Your FREE CDL Hazmat (H Endorsement) Practice Test 2026 – 250+ Q&A

Correct answer: Under the listed name, class and packing group, exactly as the entry itself shows

Under 49 CFR 172.101(b)(1), the plus sign fixes the proper shipping name, hazard class and packing group for the entry whether or not the material meets that class definition, so the entry is used exactly as listed. Keeping the name but swapping in a tested class or packing group is the common half-remembered version, but the plus sign locks all three. Re-describing the material under an n.o.s. entry, or dropping it as non-hazardous, is the process for entries that do NOT carry a plus sign (172.101(c)(12)).

Correct answer: Only when the amount on the vehicle is large enough to need 1.4 placards

Under 49 CFR 172.800(b), any quantity of Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 requires a security plan, but Division 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 materials require one only in a quantity that must be placarded. Division 1.4 is a Table 2 material, so a plan is triggered once the load reaches the placarding threshold. The large bulk quantity of 6,614 pounds applies to other classes, not to explosives.

Correct answer: Hazmat theory from a Registry-listed provider, scored at 80 percent or more

Under 49 CFR 383.71 and Part 380, a first-time H applicant must complete hazmat theory training from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, with an overall score of at least 80 percent on the theory assessment, before taking the knowledge test. Part 380 sets no minimum number of instruction hours, only required topics. Carrier hazmat employee training under 49 CFR 172.704 is a separate duty and does not satisfy ELDT, and the TSA assessment is not a prerequisite for the knowledge test. The knowledge test itself also takes 80 percent to pass under 49 CFR 383.135.

Correct answer: Ask the shipper to contact your office

The manual says it is good to compare the shipping paper with the markings and labels, and that if you are not familiar with the material you should ask the shipper to contact your office. The emergency response number is for emergencies, not routine checks. The ERG is a response guide, not a way to confirm a shipper's description.

Correct answer: No, because each package on its own is under 5,000 pounds

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a material is a hazardous substance only when the quantity in one package equals or exceeds its reportable quantity, and the state CDL manual likewise says RQ applies when the material is in an RQ or greater in one package. Each 500-pound drum is far below 5,000 pounds, so RQ does not apply even though the load totals 10,000 pounds. Adding the drums together borrows the 1,001-pound aggregate logic of placarding, which does not apply to RQ, and RQ is not limited to bulk packaging, since the test is any single package at or above the RQ.

Correct answer: Within 90 days after the carrier begins using the changed plan version

Under 49 CFR 172.704(c)(2), in-depth security training is repeated at least every three years, but if the security plan is revised during that cycle, the employee must be trained within 90 days of implementation of the revised plan. Waiting for the normal three-year recurrent training is the common mistake. The annual review in 172.802(c) applies to the plan itself, not to retraining.

Correct answer: Renewal at least every 5 years, so TSA can screen you again each time

Under 49 CFR 383.141(d), each state must require H endorsements to be renewed every 5 years or less so the driver goes through the TSA security threat assessment at least every 5 years, even if the CDL itself runs longer. A one-time TSA clearance does not carry the H for the full 8-year CDL. The 3-year cycle belongs to hazmat employee training under 49 CFR 172.704, and the 2-year limit belongs to the medical examiner's certificate, not the endorsement.

Correct answer: From when loading of the material begins until it is unloaded at destination

Section 177.800 says all hazmat shipments must be transported without unnecessary delay from and including the time loading begins until final unloading at destination. The duty covers time at the docks too, not only time on the road or between signatures.

Correct answer: It may go by highway, because columns 9 and 10 do not apply to highway transport

A material is forbidden in transportation only when column 3 of the Hazardous Materials Table reads Forbidden, and for this entry column 3 shows Division 6.1. Columns 9A and 9B set quantity limits for passenger aircraft or rail and for cargo aircraft only, and the state CDL manual notes that columns 9 and 10 do not apply to highway transportation. So the Forbidden entries in column 9 do not bar this trip by truck, and the cargo in column 9B means cargo aircraft, not cargo trucks.

Correct answer: One small cylinder of a Division 2.3 gas that is poisonous via inhalation

Section 172.800 requires a security plan for any quantity of a material poisonous by inhalation, so even one small cylinder qualifies. A large bulk Class 8 load triggers a plan only in Packing Group I, a large bulk Division 2.2 gas only when it has a Division 5.1 subsidiary hazard, and a Class 3 Packing Group II liquid only in large bulk (over 792 gallons in one packaging), not in placarded drums.

Correct answer: Placarded loads of hazmat in a tanker or a van, but not doubles

Under 49 CFR 383.153, the X code stands for the combination of the tank vehicle (N) and hazardous materials (H) endorsements, so the driver may haul placarded hazmat in a tanker or in a van but still needs a separate T endorsement for doubles. X is not a code for hazmat tankers only, and it is not an H-only code that leaves out tank vehicles. It also does not cover doubles and triples, which is the T endorsement, not part of X.

Correct answer: Placarding the vehicle when it is loaded

The manual's driver duties include placarding the vehicle when loading, if required. Supplying placards, preparing shipping papers and signing their certification, and providing emergency response information are all listed as shipper duties. The driver keeps the papers and response information in the proper place but does not prepare or provide them.

Correct answer: As added description, not part of the proper shipping name

Under 49 CFR 172.101(c), proper shipping names are limited to the words in Roman type, and words in italics are not part of the proper shipping name, though they may be used in addition to it. Here the proper shipping name is simply Gasoline. Copying the italic text as part of the name is the most common mistake, and an alternate name only exists where the italic word or joins two Roman-type names, as in Carbon dioxide, solid or Dry ice.

Correct answer: More than 792 gallons

Division 2.1 material requires a security plan in a large bulk quantity, which 49 CFR 172.800(b) defines as more than 3,000 liters (792 gallons) of a liquid or gas in a single packaging such as a cargo tank. The 3,000 figure is the liter amount, not gallons, the 6,614 figure is the pound limit for solids, and 1,001 is the placarding aggregate weight in pounds, not a security plan threshold.

Correct answer: When the renewal period from the first state's check has run out

Under 49 CFR 1572.13(e), a state receiving a transferred H endorsement does not require a new threat assessment until the renewal period set by the previous state, never more than 5 years, has run out. The driver's existing TSA clearance is what lets the new state transfer the endorsement now. The 30-day figure is the deadline to apply for a CDL in a new home state, not a new background check.

Correct answer: Either entry, since a UN entry is also proper for trips inside the US

Under 49 CFR 172.101(b), a D name is proper for domestic transport and an I name is proper for international transport, and an alternate name may be chosen when only domestic transport is involved. Column 4 entries with UN numbers are appropriate for domestic as well as international shipments, so either diesel entry works for a Texas to Ohio load. The D entry is allowed in the US, but it is not the only one allowed, and an I does not outrank a D.

Correct answer: Assuring safe drivers and equipment

The manual places the H endorsement test, vehicle inspections before and during trips, and roadside checks of the endorsement and the driver's hazmat knowledge under the aim of assuring safe drivers and equipment. Officers may also look at shipping papers and placards, which is why communicating the risk is tempting, but the check described here is of the driver's qualification and knowledge, not of the hazard warnings.

Correct answer: Placarded drums of Class 8 battery acid, Packing Group II

Under 49 CFR 172.800(b), Class 8 material triggers a security plan only in a large bulk quantity (more than 3,000 liters in one packaging) of Packing Group I, so placarded drums of Packing Group II battery acid do not. A placarded quantity of Division 4.3 material, any quantity of Division 1.1 explosives, and a large bulk quantity of a Packing Group I or II Class 3 liquid such as gasoline in a 9,000-gallon cargo tank each require a plan. The old rule that every placarded load needs a plan was narrowed in 2010.

Correct answer: Yes, because any amount of a select agent counts as hazmat for a CDL

The 49 CFR 383.5 definition of hazardous materials covers loads that require placards and also any quantity of a select agent or toxin listed in 42 CFR Part 73, and a vehicle of any size hauling such material is a Group C CMV. So the courier needs a CDL with an H endorsement even though no placard is shown. The placard test alone does not settle it, and a Division 6.2 material that is not a listed select agent would not trigger the H.

Correct answer: It is a poison inhalation hazard, so extra paper and placard rules apply

Column 7 holds special provision codes, and numeric codes 1 through 6 mean the material is poisonous by inhalation (code 2 is Hazard Zone B under 49 CFR 172.102), so it gets inhalation hazard entries on the shipping paper, markings and placards. Gases in Class 2 are never assigned a packing group, so reading the 2 as packing group II is wrong. The subsidiary hazards come from column 6, not from a count in column 7.

Correct answer: Containing the hazardous material

The manual calls the rules that tell shippers how to package materials and tell drivers how to load, transport and unload them containment rules, so bracing and hook-free handling serve the aim of containing the material. The rules are applied by drivers, but the aim of assuring safe drivers and equipment refers to the H endorsement knowledge test and vehicle inspections, not to how the cargo is held in place.

Correct answer: Within 90 days after the date of hire

Under 49 CFR 172.704(a)(4), a new hazmat employee must receive security awareness training within 90 days after employment, and 172.704(c)(1) lets the employee work under direct supervision of a trained employee until training is done. The rule sets no shorter 30, 45 or 60 day deadline, so a driver who picks a shorter window is guessing at a number the regulation does not use.

Correct answer: Nothing more, since H training has no minimum hours and no driving portion

Appendix E to 49 CFR Part 380 sets the H curriculum as theory only, with no required minimum number of instruction hours as long as every topic is covered, and 380.715 requires an overall theory score of at least 80 percent. This applicant has met both, with a provider on the Registry. Behind-the-wheel training is part of the Class A, Class B, P and S curricula, not the H curriculum, and the Registry includes schools and other providers, not just carriers.

