to the National Response Center?
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Answer C: An evacuation of the public lasting one hour or more
Immediate notice is required for outcomes such as a death, an injury needing hospital admission, an evacuation of an hour or more, or a major route closed for an hour or more.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must an applicant for a hazardous materials endorsement submit to the Transportation Security Administration?
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Answer A: Fingerprints for a criminal history records check
The endorsement requires a security threat assessment that includes a fingerprint based criminal history records check.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which conviction permanently bars a driver from holding a hazardous materials endorsement?
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Answer D: A conviction for espionage, sedition, treason or terrorism
Offenses such as espionage, sedition, treason, terrorism and murder are permanently disqualifying for the endorsement.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Certain felonies are interim disqualifying offenses. A conviction within what period before the application bars the endorsement?
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Answer C: Seven years
Interim disqualifying felonies bar the endorsement when the conviction falls within seven years of the application, or when the applicant was released from incarceration within five years.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must a driver do to keep a hazardous materials endorsement when the license is renewed?
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Answer B: Pass the hazardous materials knowledge test again
The hazardous materials knowledge test has to be passed again at renewal, and the security threat assessment must be renewed as well.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What does the special provisions column of the hazardous materials table give you?
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Answer A: Requirements that apply to that entry in addition to the general rules
The special provisions column holds codes for extra requirements or exceptions that apply only to that particular entry.
Source: ecfr.gov
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An entry in the hazardous materials table is marked with the letter G in the first column. What must be added to the shipping description?
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Answer B: The technical name of the hazardous component, in parentheses
The letter G marks a generic or not otherwise specified entry, which is incomplete until the technical name of the hazardous component appears in parentheses.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A plus sign appears in the first column of the hazardous materials table beside an entry. What does it mean?
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Answer C: The shipping name, hazard class and packing group are fixed
The plus sign fixes the proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group for that entry even when the material does not meet the definition of that class or group.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Besides the basic description, what quantity information must appear on the shipping paper for a hazardous material?
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Answer D: The total quantity with its unit of measure, and the package count
The paper must state how much material is present, given as the total quantity with its unit of measure, together with the number and type of packages.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How long must the offeror of a hazardous material keep a copy of the shipping paper after the initial carrier accepts it?
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Answer C: Two years
The person who offers the shipment keeps a copy for two years after the initial carrier accepts the material, and for three years when the material is a hazardous waste.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You pick up a load of hazardous waste and the shipper hands you the manifest. What must you do with it?
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Answer D: Sign it, carry it as the shipping paper, and give a copy to the receiver
The uniform hazardous waste manifest is signed by the driver, carried as the shipping paper for the trip, and a copy goes to the designated facility that receives the waste.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must the emergency response information for a shipment contain?
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Answer C: The immediate health hazards and first steps for fire, spill or leak
Emergency response information describes the immediate hazards to health, the risk of fire or explosion, immediate precautions, handling of fires, spills and leaks, and preliminary first aid.
Source: ecfr.gov
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All you know about a spilled material is its four digit identification number. Which part of the Emergency Response Guidebook do you look in?
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Answer A: The yellow bordered pages
The yellow section lists entries in numerical order by identification number, while the blue section lists the same materials alphabetically by name.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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What do the green bordered pages of the Emergency Response Guidebook provide?
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Answer B: Initial isolation and downwind protective action distances
The green section gives initial isolation distances and downwind protective action distances for materials that are poisonous when inhaled.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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What is found on the orange bordered pages of the Emergency Response Guidebook?
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Answer D: Numbered guides covering health risks, fire hazards and first actions
Each numbered orange guide summarizes the potential hazards, the public safety actions and the emergency response steps for the materials assigned to it.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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You can read only the placard on a wrecked trailer and nothing else. How does the Emergency Response Guidebook help?
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Answer A: A placard table points to an initial guide for the scene
The guidebook opens with a table of placards that sends the responder to a numbered orange guide when the placard is the only information available.
Source: phmsa.dot.gov
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Who must supply the placards for a shipment of hazardous materials?
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Answer A: The shipper, although the driver must display them on the vehicle
The shipper provides the placards the material requires, and the driver is responsible for putting them on the vehicle correctly before moving it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which of these duties belongs to the motor carrier rather than to the shipper?
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Answer B: Reporting hazardous materials incidents to the federal government
The shipper classifies, packages, marks, labels and certifies the shipment, while the carrier transports it properly and reports incidents that occur along the way.