Correct answer: They apply only if the material is a hazardous substance or hazardous waste

Under 49 CFR 172.101(b)(2), an A in column 1 means the material is regulated only when offered or intended for transport by aircraft, unless it is a hazardous substance or a hazardous waste. On a truck delivery that is not headed for an air shipment, the rules reach it only in those two cases. The A does not stand for all modes, and neither package size nor crossing a state line changes the A rule.

Correct answer: In an emergency, when moving it is needed to protect life or property

The manual says to attach the required placards before you drive and allows moving an improperly placarded vehicle only in an emergency, to protect life or property. 49 CFR 177.823 likewise bars moving an unplacarded hazmat vehicle except in emergencies, and the permission it mentions is from the Department of Transportation, not from your own dispatcher. Driving to buy placards or staying within one state are not exceptions.

Correct answer: How to recognize and respond to possible security threats

Under 49 CFR 172.704(a)(4), security awareness training must give an awareness of security risks and include how to recognize and respond to possible security threats, and the state CDL manual says the same. Recognizing hazmat by labels and placards is general awareness training, protection from exposure is safety training, and company security objectives and structure belong to in-depth training, which is required only for employees of a carrier that must have a security plan.

Correct answer: Yes, if a trained hazmat employee directly supervises the work until then

Under 49 CFR 172.704(c)(1), a new hazmat employee may perform hazmat functions before training only under the direct supervision of a properly trained and knowledgeable hazmat employee, and the training must be completed within 90 days after employment. A class 6 weeks out fits inside that 90 days. Security awareness training for new employees also has a 90-day window, so finishing it first does not replace the supervision condition.

Correct answer: The technical name of the regulated ingredient, in parentheses

A G in column 1 marks a generic or n.o.s. name, and 49 CFR 172.101(b)(4) requires one or more technical names in parentheses with the basic description. A subsidiary class number in parentheses is needed only when column 6 shows a subsidiary label code, and here it shows only 3. RQ and the word Waste are added only for hazardous substances and hazardous wastes, which the G does not signal.

Correct answer: Certifying on the shipping paper that the load was prepared right

Certifying on the shipping paper that the shipment was prepared according to the rules is the shipper's duty, not the driver's. The manual's driver list includes making sure the shipper identified, marked and labeled the load, refusing leaking packages and shipments, placarding when loading if required, transporting without delay, following the special hazmat rules, and keeping shipping papers and emergency response information in the proper place.

Correct answer: At least every 12 months

Under 49 CFR 172.802(c), the security plan must be in writing, kept as long as it is in effect, and reviewed at least annually, so at least every 12 months, then revised as needed. Every 36 months matches the three-year recurrent hazmat training cycle under 172.704, and every 60 months matches the five-year limit on an H endorsement before renewal and a new TSA threat assessment, so both confuse other cycles with the plan review.

Correct answer: No CDL and no H endorsement, since this load is too small for placards

Under 49 CFR 383.5, hazardous materials for CDL purposes means a load that must be placarded or any amount of a select agent or toxin, and only then is a vehicle of any size a CMV. Class 3 is a Table 2 class, so 800 pounds is under the 1,001-pound placard threshold and this 14,000-pound truck needs no CDL. The tempting Class C with H answer applies only once the load needs placards.

Correct answer: FLAMMABLE LIQUID as the primary label, plus a POISON subsidiary hazard label

Under 49 CFR 172.101(g), the first code in column 6 is the primary hazard and the added codes are subsidiary hazards, so the drum gets a FLAMMABLE LIQUID label and a POISON subsidiary label. Putting POISON first reverses the order the column sets, and the class in column 3 confirms the primary hazard is Class 3. Column 6 lists package labels, not placards, so the 6.1 cannot be dropped.

Correct answer: The specific actions the driver must take after a security breach

Under 49 CFR 172.704(a)(5), in-depth security training covers the company's security objectives, its security structure, specific security procedures, each employee's security duties, and the specific actions each employee takes in the event of a security breach. Emergency response information is part of safety training, routing near tunnels and crowded areas is a separate routing rule in Part 397, and TSA threat assessment renewal is an endorsement requirement, not plan training.

Correct answer: No mark on any package or the trailer, and also no entry on the shipping paper

Under 49 CFR 172.203(l)(4), marine pollutants in non-bulk packagings are excepted from the shipping paper entry unless part of the trip is by vessel, and the package mark in 172.322(a) applies only to vessel transport. The manual says that for highway transport the marine pollutant list is used only for containers of 119 gallons or more, and a 55-gallon drum is non-bulk. The paper notation and the trailer marks on each side and end are real rules, but they apply to bulk packages.

Correct answer: Combustible liquid; not subject to the rules in drums this size

A liquid with a flash point above 140 degrees F and below 200 degrees F that meets no other class is a combustible liquid under 49 CFR 173.120, and 173.150(f) says the rules do not apply to a combustible liquid in non-bulk packaging, such as a 55-gallon drum, unless it is a hazardous substance, hazardous waste or marine pollutant. Combustible liquids are regulated in bulk packaging, which is why the any-packaging answer tempts. The Class 3 flammable liquid limit is a flash point of 140 degrees F or less, so 150 degrees F is not Class 3.

Correct answer: White phosphorus, dry form

Dry white phosphorus is listed in the 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table as Division 4.2, and it is the manual's own example of a spontaneously combustible material because it can ignite on contact with air. Strike-anywhere matches and wetted ammonium picrate are Division 4.1 flammable solids, and calcium carbide is Division 4.3 because it gives off flammable gas when wet.

Correct answer: 12 months (one year) after the date the carrier accepted the shipment

49 CFR 177.817(f) requires a carrier to keep a copy of the shipping paper, or an electronic image, for one year after the date the carrier accepted the shipment of a material that is not a hazardous waste, with the date of acceptance on the copy. Twenty-four months (two years) is the shipper's retention period under 49 CFR 172.201(e), which half-remembering readers carry over to the carrier. Thirty-six months (three years) applies only to hazardous waste.

Correct answer: UN1090, Waste Acetone, 3, PG II, RQ

Under 49 CFR 172.101(c)(9), the word 'Waste' must come right before the proper shipping name, giving 'Waste Acetone' inside the basic description. Under 172.203(c)(2), the letters 'RQ' may be entered either before or after the basic description, so RQ at the end is correct. Placing 'Waste' ahead of the identification number or after the name ('Acetone Waste') puts it outside its required spot, even when RQ is in the familiar leading spot.

Correct answer: No, because the information must be usable away from the package

Under 49 CFR 172.602(b), emergency response information must be available for use away from the package containing the hazardous material, because responders may not be able to approach a leaking drum. It may be on the shipping paper, in a separate document such as an SDS, or in a guidance book like the ERG cross-referenced to the shipping paper, so it does not have to be on the shipping paper itself. Having all seven topics in English does not fix the location problem.

Correct answer: Zone C, because inhalation-hazard liquids are assigned only to Zone A or B

Under 49 CFR 172.203(m), a material poisonous by inhalation shows 'Poison-Inhalation Hazard' or 'Toxic-Inhalation Hazard' immediately after the shipping description, with Zone A, B, C or D for gases but only Zone A or Zone B for liquids. Toxic is an approved alternative to Poison, so that wording is not the error. Division 6.1 liquids can be poisonous by inhalation, which is why the rule lists zones for liquids at all, and the words belong after the description, not before the ID number.

Correct answer: Division 2.2, non-flammable gas

The Hazardous Materials Table lists Oxygen, compressed, UN1072, in Division 2.2, non-flammable gas, with Division 5.1 shown only as a subsidiary hazard label. The oxidizing property is why many drivers pick Division 5.1, but for a compressed gas the gas division is the primary class, and the vehicle can show the special 2.2 OXYGEN placard. Oxygen is not a flammable gas under 173.115, because it does not ignite in air; it feeds the fire.

Correct answer: Anthrax cultures, Division 6.2

Under 49 CFR 172.101(f), Class 2, Class 7 and Division 6.2 materials do not have packing groups, so an infectious substance such as anthrax cultures (UN2814) is described without one. Potassium cyanide, a Division 6.1 poison, is Packing Group I, and acid battery fluid in Class 8 is Packing Group II. Liquid PCBs are Class 9 but are still assigned Packing Group II, so 'miscellaneous' does not mean 'no packing group'.

Correct answer: March 2, 2029, three years later

Under 49 CFR 172.201(e), the person who provides a shipping paper for a hazardous waste must keep a copy for three years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier, so March 2, 2029. March 2, 2028 is the two-year period that applies to other hazardous materials, and March 2, 2027 is the one-year period a carrier keeps for non-waste shipments under 49 CFR 177.817(f).

Correct answer: A contracted provider's line, answered live at all hours, having current data on file

Section 172.604 lets the number belong to an outside organization that accepts responsibility for the information, as long as it is monitored at all times the material is in transportation and answered by someone knowledgeable or with immediate access to such a person. A number that requires a call back, such as an answering service or pager, does not qualify even if the expert calls quickly. A live line with no knowledge of the material also fails, and business-hours coverage is not continuous.

Correct answer: Immediately in front of the proper shipping name

Under 49 CFR 172.203(n), when an elevated temperature material's proper shipping name does not already disclose that fact, the word HOT must immediately precede the proper shipping name on the shipping paper. Immediately after the description is where the Poison-Inhalation Hazard and zone words go (172.203(m)), and before or after the basic description is the rule for the letters RQ. Placing HOT after the name reverses the rule, which puts it in front of the name.

Correct answer: A minor explosion hazard, with its effects largely confined to the package

Under 49 CFR 173.50, Division 1.4 explosives present a minor explosion hazard whose effects are largely confined to the package, with no projection of fragments of appreciable size or range. A fire hazard with only a minor blast or projection hazard is Division 1.3, a projection hazard without mass explosion is Division 1.2, and a very insensitive explosive that can still mass-explode is Division 1.5.

Correct answer: The maximum amount for which a specific labeling or packaging exception exists

Under 49 CFR 171.8 and the manual's glossary, a limited quantity is the maximum amount of a hazardous material for which there is a specific labeling or packaging exception. Hauling without placards is governed by placard Tables 1 and 2 and the 1,001-pound rule, not by the limited quantity definition. An RQ is a reportable quantity of a hazardous substance, and materials of trade is a separate exception in 49 CFR 173.6 for small amounts carried in the course of a business.

Correct answer: Cartons of consumer aerosols packed and marked as limited quantity

Under 49 CFR 172.200(b)(3), a limited quantity package is excepted from the shipping paper rules for highway transport unless the material is a hazardous substance, hazardous waste or marine pollutant, so cartons of consumer aerosols packed and marked as a limited quantity may move without one. Gasoline hauled by private carriage or in a carrier-supplied cargo tank still needs a shipping paper; 49 CFR 177.817(b) only waives the shipper's certification in those cases. A gas load below the 1,001-pound placard threshold still needs a shipping paper, and hazardous waste always needs a manifest.

Correct answer: Long-term health effects after repeated exposures

Section 172.602 requires the basic description and technical name, immediate hazards to health, risks of fire or explosion, immediate precautions, immediate methods for handling fires, initial methods for handling spills or leaks in the absence of fire, and preliminary first aid. The health item is limited to immediate hazards, so long-term effects of repeated exposure are not a required topic. First aid and spill handling without fire both sound like extras but are on the list.

Correct answer: Sign and date it by hand at pickup, and then carry it as your shipping paper

Under 49 CFR 172.205(c), the original manifest must be dated and hand-signed by the initial carrier accepting the waste, and the manual tells drivers to treat the manifest as the shipping paper during the trip. The generator's signature covers only the generator, and the treatment facility signs its own copy when it receives the waste; the carrier signs at acceptance, not at delivery. A separate hand-signed bill of lading is not needed because the manifest serves as the shipping paper (172.205(h)).

Correct answer: Division 1.1

Dynamite is Division 1.1, mass explosion hazard: the state CDL manual gives dynamite as its Division 1.1 example, and the Hazardous Materials Table sends "Dynamite" to Explosive, blasting, type A, UN0081, 1.1D. Division 1.5 covers very insensitive explosives such as blasting agents, so the quarry use does not move dynamite there. Division 1.2 is the projection hazard and Division 1.3 the mass fire hazard, with display fireworks as the manual's 1.3 example.

Correct answer: Li-ion batteries, UN3480

Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries, UN3480, are listed as Class 9 in the 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table. Wet batteries filled with acid (UN2794) or with alkali (UN2795) are Class 8 corrosives because of the liquid electrolyte, and batteries containing sodium (UN3292) are Division 4.3 dangerous when wet.

Correct answer: Tab it distinctively, or keep it first, on top of the stack it is in

Tab it distinctively, or keep it first, on top of the stack it is in. Under 49 CFR 177.817(e)(1), when the hazmat shipping paper is carried with other papers it must be distinctively tabbed or appear first, and the manual says to tab it or keep it on top. An X or RQ in the HM column and contrasting color are real rules, but they set hazmat entries apart from non-hazmat entries on one shipping paper, not the paper from a stack. The emergency response information must be kept with the paper, but putting it first in the stack means the shipping paper itself is no longer first.

Correct answer: Wait for the shipper to sign the certification before you accept the 20 drums

Wait for the shipper to sign the certification before you accept the 20 drums: under 49 CFR 177.817 an initial carrier may not accept hazmat without a shipping paper that includes the shipper's certification, and 172.204 makes certifying the offeror's duty, so the driver cannot sign it. The cargo-tank rule is an exception, not the only case: no certification is needed for a cargo tank supplied by the carrier. Hazardous waste always needs one, but so does an ordinary drum shipment like this.

Correct answer: Only after the shipper prepares and signs a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest as well

Under 49 CFR 172.205(a), no person may offer, transport, transfer or deliver a hazardous waste unless a hazardous waste manifest has been prepared and signed, and the manual says you must sign and carry a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest when hauling hazardous waste. Adding Waste before the name or an EPA number to an ordinary bill of lading does not turn it into a manifest. The manifest is prepared by the shipper (generator) before the trip, not completed by the facility at the end of it.

Correct answer: The Zone A gas is more toxic, as A marks the lowest deadly levels in air

The Zone A gas is more toxic, as A marks the lowest deadly levels in air: under 49 CFR 173.116, Zone A covers gases with an LC50 of 200 ppm or less and the zones step down in toxicity to Zone D, which runs up to 5,000 ppm. Drivers who read the letters as a rising scale pick Zone D. The zones are assigned by inhalation toxicity alone; evacuation distances come from the ERG and cylinder strength from the packaging rules.

Correct answer: Class 3, because it is carried hot above its flash point

Under 49 CFR 173.120(a), Class 3 includes a liquid with a flash point at or above 100 degrees F that is intentionally heated and transported in bulk at or above its flash point, and 173.120(b)(2) bars reclassing such a heated material as combustible. A 180 F flash point would make it a combustible liquid if it were shipped cool, which is why both combustible answers tempt. Class 9 applies to an elevated temperature material only when it does not meet another class, and this one meets Class 3.

Correct answer: A liquid with a flash point of 450 degrees F, at 220 F

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a material in bulk is an elevated temperature material if it is a liquid at or above 212 degrees F, a liquid with a flash point of at least 100 degrees F heated to or above its flash point, or a solid at or above 464 degrees F. The 450-degree flash point liquid at 220 F passes the 212 F test. The 95 F liquid is above its flash point but its flash point is below 100 F, the 205 F liquid fails both liquid tests, and the 450 F solid is below 464 F.

Correct answer: Toxic liquids, organic, n.o.s., UN2810

Toxic liquids, organic, n.o.s., UN2810 is a G entry, so 49 CFR 172.203(k) requires the technical name of the toxic constituent in parentheses with the basic description. Cyanides, alkylphenols and chlorosilanes are n.o.s. names too, but each already names the chemical group responsible for the hazard, so the table gives them no G and no technical name is required.

Correct answer: Gasoline loaded in a cargo tank that your carrier supplied

Under 49 CFR 172.204(b) and 177.817(b), no shipper's certification is needed for a bulk shipment in a cargo tank supplied by the carrier, so the gasoline in your carrier's cargo tank may go without one. The exception does not cover hazardous waste, so waste toluene still needs a certification even in a carrier-supplied cargo tank. Drums and cylinders are not cargo tank shipments, so supplying the van or flatbed does not excuse the certification.

Correct answer: 212 degrees F

Under the 49 CFR 171.8 definition, a liquid in bulk packaging is an elevated temperature material at or above 212 degrees F (100 degrees C); a liquid can also qualify when its flash point is at or above 100 degrees F and it is intentionally heated to or above that flash point, which cannot happen here below 500 degrees F. The 464 degrees F (240 degrees C) figure is the threshold for solids, and 140 degrees F is the Class 3 flash point cutoff, not a transport temperature.

Correct answer: Three years after the initial carrier accepted it

For hazardous waste, 49 CFR 177.817(f) requires the copy to be kept for three years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier, so the clock started when the first carrier picked it up, not when your carrier took over. The one-year period applies to other hazardous materials and runs from your own acceptance.

Correct answer: Division 2.2, non-flammable compressed gas

The Hazardous Materials Table in 49 CFR 172.101 has a domestic-only entry for anhydrous ammonia, UN1005, that assigns it Division 2.2 with a 2.2 label, and its special provision requires the words Inhalation Hazard on the shipping paper and packages. Division 2.3 is the class in the international-only entry, which is why many drivers expect it on a domestic load. Ammonia is also corrosive and can burn, but Class 8 appears only as a subsidiary label on the international entry, and Division 2.1 is not assigned in either entry.

Correct answer: On two opposing sides of the tank

Under 49 CFR 172.325, a bulk packaging of an elevated temperature material must be marked HOT on two opposing sides, either on the tank or on a white square-on-point the size of a placard; HOT may also share the white square-on-point that displays the ID number. Each side and each end is the pattern for placards, not this mark, and placards do not replace it. Molten aluminum and molten sulfur are marked with those names instead of HOT.

Correct answer: Yes, because RQ in the HM column may take the place of the X

Yes, because RQ in the HM column may take the place of the X. Section 172.201(a)(1) offers three separate options (entered first, contrasting color, or an X in an HM column), and paragraph (iii) says the X may be replaced by RQ when appropriate. No method has to be combined with another, and an RQ material is not exempt; it simply uses RQ as its HM-column mark.

Correct answer: Yes, the guidebook on board can serve as the required document

Under 49 CFR 172.602(b), emergency response information may be in a separate guidance document that ties to the shipping paper description, and Section 9 of the CDL manual names the ERG as an example that carriers may keep on each vehicle. The 24-hour number is a separate requirement under 172.604 and does not replace the written information. A safety data sheet is one acceptable form, not the only one, so an ERG can stand in for the shipper's own sheet, and the ERG is found by the ID number already in the basic description.

Correct answer: Division 5.2, no matter what other class it meets

49 CFR 173.2a(c)(2) takes organic peroxides out of the general ranking: a Division 5.2 material that meets the definition of any other class or division is classed as Division 5.2. The precedence of hazard table that sorts Class 3 against other hazards does not include Division 5.2 at all, and a material that meets the organic peroxide definition is excluded from the Division 4.1 self-reactive definition.