Source: ecfr.gov
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During loading you see that one drum is damp and stained around the seam. What should you do?
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Answer D: Refuse the package and leave it with the shipper
A driver must never accept a leaking package, because no position in the trailer and no field repair makes a failing container safe to haul.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must be marked on a non-bulk package of hazardous material?
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Answer A: The proper shipping name and the identification number
A non-bulk package must show the proper shipping name and the identification number of the material inside, in addition to the required hazard labels.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How may the identification number for the contents of a bulk packaging be displayed?
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Answer C: On an orange panel, on the placard, or on a white square-on-point
The four digit number may be shown on an orange panel, in the center of the placard itself, or on a white square-on-point display next to the placard.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A cargo tank with a capacity of 1,000 gallons or more carries a hazardous material. Where must its identification number be displayed?
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Answer D: On each side and each end of the tank
A cargo tank of 1,000 gallons or more must show the identification number on both sides and both ends, so it can be read from whichever direction a responder approaches.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Where must the required hazard label be placed on a package?
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Answer B: On the same surface as the shipping name, close to that marking
The label goes on the same surface as the proper shipping name marking and near it, so that the picture and the words are read together.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A placard is displayed for the subsidiary hazard of a material. What must appear on it?
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Answer A: The hazard class or division number in the lower corner
A placard for a primary or a subsidiary hazard must show the hazard class or division number in its lower corner; only subsidiary placards permanently affixed before October 2001 may still be used without it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A tank is loaded with a material that is poisonous by inhalation. What placarding applies?
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Answer A: A POISON INHALATION HAZARD placard is displayed as well as the others
A material poisonous by inhalation requires the POISON INHALATION HAZARD or POISON GAS placard in addition to whatever other placard the load calls for.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How much Division 4.3 dangerous when wet material must be aboard before the vehicle needs a placard?
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Answer D: Any amount
Division 4.3 appears in the first placarding table, so the vehicle must be placarded no matter how small the quantity on board.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which radioactive packages oblige the vehicle to display a RADIOACTIVE placard?
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Answer B: Packages bearing the RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III label
Only packages labeled RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III require the vehicle to be placarded, and that applies in any quantity.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What does the transport index printed on a radioactive package label tell the carrier?
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Answer C: The degree of control needed during transportation
The transport index is a number based on the radiation level around the package, and it expresses how much control the package needs while it is being carried.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What is the highest total of transport indexes allowed on one vehicle that is not in exclusive use?
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Answer A: 50
The transport indexes of all radioactive packages carried on the vehicle are added together, and that sum may not go above 50.
Source: ecfr.gov
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At what capacity does a packaging holding a liquid become a bulk packaging?
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Answer B: More than 119 gallons
A packaging with a capacity greater than 119 gallons of liquid is a bulk packaging, which is why it must be placarded whatever quantity it actually holds.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A freight container of what size or larger must itself be placarded when it holds a material that requires placards?
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Answer D: 640 cubic feet or more
Freight containers of 640 cubic feet or more must display placards on each side and each end when they carry a material that calls for them.
Source: ecfr.gov
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In the segregation table, the letter X appears where two hazard classes meet. What does that tell the loader?
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Answer A: They may not be loaded in the same vehicle together
An X in the table means that pairing may not be loaded, transported or stored together in the same vehicle or storage area.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must be done to the vehicle before hazardous materials are loaded onto it or taken off it?
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Answer C: The parking brake must be set and the wheels chocked as needed
The vehicle must be kept from moving during the transfer, so the brake is set and the wheels are blocked whenever blocking is needed.
Source: ecfr.gov
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While a cargo tank is being loaded or unloaded, where must the qualified person attending it stay?
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Answer B: Within 25 feet of the tank with an unobstructed view of it
The attendant must remain within 25 feet of the cargo tank with a clear view of it and of the delivery hose for the whole of the transfer.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When may the engine be left running while a cargo tank is being loaded with a flammable liquid?
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Answer D: Only when the engine is needed to run the transfer pump
The engine must be shut off during loading and unloading of a flammable liquid unless it is required to drive the transfer pump, and then it is run only for that.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A cargo tank is about to be filled with a flammable liquid through an open filler hole. What must be done first?
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Answer A: The tank must be bonded to the fill pipe and grounded
Bonding and grounding carry away static electricity, which could otherwise jump as a spark at the open filler hole and set the vapor alight.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You will haul Division 1.1 explosives in a trailer that has a fuel-fired cargo heater. What does the rule require?