Correct answer: An A material in Table column 1 that is a hazardous waste

Under 49 CFR 172.200(b), a material marked A or W in column 1 of the Hazardous Materials Table, a limited quantity package going by highway, and a Category B infectious substance packed under 173.199 are excepted from the shipping paper rules. That exception never covers a hazardous substance, hazardous waste or marine pollutant, so an A material that is a hazardous waste still needs a shipping paper by highway. An ordinary W material is regulated only when it goes by water, so a highway load of it needs no shipping paper.

Correct answer: Flammable liquid, since Class 3 includes a 140 F flash point

Under 49 CFR 173.120(a), a flammable liquid is one with a flash point of not more than 60 degrees C (140 degrees F), so exactly 140 F is still Class 3. A combustible liquid needs a flash point above 140 F and below 200 F, so the combustible range starts just above 140 F, not at it. The 100 F figure is where a shipper may choose to reclass a flammable liquid as combustible, not where the definition begins, and Class 3 does not end below 140 F.

Correct answer: No, because no single package holds 100 pounds or more

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a material is a hazardous substance only when the quantity in one package equals or exceeds its reportable quantity, and the Section 9 manual says RQ is shown when the material is carried in an RQ or greater in one package. Each drum holds 60 pounds, below the 100-pound RQ, so no RQ entry is required. Adding the drums together, as the 1,001-pound placard rule does, is the tempting mistake.

Correct answer: When it is set apart and clearly labeled, such as EMERGENCY CONTACT

It is allowed when the number applies to every material and is shown once in a prominent, clearly visible way, set apart by highlighting, larger or colored type, and labeled as the emergency response number, for example EMERGENCY CONTACT. Simply putting it at the top or beside the certification does not meet that standard, and nothing ties the shipping paper rule to numbers on the drums.

Correct answer: Yes, because the drums are then transferred to another carrier

Yes, because the drums are then transferred to another carrier: 49 CFR 172.204(b)(1)(ii) excepts a shipper hauling as a private carrier, but not when the material is to be reshipped or transferred from one carrier to another. The private carrier exception alone does not apply here, and a carrier never signs the shipper's certification for the shipper. Non-bulk drums hauled entirely by private carriage would be excepted, so packaging type is not the reason.

Correct answer: Class 7, the first hazard in the ranking list

49 CFR 173.2a(a) classes a material that meets more than one definition by the highest hazard on its list, and Class 7 radioactive material (other than limited quantities) is first, above even poison gases. The precedence of hazard table is used only to choose among Classes 3 and 8 and Divisions 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 6.1, so it never comes into play once Class 7 applies.

Correct answer: You may haul it, as the certification is not required of a later carrier

Under 49 CFR 177.817(a), a subsequent carrier may transport hazmat only with a shipping paper prepared under Part 172, but the shipper's certification in 172.204 is expressly not required for that later carrier. The initial carrier is the one that may not accept a shipment without the certification. The certification is required on non-waste shipments too, so the hazardous waste reason is wrong even though it reaches the right result.

Correct answer: Hazard Zone D

Under 49 CFR 173.116, Zone D covers Division 2.3 gases with an LC50 above 3,000 ppm and up to 5,000 ppm, so 4,500 ppm is Zone D. Zone A is the lowest LC50 band, 200 ppm or less, so it holds the most toxic gases rather than the highest number. Zone B runs above 200 to 1,000 ppm and Zone C above 1,000 to 3,000 ppm.

Correct answer: Yes, because RQ may stand in place of the X there

When a shipping paper lists both hazardous and non-hazardous items, the hazmat entries must be listed first, printed in a contrasting color, or marked with an X in a column headed HM (49 CFR 172.201(a)(1)). Any one method is enough, and the letters RQ may be used in place of the X when the material is a reportable quantity. Listing first and contrasting color are alternatives, not added requirements.

Correct answer: The 8 drums must not split up the basic description

The 8 drums must not split up the basic description: the ID number, shipping name, class and packing group must appear in sequence with nothing in between, and the package count goes before or after them. The letters PG are optional and allowed, the words Class or Division may be added but are not required, and quantity and package type can come in either order.

Correct answer: Initial methods for handling a spill or leak with no fire

49 CFR 172.602(a) lists seven minimum items, and the one missing from this sheet is initial methods for handling a spill or leak with no fire. The rule asks only for preliminary first aid, not hospital treatment or antidotes. Final cleanup and disposal and physical property data such as flash point and fire point may appear on a safety data sheet, but they are not among the required items.

Correct answer: Division 4.1, flammable solid

Under 49 CFR 173.124(a)(1), an explosive wetted with water, alcohol or plasticizer to suppress its explosive properties and authorized by name in the Hazardous Materials Table is a desensitized explosive in Division 4.1, flammable solid; the CDL manual lists ammonium picrate, wetted as its Division 4.1 example. It stays out of Class 1 because wetting has suppressed the explosive hazard, and Division 4.3 is for materials that become dangerous on contact with water, which is the opposite of what the water does here.

Correct answer: The date the shipment was accepted for transport

Under 49 CFR 177.817(f), each retained shipping paper copy must include the date the carrier accepted the shipment, because the retention period counts from that date. The delivery date is the tempting wrong answer, but the rule ties the record to acceptance. Writing the placard type on the paper is a separate rule that applies only when a motor carrier hands a trailer or container to a railroad.

Correct answer: Not hazardous material, since its flash point is too high

A combustible liquid under 49 CFR 173.120(b) has a flash point above 140 degrees F and below 200 degrees F, so an unheated oil with a 210 F flash point and no other hazard falls outside both Class 3 and the combustible range. That is why it is not hazardous material at all. The combustible range ends below 200 F, not at 212 F, and the bulk rules for combustible liquids reach only liquids that are combustible in the first place, so bulk oil is not regulated at any flash point.

Correct answer: Toxic-Inhalation Hazard, Zone A, after the description

Under 49 CFR 172.203(m), the words Poison-Inhalation Hazard or Toxic-Inhalation Hazard and the zone must follow the shipping description for any material that is poisonous by inhalation, whatever its hazard class. Bromine's primary class is 8, but the entry is not limited to Divisions 2.3 and 6.1. The (6.1) subsidiary class is a number, not the words required, and the 1,001-pound figure is a placard rule that has nothing to do with shipping paper entries.

Correct answer: A notation of the total pages, such as Page 1 of 4

A multi-page shipping paper is allowed only if each page is numbered in sequence and the first page carries a notation of the total number of pages, for example Page 1 of 4. Nothing requires the first page to point to or repeat the hazmat entry, and the emergency number is placed with the description or once on the paper as 49 CFR 172.604 allows.

Correct answer: That the drums are braced so they cannot shift in the trailer

The 49 CFR 172.204(a)(1) wording certifies that the materials are properly classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled, and are in proper condition for transportation. It says nothing about bracing the drums so they cannot shift in the trailer, which is a loading duty under 49 CFR 177.834. Labels, proper condition and correct classification are all named in the certification text.

Correct answer: Division 5.1, oxidizing material

The Hazardous Materials Table lists UN2014 hydrogen peroxide solution in Division 5.1, oxidizer, with labels 5.1 and 8, so corrosive is only its subsidiary hazard. Division 5.2 covers organic peroxides, compounds with the -O-O- structure in an organic molecule, and plain hydrogen peroxide in water is not organic despite the word peroxide in its name.

Correct answer: Yes, a scanned copy the main office can pull up counts as a copy

49 CFR 177.817(f) lets the carrier keep a copy or an electronic image, as long as it is accessible at or through its principal place of business and can be shown to officials on request. Electronic images are allowed for hazardous waste papers too; waste only changes the retention period to three years. Nothing requires the original paper or storage at the accepting terminal.

Correct answer: Division 1.5 has a mass explosion hazard, and 1.6 does not have one

Under 49 CFR 173.50(b)(5) and (b)(6), Division 1.5 is very insensitive explosives that still have a mass explosion hazard, while Division 1.6 is extremely insensitive articles that do not have a mass explosion hazard. Saying both have a mass explosion hazard is wrong because of 1.6, and saying neither does is wrong because of 1.5. The substance-and-article split is also reversed in the other choice, since 1.5 is made of substances and 1.6 of articles.

Correct answer: The total amount, such as 660 gal, with its unit

The total amount, such as 660 gal, with its unit is required: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(5) calls for the total quantity by mass or volume with the unit of measure, besides the number and type of packages. The packaging specification code may be added but is optional, and the word Class and the letters PG are both allowed but never required.

Correct answer: You may rely on the shipper's word that the packaging is proper

Section 9 of the CDL manual says that unless a package is clearly unsafe or does not comply with the rules, you may rely on the shipper's word that the packaging is proper. The certification under 49 CFR 172.204 is the shipper's promise that the material is properly packaged. Drivers are not required to open packages, obtain test reports or get a separate carrier inspection when nothing looks wrong.

Correct answer: Division 4.2, spontaneously combustible

A material that ignites within five minutes of contact with air without any outside ignition source is a pyrophoric material, which 49 CFR 173.124(b) places in Division 4.2, spontaneously combustible. Self-reactive materials in Division 4.1 decompose from heat without needing air at all, and Division 4.3 materials give off flammable or toxic gas on contact with water, not air.

Correct answer: No, it must also be in reach while you are belted

At the controls the paper must meet two tests at once: within your immediate reach while you are restrained by the belt, and either readily visible to a person entering the cab or in the driver's door holder. This paper passes the visibility test but fails the reach test. The door holder is only one of the two allowed ways to meet the visibility part, so it is not required when the paper is in view and in reach.

Correct answer: CORROSIVE and FLAMMABLE placards

The portable tank holds more than 119 gallons, so it is bulk packaging and is never covered by the 1,001-pound exception, and its weight puts the vehicle well over 1,001 pounds of Table 2 material, so the flammable drums need placards too. Under 172.504(b) the DANGEROUS option applies only to non-bulk packages of two or more categories, and here the non-bulk freight is a single class, so DANGEROUS cannot replace FLAMMABLE. Leaving off FLAMMABLE because the drums alone weigh under 1,001 pounds misapplies the aggregate rule, which counts the whole vehicle.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS placards are allowed, since no single stop loaded 2,205 pounds of one class

Under 49 CFR 172.504(b), DANGEROUS placards stop being an option for a category only when 2,205 pounds (1,000 kg) or more of that category is loaded at one loading facility. Here the corrosive was split 1,500 and 1,200 pounds between two warehouses, so neither stop reached 2,205 pounds and DANGEROUS placards are allowed. Adding the corrosive across both stops to 2,700 pounds, or treating the whole 3,600-pound load as over the limit, misreads the one-facility condition. FLAMMABLE placards are not required because DANGEROUS may be used in their place.

Correct answer: It is not required, because the label already states those words

49 CFR 172.313(a) requires the "Inhalation Hazard" marking near the labels and shipping name, but says the marking is not required on a package when the words "Inhalation Hazard" already appear on the label, as they do on the POISON INHALATION HAZARD label in 172.429. The marking rule covers non-bulk packages too, so the drum being non-bulk is the wrong reason. The two-opposing-sides placement applies to bulk packagings.

Correct answer: 800 pounds

Only 420 + 380 = 800 pounds counts, so this van needs no placards. Under 49 CFR 172.500, the placarding rules do not apply to infectious substances or to combustible liquids in non-bulk packaging, so neither belongs in the Table 2 total. Adding the combustible liquid drums to reach 1,100 pounds is the common mistake, because COMBUSTIBLE appears in Table 2 but is placarded only in bulk.

Correct answer: Type B, solid, temperature controlled

Placard Table 1 in 49 CFR 172.504(e) covers Division 5.2 only when it is an organic peroxide Type B, liquid or solid, temperature controlled, so 25 lb of that material needs ORGANIC PEROXIDE placards. Every other organic peroxide is in Table 2 and needs placards only at 1,001 lb or more of Table 2 material. Both conditions must be met: a Type B that is not temperature controlled, or a temperature-controlled Type D, stays in Table 2.

Correct answer: Both trailer sides, the trailer rear, and the tractor or trailer front

Under 49 CFR 172.504(a) a placarded vehicle needs a placard on each side and each end, and 172.516(b) lets the front placard go on the front of the tractor instead of, or in addition to, the front of the cargo body. The coupling rule in 172.516(a) only excuses a placard from being visible toward the vehicle it is coupled to; it does not drop the front placard. The rear is an end of the vehicle, so rear doors are not exempt, and the tractor's rear faces the trailer, so it needs no placard of its own.

Correct answer: RADIOACTIVE placards, with no others

Radioactive Yellow-III is a Table 1 material, so it needs RADIOACTIVE placards in any amount. The 1,001-pound aggregate counts only Table 2 materials, and the flammable and corrosive packages total 980 pounds, so they need no placards. Adding the 30-pound radioactive package to reach 1,010 pounds is the mistake behind the DANGEROUS and three-placard choices, and a DANGEROUS placard can never stand in for a Table 1 placard.

Correct answer: FLAMMABLE GAS placards, but with the NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placards left off

Because 2,400 pounds of propane was loaded at one facility, 49 CFR 172.504(b) requires the FLAMMABLE GAS placard rather than DANGEROUS. Under 172.504(f)(3), a NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placard is not required on a vehicle that also carries flammable gas and displays FLAMMABLE GAS placards, so FLAMMABLE GAS placards with the NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placards left off is the least that satisfies the rules. Adding NON-FLAMMABLE GAS or DANGEROUS placards for the nitrogen is not required, and DANGEROUS alone fails the 2,205-pound one-facility rule.

Correct answer: The black-and-white limited quantity diamond graphic

The limited quantity mark is a square-on-point marking prescribed in 49 CFR 172.315, part of the marking rules, even though it is diamond-shaped like a label. The Class 9 label (172.446), the CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY label (172.448) and the POISON label modified to read PG III (172.405(c)) are all labels in the labeling subpart. Shape alone does not tell a label from a marking; a rectangle can be a label and a diamond can be a marking.

Correct answer: CORROSIVE placards are needed, since that IBC counts as bulk

CORROSIVE placards are needed because 49 CFR 172.504(c) excludes bulk packagings from the less-than-1,001-pound exception, so a bulk packaging of a Table 2 material is placarded in any amount. A 275-gallon IBC is bulk because of its capacity, not how full it is. The placards are not optional, because the under-1,001-pound exception, and the permission to display placards it leaves behind, never covers a bulk packaging.

Correct answer: POISON GAS placards, no others

Division 2.3 is a Placard Table 1 material, so the 100 lb cylinder requires POISON GAS placards at any quantity under 49 CFR 172.504(e). The 1,001 lb threshold counts only Table 2 materials (172.504(c)), so the 950 lb of Division 2.2 stays below it and no NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placard is required, even though the two gases total 1,050 lb. A DANGEROUS placard can replace only Table 2 placards, never POISON GAS.

Correct answer: Remove or cover them, since no corrosive materials are left on the trailer

Under 49 CFR 172.502(a), no one may display a placard unless the vehicle is carrying a hazardous material that the placard represents, so once the drums are gone the placards must come off or be covered. Optional placarding under 172.502(c) is allowed only while that hazardous material is actually on board. The stay-placarded-until-cleaned rule in 172.514(b) is for emptied bulk packagings, not a van that carried drums.

Correct answer: EXPLOSIVES 1.3 placards only

Under 172.504(f)(1), when a vehicle needs more than one Class 1 division placard, only the placard for the lowest division number is displayed, which here is EXPLOSIVES 1.3. Division 1.3 is a Table 1 material placarded in any amount, so its lighter weight does not matter. Showing both explosives placards is what the exception removes, and DANGEROUS is meant for loads with two or more Table 2 categories, not a single 1.4 shipment beside a Table 1 explosive.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards, with DANGEROUS placards for the other two

Division 4.3 is a Table 1 material, so it needs DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards in any amount, and the DANGEROUS placard in 49 CFR 172.504(b) can stand in only for Table 2 materials. The corrosive and flammable liquid are Table 2 and total 1,100 pounds, so they need placards, and because they are two Table 2 classes DANGEROUS may cover them. DANGEROUS alone fails because it cannot replace a Table 1 placard, DANGEROUS WHEN WET alone leaves the 1,100 pounds of Table 2 material unplacarded, and dropping the 4.3 placard ignores the any-quantity rule.

Correct answer: The limited quantity mark and no FLAMMABLE LIQUID label

Under 49 CFR 173.150(b), limited quantities of Class 3 liquids are excepted from labeling unless shipped by aircraft, and 172.315(a) requires the limited quantity square-on-point mark on packages moving by other modes. A package displaying that mark is not subject to the proper shipping name and ID number marking of 172.301 unless it also holds a hazardous substance or hazardous waste. So the mark replaces the label here; the FLAMMABLE LIQUID label is only needed if the carton goes by air.

Correct answer: Placards are needed, because the two classes add up to 1,001 pounds

Placards are needed because 49 CFR 172.504(c) excuses only a load with LESS than 1,001 pounds aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials, and 640 + 361 is exactly 1,001 pounds. The weights of different Table 2 classes are added together, so neither class reaching the threshold alone does not matter. Division 2.2 is a Table 2 material, not one placarded in any amount.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards, but no FLAMMABLE SOLID

Division 4.3 is in Placard Table 1, so even 5 lb requires DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards under 49 CFR 172.504(e). Division 4.1 is in Table 2, and only 800 lb of Table 2 material is aboard, so no FLAMMABLE SOLID placard is required. The DANGEROUS placard can stand in only for Table 2 materials, never for a Table 1 placard, and the 1,001 lb exception does not apply to Table 1 materials at all.

Correct answer: No placards, since the total remains below the placard limit

Class 8 and non-inhalation Division 6.1 are both Table 2 materials, and 172.504(c) excuses placards when a vehicle has less than 1,001 pounds aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials. Here 990 plus 10 equals 1,000 pounds, one pound short, so no placards are required. Only poisons that are inhalation hazards are in Table 1, so the small poison box does not trigger a placard by itself.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS placards, since the Table 2 materials total 1,020 pounds

Table 2 weights are added together, so 540 plus 480 pounds is 1,020 pounds and the van must be placarded; with two Table 2 classes that need different placards, 49 CFR 172.504(b) lets DANGEROUS placards replace the separate FLAMMABLE and CORROSIVE placards. The 1,001-pound threshold applies to the aggregate of all Table 2 materials, not to each class alone, so no placards is wrong. Placarding only the heavier class or only the corrosive leaves one hazard unplacarded, and there is no rule that one Table 2 class outranks another.

Correct answer: The van with a Division 5.1 oxidizer in 5-gallon pails

The Division 5.1 oxidizer in 5-gallon pails needs OXIDIZER placards, since it is a Table 2 material at 1,001 pounds or more. Under 49 CFR 172.500 the placarding rules do not apply to infectious substances or to combustible liquids in non-bulk packaging, and a 55-gallon drum is non-bulk. Class 9 is listed in Table 2, but 49 CFR 172.504(f)(9) says a CLASS 9 placard is not required for domestic transportation.

Correct answer: EXPLOSIVES 1.1 placards, no others

Under 49 CFR 172.504(f)(4), OXIDIZER placards are not required for Division 5.1 materials on a vehicle that also carries Division 1.1 or 1.2 materials and is placarded EXPLOSIVES 1.1 or 1.2. The 1,500 pounds of oxidizer would otherwise need a placard, which is why adding OXIDIZER is the tempting answer. DANGEROUS can never replace an EXPLOSIVES 1.1 placard, because 1.1 is a Table 1 material.