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Answer C: The heater must be unusable, with an empty fuel tank and no power
A vehicle carrying Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives may not have an operable fuel-fired heater, so the fuel tank is emptied and the power source disconnected.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must be carried on a vehicle hauling chlorine in a cargo tank?
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Answer B: An approved gas mask and an emergency kit for dome cover leaks
A driver hauling chlorine in a cargo tank must have an approved gas mask and the emergency kit for controlling leaks in the dome cover plate fittings.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You are hauling a flammable cryogenic liquid in a cargo tank. What must the driver record during the trip?
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Answer A: The tank pressure and outside temperature every five hours
The driver must write down the cargo tank pressure and the ambient temperature at the start of the trip, before and after any manual venting, at least once every five hours, and at the destination.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A carrier is hauling Division 1.1 explosives across several states. What must the driver have on board?
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Answer A: A written route plan, which the driver must carry and follow
A carrier moving Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives must prepare a written route plan and give a copy to the driver, who is required to follow it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When you plan a trip with a placarded load, what should the route avoid wherever there is a practicable alternative?
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Answer C: Heavily populated areas, tunnels, narrow streets and alleys
A placarded vehicle must keep clear of heavily populated areas, places where crowds gather, tunnels, narrow streets and alleys unless there is no practicable alternative.
Source: ecfr.gov
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After a reportable hazardous materials incident, when must the written report be filed?
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Answer B: Within 30 days of the date the incident occurred
A detailed written report on the federal incident form is due within 30 days, and it is separate from any immediate telephone notice the incident required.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How often must the security threat assessment behind a hazardous materials endorsement be repeated?
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Answer D: At least every five years
The endorsement may not run for more than five years without a new assessment, so the threat assessment has to be renewed at least that often.
Source: ecfr.gov
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May Division 1.1 explosives be moved from one vehicle to another out on a public road?
Show answer
Answer C: Only in an emergency, and warning signals must be set out
Explosives may be transferred between vehicles on a public highway only in an emergency, and warning signals must be placed to alert approaching traffic.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must never be used when handling packages of hazardous material?
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Answer A: A hook or any tool that could puncture the packaging
Hooks and similar tools can tear or puncture a container, so nothing that could damage the packaging or its closures may be used to move it.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What kind of hazard does a Division 1.2 explosive present?
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Answer A: A projection hazard, but not a mass explosion hazard
Division 1.2 covers explosives with a projection hazard: they throw fragments, but the whole quantity does not explode at once.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which explosives are classed in Division 1.5?
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Answer B: Very insensitive substances that are blasting agents
Division 1.5 is used for very insensitive explosive substances that are blasting agents, which have a mass explosion hazard but are very hard to initiate.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What kind of gas is placed in Division 2.2?
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Answer C: A gas that is neither flammable nor poisonous
Division 2.2 covers non-flammable, nonpoisonous compressed gases, including liquefied gases and cryogenic liquids.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A liquid is a Class 3 flammable liquid when its flash point is no higher than what temperature?
Show answer
Answer D: 140 degrees Fahrenheit
A flammable liquid has a flash point of not more than 60 degrees Celsius, which is 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What flash point range makes a liquid a combustible liquid rather than a flammable liquid?
Show answer
Answer A: Above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and below 200 degrees
A combustible liquid meets no other hazard class and has a flash point above 60 degrees Celsius (140 F) but below 93 degrees Celsius (200 F).
Source: ecfr.gov
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What does Division 4.1 cover?
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Answer B: Flammable solids, including certain wetted explosives
Division 4.1 is the flammable solid division, and it also takes in desensitized explosives that have been wetted and some self-reactive materials.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What makes a material an oxidizer in Division 5.1?
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Answer C: It yields oxygen and can make other materials burn
An oxidizer is a material that, generally by yielding oxygen, causes or enhances the combustion of other materials.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which materials are placed in Class 9?
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Answer D: Materials that are a hazard but fit no other class
Class 9 is the miscellaneous class: it holds materials that present a transport hazard but do not meet the definition of any other hazard class.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Packing Group III shown on a shipping paper indicates what?
Show answer
Answer A: A minor degree of danger
Packing Groups I, II and III indicate a great, medium and minor degree of danger respectively.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which of these is never assigned a packing group at all?
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Answer B: Class 2 gases
Class 2, Class 7 and Division 6.2 are not assigned packing groups, so no Roman numeral appears for them in the shipping description.
Source: ecfr.gov
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In what order do the first five columns of the hazardous materials table appear?