Correct answer: Shipping name, ID number and RQ, but no CORROSIVE label

Under 49 CFR 172.315(a), a limited quantity package is freed from the shipping name and ID number marking only if it does not contain a hazardous substance or hazardous waste, and 172.324(c) requires the RQ marking on limited quantity packages too. The CORROSIVE label is still not needed, because 173.154(b) excepts Class 8 limited quantities in Packing Groups II and III from labeling except by air.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS placards by themselves

Two Table 2 categories totaling 3,000 pounds may be covered by DANGEROUS placards under 49 CFR 172.504(b), as long as no one category reaches 2,205 pounds at one loading facility. The flammable liquid is 2,200 pounds, just under that limit, so DANGEROUS alone is enough. Dropping the NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placard is allowed only when FLAMMABLE GAS or OXYGEN placards are shown, not FLAMMABLE placards for a liquid.

Correct answer: FLAMMABLE placards, with none needed for the empty drums

Under 49 CFR 172.514(b), a bulk packaging such as a 400-gallon portable tank stays subject to placarding when emptied until it is cleaned and purged, and the 1,001-pound exception never applies to bulk packagings, so the vehicle needs FLAMMABLE placards. Under 49 CFR 172.504(d)(1), non-bulk packagings holding only the residue of a Table 2 material are not counted when deciding placards, so the empty drums add no CORROSIVE requirement however much they weigh. Residue in the tank still counts, so the load is not placard-free.

Correct answer: On an orange panel or plain white square-on-point next to each placard

Under 49 CFR 172.334(a), an identification number may not be shown on an EXPLOSIVES, RADIOACTIVE or DANGEROUS placard, so 172.336(b) requires it on an orange panel or a plain white square-on-point display placed with the required placards. The white square-on-point display is not a placard, so it cannot replace the EXPLOSIVES 1.5 placards, and a bulk package still needs the number on the vehicle, not only on the papers.

Correct answer: POISON INHALATION HAZARD placards, with no others

A Division 6.1 material poisonous by inhalation is on Placard Table 1 in 49 CFR 172.504(e), so the 15-pound can requires POISON INHALATION HAZARD placards in any amount. The 900 pounds of Packing Group III poison is a Table 2 material below the 1,001-pound threshold, so no POISON placard is required for it (and 172.504(f)(11) would excuse it domestically anyway once the inhalation placard is shown). Adding both 6.1 materials together and calling it under 1,001 pounds misses that the inhalation material is placarded at any quantity.

Correct answer: POISON GAS placards, with no other placards

Under 49 CFR 172.504(f)(8), for domestic transportation a POISON INHALATION HAZARD placard is not required on a vehicle already placarded POISON GAS, so the POISON GAS placards cover both materials. Each would normally need its own Table 1 placard, which is why adding POISON INHALATION HAZARD is tempting. A plain POISON placard is never needed here, since 172.504(f)(11) waives it when POISON GAS or POISON INHALATION HAZARD is displayed.

Correct answer: The name and address of either the consignor or the consignee

Under 49 CFR 172.301(d), a non-bulk package must be marked with the name and address of the consignor or the consignee, either one. The highway-only exception applies only when the package will not be transferred from one motor carrier to another, and this pail will be. Placard thresholds have nothing to do with package markings, and the rule never requires both parties.

Correct answer: EXPLOSIVES 1.5 placards, with no others

Because 2,400 pounds of Division 1.5 was loaded at one facility, 49 CFR 172.504(b) requires the specific EXPLOSIVES 1.5 placard instead of DANGEROUS. Under 172.504(f)(5), a transport vehicle placarded EXPLOSIVES 1.5 does not also need OXIDIZER placards for Division 5.1 material. Adding OXIDIZER placards is allowed but is more than the rules require.

Correct answer: 1,050 pounds

Only Table 2 materials go into the 1,001-pound aggregate in 49 CFR 172.504(c), so the total is the 600-pound corrosive plus the 450-pound gas, or 1,050 pounds. The Division 4.3 material is a Table 1 material placarded DANGEROUS WHEN WET in any amount, so adding it (1,100) is wrong, and a limited quantity identified as such is excepted from placarding by 172.500(b)(2), so adding the paint (1,430 or 1,480) is wrong too.

Correct answer: None, since the container's placards satisfy the vehicle rule

Under 49 CFR 172.516(a), the vehicle's placarding requirement may be met by the placards on freight containers or portable tanks loaded on it, as long as each is clearly visible from the direction it faces. The 1,001-pound figure decides whether placards are needed at all, not who displays them, and the front placard may go on the tractor but is not required to be there.

Correct answer: Division 5.2 Type B, temperature controlled: ORGANIC PEROXIDE placard

Table 1 of 49 CFR 172.504(e) assigns the ORGANIC PEROXIDE placard to Division 5.2 Type B, liquid or solid, temperature controlled; it is the same placard other organic peroxides get under Table 2, only required at any quantity. A Division 2.3 gas takes the POISON GAS placard, while POISON INHALATION HAZARD is the placard for a Division 6.1 liquid that is poisonous by inhalation, so those two pairings are swapped. Division 4.3 uses DANGEROUS WHEN WET; SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTIBLE is the Division 4.2 placard.

Correct answer: Optional, since the subsidiary may be shown

Under 49 CFR 172.505, subsidiary placards are required only for inhalation hazards, dangerous when wet subsidiaries and certain uranium hexafluoride loads; 172.505(d) lets other subsidiary hazards be shown voluntarily. A Class 8 subsidiary is none of the required cases, so FLAMMABLE alone is enough and CORROSIVE may be added. The 1,001-pound threshold triggers the primary class placard, not placards for subsidiary hazards.

Correct answer: No mark on the drums, since they are non-bulk and go by highway

Under 49 CFR 171.4(c)(1), the marine pollutant requirements do not apply to non-bulk packagings moved by motor vehicle unless part of the trip is by vessel, and 172.322(a) applies the non-bulk mark only to vessel transport. A 55-gallon drum is non-bulk, so no mark is needed on this highway trip. The 5-liter figure is a separate exception for very small packagings, and the vehicle marking applies only when the packages themselves must be marked or the packaging is bulk.

Correct answer: POISON INHALATION HAZARD placards, with no others

Table 1 of 49 CFR 172.504(e) requires placards in any amount for a Division 6.1 material poisonous by inhalation, so POISON INHALATION HAZARD placards are needed. RADIOACTIVE placards are required only for Yellow-III labeled packages, not Yellow-II. The organic peroxide is in Table 1 only when it is Type B and temperature controlled; this Type C liquid is a Table 2 material, and at 30 pounds the Table 2 total is far below 1,001 pounds.

Correct answer: EXPLOSIVES 1.4 and NON-FLAMMABLE GAS, since together they pass 1,001

Division 1.4 and Division 2.2 are both Table 2 materials, and 49 CFR 172.504(c) adds all Table 2 materials together, so 300 plus 750 makes 1,050 pounds and EXPLOSIVES 1.4 and NON-FLAMMABLE GAS placards are needed (a DANGEROUS placard could also replace them). Only Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 are Table 1 explosives placarded at any amount, and the 1,001-pound test is never applied to each material by itself.

Correct answer: 970 pounds

Under 49 CFR 172.504(c), the 1,001-pound threshold applies to the aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials only, so the driver adds the Class 3, Division 4.1 and Class 8 weights to get 970 pounds. The 40-pound Division 4.3 material is a Table 1 material that is placarded in any amount and is not added in, so 1,010 pounds is wrong. Leaving out the Division 4.1 flammable solid as if it were the any-amount division gives 710 pounds, and leaving out both Division 4 materials gives 670.

Correct answer: COMBUSTIBLE placards, or FLAMMABLE placards instead

Under 49 CFR 172.504(f)(2), a FLAMMABLE placard may be used in place of a COMBUSTIBLE placard on a cargo tank or portable tank, so either is allowed. DANGEROUS is wrong because it is only an option for non-bulk packages holding two or more Table 2 categories, and a cargo tank is bulk packaging carrying one material. The idea that FLAMMABLE would misstate the hazard is the tempting error, but the regulation permits it on tanks.

Correct answer: The number 8, the same as on a primary hazard label

Under 49 CFR 172.402(b), the hazard class or division number must appear in the lower corner of both primary and subsidiary hazard labels, so the CORROSIVE label shows 8. Older rules had subsidiary labels printed without the class number, which is why the blank-corner answer still circulates. The label always shows its own class, never the primary class of the material.

Correct answer: No placards, because the residue drums are left out of the total

Under 49 CFR 172.504(d)(1), a non-bulk packaging holding only the residue of a Table 2 material need not be counted when deciding placards. That leaves 700 pounds of Table 2 material, below the 1,001-pound threshold, so no placards are required. The always-placard rule for residue applies to bulk packagings, not empty non-bulk drums.

Correct answer: No placards, since Class 9 placards are optional on domestic trips

Under 49 CFR 172.504(f)(9), a CLASS 9 placard is not required for domestic transportation, so no placards are required even though the load is well over 1,001 pounds, and the driver may still display them if wanted. The 2,205-pound figure only decides when a DANGEROUS placard can no longer replace a specific placard. Class 9 does have its own placard, so DANGEROUS is not the stand-in.

Correct answer: A placard in a hinged holder that keeps its format, color and words legible

Under 49 CFR 172.516(e), a placard or placard holder may be hinged as long as the placard's format, color and legibility are kept. The other displays each break a rule in 172.516(c): the words must read horizontally from left to right, the placard must be clear of ladders, pipes, doors and tarps, and it must sit on a contrasting background or have an outer border line, which a black-and-white CORROSIVE placard on a plain white wall lacks.