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Answer C: Symbols, shipping name, hazard class, ID number, packing group
Column 1 holds the symbols, column 2 the proper shipping name, column 3 the hazard class or division, column 4 the identification number and column 5 the packing group.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which column of the hazardous materials table tells the shipper which labels a package needs?
Show answer
Answer D: Column 6, the labels column
Column 6 gives label codes for the primary hazard and any subsidiary hazards of the material.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Column 8 of the hazardous materials table is split into 8A, 8B and 8C. What do those parts reference?
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Answer A: Exceptions, non-bulk packaging and bulk packaging
Columns 8A, 8B and 8C point to the sections of part 173 that give packaging exceptions, non-bulk packaging requirements and bulk packaging requirements.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How must the four parts of the basic description appear on a shipping paper?
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Answer B: In the required order with nothing written in between
The identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group must be shown in sequence with no additional information interspersed.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A material has a subsidiary hazard that requires a subsidiary label. How does that appear in the basic description?
Show answer
Answer C: In parentheses right after the primary hazard class
The subsidiary hazard class or division number goes in parentheses immediately following the primary hazard class or division number.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A generic entry describes a mixture of hazardous materials. How many technical names must be shown in parentheses?
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Answer D: At least two, those contributing most to the hazard
For a mixture or solution described by a generic name, the technical names of at least two components most predominantly contributing to the hazard must be entered.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What makes a listed material a hazardous substance for shipping purposes?
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Answer A: One package holds at least its reportable quantity
A hazardous substance is a material listed in appendix A to the hazardous materials table that is present in one package in a quantity equal to or above its reportable quantity.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How is the reportable quantity shown on a non-bulk package of a hazardous substance?
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Answer B: The letters RQ are marked with the shipping name
The letters RQ must be marked on the package in association with the proper shipping name, just as they appear on the shipping paper.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A hazardous materials shipping paper runs to several pages. What does the regulation require?
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Answer C: Pages numbered, with the total shown on the first page
A shipping paper may consist of more than one page if the pages are consecutively numbered and the first page states the total number of pages.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How long must a motor carrier keep a copy of the shipping paper for a hazardous material that is not a waste?
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Answer D: One year after the material was accepted
A carrier retains the shipping paper copy for one year after acceptance; for a hazardous waste the period is three years.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Why does a number that reaches an answering machine fail as the emergency response telephone number?
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Answer A: A number needing a call back does not satisfy the rule
The number must reach a person with the information, or with immediate access to it; an answering service, answering machine or beeper that requires a call back is not acceptable.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When may one emergency response telephone number be entered just once on a shipping paper instead of after each entry?
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Answer B: When it applies to every hazardous material listed
A single emergency number may be shown once, prominently and identified as the emergency contact, only if it applies to each hazardous material on the paper.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which of these materials still requires placards when only one small package of it is aboard?
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Answer A: A Division 1.2 explosive
Division 1.2 is a table 1 category and table 1 materials require placards in any quantity, while table 2 materials only trigger placards at 1,001 pounds.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You are adding up the load to see whether the 1,001 pound placarding rule applies. Which packages may be left out of the total?
Show answer
Answer D: Non-bulk packages holding only residue
A non-bulk packaging that holds only the residue of a table 2 material need not be counted when working out placarding.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Your trailer holds both Division 1.1 and Division 1.4 explosives. Which placard goes on it?
Show answer
Answer A: EXPLOSIVES 1.1, the lowest division number present
When more than one Class 1 division placard would be required, only the placard for the lowest division number is displayed.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When may a FLAMMABLE placard be displayed in place of a COMBUSTIBLE placard?
Show answer
Answer B: On a cargo tank or a portable tank
The regulation lets a FLAMMABLE placard stand in for a COMBUSTIBLE placard on a cargo tank or portable tank, and on a compartmented tank car holding both.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A vehicle in domestic transport already displays POISON INHALATION HAZARD placards. What about the POISON placard?
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Answer C: It is not required on that vehicle
For domestic transportation, a POISON placard is not required on a vehicle that must display a POISON INHALATION HAZARD or POISON GAS placard.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Why can a DANGEROUS placard never be used in place of a POISON GAS placard?
Show answer
Answer D: It only stands in for table 2 placards
The DANGEROUS placard substitutes only for the separate placards specified in table 2; a table 1 material such as Division 2.3 always keeps its own placard.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A freight container holds 1,001 pounds or more of uranium hexafluoride. Which placards are added to the radioactive placarding?