Correct answer: No placards, since only a RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III label calls for them

Table 1 of 49 CFR 172.504(e) lists Class 7 only for packages bearing the RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III label, so a Yellow-II package on a non-exclusive-use shipment does not require placards. Many candidates remember radioactive material as an any-amount class, but the trigger is the Yellow-III label, not the class or the yellow color. Class 7 does not appear in Table 2 at all, so there is no 1,001-pound point at which Yellow-II packages start to need placards.

Correct answer: FLAMMABLE placards are needed, as just one Table 2 class is aboard

Under 49 CFR 172.504(b), DANGEROUS may replace separate placards only when the load holds two or more Table 2 categories that require different placards; paint and solvent are both Class 3, so the van needs FLAMMABLE placards. The 1,300 pounds is counted together against the 1,001-pound threshold, so placards are needed. The 2,205-pound check only matters once DANGEROUS is allowed in the first place.

Correct answer: Side by side within 6 inches, near the shipping name mark

Under 49 CFR 172.406, labels go on a surface other than the bottom, on the same surface as and near the proper shipping name marking when the package is big enough, and primary and subsidiary labels must be displayed next to each other, which means within 150 mm (6 inches). Twelve inches is too far apart, and splitting the labels to opposite sides or putting them on the lid away from the shipping name breaks the next-to-each-other and near-the-name rules.

Correct answer: DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards, with no others

Division 4.3 is a Table 1 material, so it needs DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards in any amount. The 1,001-pound test in 49 CFR 172.504(c) adds only Table 2 materials, and here those are 560 + 430 = 990 pounds, so no Table 2 placards are needed. Adding the 30-pound Table 1 box would make 1,020 pounds, which is the error behind adding DANGEROUS placards, and a DANGEROUS placard can never stand in for a Table 1 placard.

Correct answer: FLAMMABLE placards are needed, since the gross load is 1,048 pounds

The 1,001-pound Table 2 threshold in 49 CFR 172.504(c) is an aggregate GROSS weight, which includes the packaging, so four drums at 262 pounds each make 1,048 pounds and FLAMMABLE placards are needed. Counting only the 960 pounds of liquid leaves out the drums, and the threshold applies to the whole vehicle load, not to each drum. Class 3 is a Table 2 class, so it is not placarded at any weight.

Correct answer: They must come off or be covered, as no hazard remains in it

Under 49 CFR 172.502(a), no one may display a placard unless the vehicle or packaging holds a hazardous material that the placard represents, and 172.514(b)(1) releases a bulk packaging from staying placarded once it is cleaned of residue and purged of vapors. Optional placarding is allowed only for a hazardous material actually being carried, and the stay-placarded rule covers tanks that still hold residue.

Correct answer: UN1402, Calcium carbide, 4.3, PG I

The hazard class column decides it: calcium carbide is Division 4.3, dangerous when wet, which Table 1 of 49 CFR 172.504(e) placards in any amount. Sodium cyanide is a severe Packing Group I poison, but it is not poisonous by inhalation, so it is a Table 2 material that needs no placards at 25 pounds. White phosphorus and sodium hydrosulfite are Division 4.2, which is on Table 2, and the packing group or a 6.1 subsidiary hazard does not move a material onto Table 1.

Correct answer: Arrows on two opposite vertical sides, pointing up

Under 49 CFR 172.312, a combination package with inner packagings of liquid hazardous material must be packed closures up and marked with orientation arrows on two opposite vertical sides, pointing in the correct upright direction. Two opposite vertical sides are required, and arrows on the top face cannot show which way is up. The size exceptions are much smaller, such as hermetically sealed inner packagings of 500 mL or less, so 1-gallon bottles do not qualify.

Correct answer: Division 4.2 material with a Division 5.1 oxidizer

The box where Division 4.2 meets Division 5.1 in the 49 CFR 177.848 table is blank, and a blank means no segregation restriction applies. Class 3 with Division 5.1 and Division 4.1 with Class 8 liquids are marked O, so they may share the trailer only if separated so a leak could not let them mix. A Division 2.3 Zone A gas with Class 3 is marked X and may not be loaded together at all.

Correct answer: No bolts, screws or nails may project inwards into the cargo space

No bolts, screws or nails may project inwards into the cargo space is the rule that applies, because 49 CFR 177.835(e) bars inwardly projecting parts in a vehicle carrying any kind of Class 1 material. The floor-lining rule in 177.835(f) and the highway-transfer ban in 177.835(j) cover only Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, and the 184-inch full-trailer wheelbase limit in 177.835(c) covers only Divisions 1.1 and 1.2. A Division 1.4 load is therefore not subject to those three.

Correct answer: Bags of a Division 4.3 dangerous-when-wet solid

Bags of a Division 4.3 dangerous-when-wet solid are covered because 177.834(c) names all of Class 4, along with Class 1, Class 3, Class 5 and Division 2.1. Among gases only Division 2.1 flammable gas is listed, so neither a Division 2.2 nonflammable gas nor a Division 2.3 poison gas falls under the rule. Division 6.1 poisons are not on the list either.

Correct answer: In the trailer, if the poison is first overpacked in a metal drum

A package bearing a POISON label may not ride in the same vehicle as food or feed for humans or animals unless it is overpacked in a metal drum as specified in 49 CFR 173.25(c) or the poison and the feed are each in a separate closed unit load device (49 CFR 177.841(e)). The sleeper berth is never an option, because POISON-labeled packages are barred from the driver's compartment, sleeper included. Simple distance or empty pallets is not enough for Packing Group II; the separation allowance applies only to Packing Group III.

Correct answer: A Class 8 corrosive liquid

Under 49 CFR 177.848(c), and as shown by the X in the segregation table, Division 4.2 materials may not be stored, loaded and transported with Class 8 liquids. Division 1.4 explosives and Division 2.3 Zone B gases are marked O against Division 4.2, so they may ride along if separated so a leak could not let them mix. The box for Class 3 with Division 4.2 is blank, so no segregation is required even though both can burn.

Correct answer: A cargo tank of gasoline displaying FLAMMABLE placards

A cargo tank of gasoline displaying FLAMMABLE placards is not allowed, because 49 CFR 177.835(c) bars Division 1.1 or 1.2 from any combination in which a vehicle is a cargo tank required to be marked or placarded. The same gasoline in placarded drums in a van is not on that list, so the restriction is about the cargo tank, not the placard. The radioactive restriction covers only packages bearing Yellow-III labels, not Yellow-II.

Correct answer: Set the parking brake and take steps so the vehicle cannot move

The answer is to set the parking brake and take steps so the vehicle cannot move: under 49 CFR 177.834(e), no hazardous material of any class may be loaded or unloaded unless the handbrake is securely set and motion is prevented. The no-smoking rule in 177.834(c) covers only Class 1, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5 and Division 2.1, so it does not reach a Class 8 load. Shutting the engine off is the manual's rule for explosives, and disabling the cargo heater is the Class 1 rule in 177.834(l).

Correct answer: Areas where people or animals ride, and packages of undeveloped film

Under 49 CFR 177.842(b), Yellow-II and Yellow-III packages must be kept the table distance from any area that may be continuously occupied by passengers, employees or animals, and from packages of undeveloped film. Radiation passes through other packages, so the concern is exposure to people, animals and film. Keeping hazmat away from food and feed is a Division 6.1 poison rule, and separating explosives and oxidizers is handled by the segregation table, not the transport index distances.

Correct answer: Load both only with separation so a leak could not let them mix

In the 49 CFR 177.848 table, the row for Division 2.3 Zone B gas shows an O under Class 3, so the two may be loaded together only if separated so that leaking packages could not commingle. The outright ban (an X) applies to Division 2.3 Zone A gas with Class 3. Zone B gases still have restrictions, so loading them freely is wrong, and the table has no weight threshold.

Correct answer: A sheet of aluminum diamond plate

A sheet of aluminum diamond plate meets the rule because 49 CFR 177.835(f) requires vehicles carrying Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 to have tight floors lined with nonmetallic material or nonferrous metal, and aluminum contains no iron. Stainless steel and galvanized steel are tempting because they resist rust, but both are still steel, an iron alloy, so they are ferrous, as is steel tread plate. The state manual defines nonferrous metal as any metal that does not contain iron or iron alloys.

Correct answer: No hooks or other metal tools may be used on these packages

No hooks or other metal tools may be used: 49 CFR 177.835(b) says no bale hooks or other metal tools may be used to load, unload or handle Class 1 explosives, and the state CDL manual says never to use hooks or other metal tools on explosives. Brass and bronze hooks are still metal hooks, so they are not allowed. The nonferrous rule applies to the floor liner required for Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, and a liner does not make hooks acceptable.

Correct answer: Only on the flat floor area, secured so none can shift or overturn

Class 2 cylinders may not be loaded on any part of a vehicle floor that is not essentially flat unless the vehicle has racks to hold them, and they must be restrained upright or lying down, in racks, or in boxes so they cannot shift, overturn or be ejected (49 CFR 177.840(a)). With no racks, only the flat part of the floor can be used. Strapping a cylinder upright does not cure an uneven floor, and valve caps protect the valve but do not secure the cylinder.

Correct answer: Ammonium nitrate fertilizer

Note A in 49 CFR 177.848(e)(5) says that, despite the X in the table, ammonium nitrate (UN1942) and ammonium nitrate fertilizer may be loaded or stored with Division 1.1 or Division 1.5 materials, unless 177.835(c) prohibits it. Ammonium perchlorate is also an ammonium-based oxidizer used in explosives work, but the note does not name it, so the X still bars it. Potassium chlorate and dry calcium hypochlorite get no exception either.

Correct answer: Refuse it, because a package with any oily stain may not be accepted

Refuse it, because a package with any oily stain may not be accepted: the state CDL manual says never to transport damaged packages of explosives and not to accept a package that shows any dampness or oily stain. The rule does not depend on whether the stain is wet or the case is crushed, since an oily stain can mean the explosive itself is leaking or sweating. A note on the shipping paper does not make a damaged explosives package acceptable.