Show answer
Answer A: CORROSIVE and POISON
At that weight, uranium hexafluoride requires a CORROSIVE placard and a POISON placard on each side and each end in addition to any RADIOACTIVE placard.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A material carries a subsidiary hazard of being dangerous when wet. What placarding does the vehicle need?
Show answer
Answer B: DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards besides the required ones
A subsidiary dangerous when wet hazard requires DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards on each side and each end in addition to the placards otherwise required.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A bulk packaging with a capacity of less than 1,000 gallons carries a hazardous material. Where must the identification number be shown?
Show answer
Answer C: On two opposing sides
Bulk packagings of 1,000 gallons or more are marked on each side and each end; smaller ones need the identification number on two opposing sides.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When may a bulk packaging stop displaying the identification number after it has been emptied?
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Answer D: When it is cleaned of residue and purged of vapors
An emptied bulk packaging keeps its markings unless it has been sufficiently cleaned and purged, or refilled with something that needs different markings or none.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must be displayed on a portable tank that contains a hazardous material?
Show answer
Answer A: The shipping name on two opposing sides and the owner name
A portable tank must be marked on two opposing sides with the proper shipping name, and it must display the name of the owner or lessee.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A cargo tank carries a Class 2 gas. What must be marked on each side and each end?
Show answer
Answer B: The proper shipping name or a common name for the gas
A cargo tank transporting a Class 2 material must show the proper shipping name, or an appropriate common name such as Refrigerant Gas, on each side and each end.
Source: ecfr.gov
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The letter O appears where two hazard classes meet in the segregation table. What does that mean?
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Answer C: They may travel together only if kept from mixing on a leak
An O means the materials may not be loaded together unless they are separated so that, if packages leak, the contents would not commingle.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Two hazard classes meet at a blank space in the segregation table. What does that tell the loader?
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Answer D: No segregation restriction applies to that pair
A blank space, or the absence of a class from the table, means no segregation restriction applies to that combination.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which combination is specifically forbidden because the mixture could generate hydrogen cyanide?
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Answer A: Cyanides loaded together with acids
Cyanides, cyanide mixtures and solutions may not be stored, loaded or transported with acids if the mixture would generate hydrogen cyanide.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How must a load of Class 4 or Class 5 material be carried on a motor vehicle?
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Answer B: Inside the body or covered, with the tailgate closed
Class 4 and Class 5 lading must be contained entirely within the body and covered by the body, a tarpaulin or other suitable means, with any tailboard or tailgate closed and secured.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Storage batteries containing electrolyte are loaded with other freight. What does the regulation require?
Show answer
Answer C: Terminals protected and insulated against short circuits
Batteries must be loaded so other lading cannot fall onto them, and their terminals must be protected and insulated against short circuits.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How must packages of Class 1 explosive material be handled during loading and unloading?
Show answer
Answer D: Without metal tools, and not rolled except barrels or kegs
Bale hooks and other metal tools may not be used on explosives, packages may not be thrown or dropped, and only barrels or kegs may be rolled.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You are hauling Division 1.1 explosives. What limit applies to the combination of vehicles?
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Answer A: No more than two cargo carrying vehicles in the combination
Division 1.1 or 1.2 material may not be carried if more than two cargo carrying vehicles are in the combination, or if a full trailer in it has a wheelbase under 184 inches.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What does the regulation require of the cargo space of a vehicle carrying Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives?
Show answer
Answer B: Tight floors and a non-metallic or non-ferrous lining
These vehicles must have tight floors, and the part of the interior in contact with the load must be lined with non-metallic material or non-ferrous metal.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Two containers that are not in metal contact are about to be used to transfer a flammable liquid. In what order is the bond wire connected?
Show answer
Answer C: To the container being filled first, then to the source
The conductor is connected first to the container to be filled and only then to the container the liquid comes from, and that second connection is made well away from the discharge opening.
Source: ecfr.gov
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When is bonding or grounding not required while a cargo tank is loaded or unloaded?
Show answer
Answer D: When the connection is vapor tight and stays closed
If loading or unloading is done through a vapor tight top or bottom connection so no vapor escapes where a spark could occur, bonding or grounding is not required.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A Packing Group III poison bearing the PG III marking is offered with a load of animal feed. What does the regulation allow?
Show answer
Answer A: Carriage together if separated so leaks cannot commingle
A Packing Group III poison labelled or marked PG III may ride with foodstuffs or feed only if it is separated so that leakage could not commingle with the edible material.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What determines which category of RADIOACTIVE label goes on a package?
Show answer
Answer B: The surface radiation level and the transport index
The label category is set by the radiation level at the package surface and by the transport index, and the higher of the two determinations governs; WHITE-I is the lowest category.
Source: ecfr.gov
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How many RADIOACTIVE labels must a package carry, and where?
Show answer
Answer C: Two labels, on opposite sides of the package
Each package required to bear a RADIOACTIVE label must have two of them, affixed to opposite sides of the package.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Unless a shipment goes as exclusive use, what limits apply to a single package of radioactive material?
Show answer
Answer D: 200 millirem per hour at the surface and a transport index of 10
A package must be prepared so the radiation level does not exceed 200 millirem per hour at any point on its surface and the transport index does not exceed 10; anything higher must move as an exclusive use shipment.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A catalytic cargo heater is to be used on a vehicle carrying a flammable liquid. What must be true?
Show answer
Answer A: It shows no flame and is not lit in a loaded vehicle
A catalytic heater may be used with flammable liquid or gas only if there is no flame on the catalyst or in the heater, the surface stays below 130 degrees Fahrenheit and it is not ignited in a loaded vehicle.
Source: ecfr.gov
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During a trip you find that a tire on your placarded vehicle is overheated. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Remove it and place it a safe distance from the vehicle
An overheated tire must be removed at once and placed a safe distance from the vehicle, and the vehicle may not be driven until the cause of the overheating is corrected.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You want to park a loaded explosives vehicle on a private lot beside a restaurant. What does the regulation require?
Show answer
Answer C: Knowledge and consent of the person in charge of the lot
A vehicle with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material may be parked on private property only with the knowledge and consent of the person in charge, who must know what the vehicle contains.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Your vehicle carries hazardous materials other than explosives. What parking limit applies on a public road?
Show answer
Answer D: Not within five feet of the traveled portion of the road
A vehicle with hazardous materials other than Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 must not be parked on or within five feet of the traveled portion, except briefly when operating necessity makes it impracticable to park elsewhere.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A shorter route for your placarded load runs through a city center. What does the routing rule say about choosing it to save time?
Show answer
Answer A: Operating convenience is not a basis for that choice
A placarded vehicle must avoid heavily populated areas, crowds, tunnels, narrow streets and alleys unless there is no practicable alternative, and operating convenience does not make a route practicable.
Source: ecfr.gov
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You are carrying a highway route controlled quantity of radioactive material. Which routes may you use?
Show answer
Answer B: Preferred routes, meaning Interstates or state designated ones
A highway route controlled quantity of Class 7 material must move over preferred routes, which are Interstate System highways or routes designated by a state routing agency.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Your tank trailer is empty but was last loaded with a flammable liquid and had to be placarded. How close to it may someone smoke?
Show answer
Answer C: No closer than 25 feet, the same as when it was loaded
The 25 foot smoking rule also covers an empty tank vehicle last used for a Class 3 flammable liquid or a Division 2.1 flammable gas that required placards.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Besides having the correct rating, what must be true of the fire extinguisher on a placarded vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: It is marked with its rating and securely mounted
The extinguisher must be labelled by the manufacturer with its Underwriters Laboratories rating, allow a visual check that it is charged, and be filled, accessible and securely mounted.
Source: ecfr.gov
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A reportable hazardous materials incident has occurred. How soon must the telephone notice be given?
Show answer
Answer A: As soon as practical and no later than 12 hours
Notice must be given by telephone to the National Response Center as soon as practical but no later than 12 hours after the incident occurs.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Your 1,000 gallon cargo tank is damaged in a crash but nothing leaks out. What does the regulation require?
Show answer
Answer B: A written incident report, even with no release
A specification cargo tank of 1,000 gallons or more that suffers structural damage to the lading retention system must be reported in writing even when no hazardous material is released.
Source: ecfr.gov
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What must a state receive before it may issue or renew a hazardous materials endorsement?
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Answer C: A determination of no security threat from the TSA
A state may not issue or renew a hazardous materials endorsement unless it receives a Determination of No Security Threat from the Transportation Security Administration.
Source: ecfr.gov
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Which conviction is a permanent bar to holding a hazardous materials endorsement?
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Answer D: Improper transportation of a hazardous material
A felony conviction for improper transportation of a hazardous material under federal law, like murder or terrorism offenses, permanently disqualifies an applicant.
Source: ecfr.gov