Correct answer: Leave the van parked until the leaking drum is pulled off the load

Leave the van parked until the leaking drum is pulled off the load: the manual's general loading rules say not to transport leaking packages and that it is illegal to move a vehicle with leaking hazmat, and 49 CFR 177.801 bars transporting hazmat that is not properly prepared. Driving clear to a safe spot borrows the response to a leak found en route, not one found at the dock. Noting the leak on the paper or turning the drum still leaves a leaking package on the load.

Correct answer: The engine must be off, since the rule applies to all of the explosive divisions

The engine must be off, since the rule applies to all of the explosive divisions: 49 CFR 177.835(a) says no Class 1 explosive may be loaded into or unloaded from a motor vehicle with the engine running, and the state manual tells you to turn the engine off before loading or unloading any explosives. Several other Class 1 rules, such as floor lining and the ban on highway transfers, are limited to Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, which is why a Division 1.4 load tempts people to think the engine may run. Having a helper watch the load does not create an exception.

Correct answer: Cartons of a Division 4.1 flammable solid

In the 49 CFR 177.848 table, the Division 1.3 row is blank against Division 4.1, so cartons of a Division 4.1 flammable solid carry no segregation restriction. The same row is an X against Division 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2 materials, which may never share the van with 1.3 explosives. A flammable solid sounds like the worst partner for explosives, but the table treats it differently from the reactive and oxidizing classes.

Correct answer: Each cylinder's relief device must be in the vapor space

Under 49 CFR 177.840(a)(1), cylinders may be secured upright or horizontal, and for a Division 2.1 flammable gas the pressure relief device must be in communication with the vapor space; the state manual says cylinders may lie down if the relief valve is in the vapor space. Racks and boxes or crates are other permitted ways to secure cylinders, not requirements for loading them lying down. No rule sets which way the valve end must face.

Correct answer: It cannot heat any part of the cargo above 130 F

Under 49 CFR 177.834(l)(2)(i)(A), a diesel- or propane-fired combustion cargo heater may be used with Class 3 or Division 2.1 materials only if the heating system will not heat any part of the cargo above 54 C (130 F). The 73 F figure is the flash point that splits Packing Group II from III, and 100 F is the flash point at or above which a flammable liquid may be reclassed as combustible; neither is the heater limit. The 122 F figure is the 50 C reference point used for gas vapor pressure.

Correct answer: Cases of Division 1.3 smokeless powder

Under 49 CFR 177.835(f) and the state CDL manual, the tight-floor and floor-liner requirement applies to Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, so the 1.3 smokeless powder needs the liner. Division 1.5 blasting agents are mass-explosion materials, which makes them tempting, but they are outside the 1.1 to 1.3 group named in the liner rule. Divisions 1.4 and 1.6 still need a cargo space free of projecting bolts and nails, but not the liner.

Correct answer: Bags of a Division 4.1 flammable solid

Under 49 CFR 177.848(c) and the table, a Division 6.1 PG I, Hazard Zone A liquid may not be stored, loaded or transported with Class 3, Class 8 liquids, or Division 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 or 5.2 materials, so bags of a Division 4.1 flammable solid are out. The table cell for a Division 2.3 Zone A gas is blank, so two inhalation hazards may ride together. Division 1.4 is an O, allowed with separation, and Class 7 is blank.

Correct answer: Two more packages

Under 49 CFR 177.842(a), the total transport index of all Class 7 packages in a non-exclusive-use vehicle may not exceed 50, and it is found by adding the index on every label, Yellow-II included. The load already totals 33.9, so two more packages bring it to 44.7 and a third would make 50.1. Leaving out the Yellow-II packages gives 31.5 and wrongly allows a third package.

Correct answer: A qualified person must attend the IBC for as long as it is pumped out

When an IBC is unloaded while on the vehicle, 49 CFR 177.834(h)(2)(vi) requires it to be attended at all times during unloading by a qualified person. Many drivers know attendance only from the cargo tank rules and assume it stops there. Checking only at start and finish is not attendance, and a delivery signature does not end the requirement while product is still being pumped.

Correct answer: Cases of Division 1.3 display fireworks

Under 49 CFR 177.835(c)(1), Division 1.1 or 1.2 materials may not be carried in a combination with more than two cargo-carrying vehicles, so they cannot ride in triples. The ban does not extend to Division 1.3, so the display fireworks may go. Many Class 1 rules (floor liner, en-route transfer, attendance) cover 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 together, which is why 1.3 looks banned, but the combination rule names only 1.1 and 1.2.

Correct answer: Cases of Division 1.4 rifle cartridges

In the 49 CFR 177.848 segregation table, the cell for Division 2.3 Zone A against Division 1.4 is an O, so cases of Division 1.4 rifle cartridges may ride if they are separated so leaks cannot mix. Under the table, a Zone A poison gas is an X against Division 2.1 flammable gas, Class 3 flammable liquid and Class 8 liquids, meaning they may not share the vehicle at all; only a separate special exception in 177.840, with overpacking and other conditions, changes that. Many candidates rule out the explosives first, but Division 1.4 is the one explosive division the poison gas row marks O rather than X.

Correct answer: No closer than 4 feet

For a total transport index of 10.1 to 20.0, the 49 CFR 177.842 table sets a minimum distance of 1.2 m (4 feet) to areas occupied by people or to a cargo compartment partition. Three feet is the distance for the 5.1 to 10.0 row. Five and 8 feet come from the undeveloped film columns of the same row, for trips up to 2 hours and 2 to 4 hours.

Correct answer: Drain or remove its fuel tank and disconnect its power source

For any Class 1 explosive, 49 CFR 177.834(l)(1) lets the vehicle carry the load only if the cargo heater is made inoperable by draining or removing its fuel tank and disconnecting its power source, so both steps are required. The 130 degree limit is a condition for flammable liquids and gases, not explosives. Switching it off at the thermostat or only closing the fuel valve leaves a heater that could still be fired.

Correct answer: Packages bearing RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III labels

Under 49 CFR 177.835(c)(4) and the state CDL manual, Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosives may not be carried in a combination when the other vehicle holds packages of Class 7 material bearing RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III labels. Yellow-II packages are not on that list, which is why the label category matters. Flammable and nonflammable gas cylinders are not barred either; the gas named on the list is Division 2.3 poison gas in Hazard Zone A or B, and the other listed items are initiating explosives, Division 6.1 PG I Zone A poisons, and any hazardous material in a portable tank or a DOT 106A or 110A tank.

Correct answer: They may not ride together, as the stricter corrosive rule governs

Under 49 CFR 177.848(e)(6), when a package must bear a subsidiary hazard label, the segregation for the subsidiary hazard applies if it is more restrictive than the primary one. Class 3 against Division 4.2 is blank, but a Class 8 liquid against Division 4.2 is an X, so they may not ride together, as the stricter corrosive rule governs. Checking only the primary class is the common mistake, and neither pairing is an O.

Correct answer: Totes bearing FLAMMABLE LIQUID labels

In the 49 CFR 177.848 segregation table, the box for Class 8 liquids and Class 3 is blank, so no restriction applies. Division 5.1, Division 4.3 and Division 1.4 all carry an O, which requires separation, and 177.848(e)(3) adds that corrosive liquids may never be loaded above or adjacent to Class 4 or Class 5 materials. The state manual likewise says never to load corrosive liquids next to or above Division 1.4, 4.1, 4.3 or Class 5.

Correct answer: Drums of a Class 3 flammable liquid

The manual lists Class 1, Division 2.1 and Class 3 for the special cargo heater rules, and 49 CFR 177.834(l) covers the same three, so drums of a Class 3 flammable liquid trigger them. The manual's no-smoking list is longer and adds Class 4 and Class 5, which is why the oxidizer and the flammable solid tempt. Class 8 corrosives appear on neither list.

Correct answer: Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, so it counts as a ferrous metal

Under 49 CFR 177.835(f), the part of the floor in contact with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material must be lined with non-metallic material or non-ferrous metal, and stainless steel is an iron alloy, so it is ferrous. Metal liners are allowed as long as they contain no iron, so a non-metallic-only reading is wrong. The rule names no single approved metal; aluminum, copper or brass would all be non-ferrous.

Correct answer: No restriction, since its poison row covers only PG I Zone A liquids

The poison row of the 49 CFR 177.848 table is limited to Division 6.1 liquids in Packing Group I, Hazard Zone A, and under 177.848(e)(1) a material the table does not list carries no restriction. So a PG III poison and a flammable liquid face no restriction, since its poison row covers only PG I Zone A liquids. The X between poison and Class 3 belongs to the PG I Zone A row alone, and the Division 6.1 row has no O entry against Class 3 at all.

Correct answer: To the drum being filled first, then to the source drum well removed from its opening

Under 49 CFR 177.837(b), the conductor is connected first to the container to be filled and then to the container the liquid comes from, in no other order. That last connection must be made at a point well removed from the source container's opening, so a static spark cannot ignite vapors there. Connecting right next to the opening puts the final, spark-prone contact right where vapors escape.

Correct answer: Cylinders of a Division 2.2 nitrogen gas

The no-smoking rule for loading and unloading in 49 CFR 177.834(c) names Class 1, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5 and Division 2.1, so cylinders of a Division 2.2 nitrogen gas are not on its list. Oxidizers are the trap: they may not burn on their own, but they feed a fire, so Class 5 is named alongside the flammables. Division 2.1 propane fuel gas and Division 4.1 flammable solids are named as well.

Correct answer: Red electric lanterns, red emergency reflectors or red flags

Under 49 CFR 177.835(j) and the state CDL manual, an emergency transfer of Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material requires red electric lanterns, red emergency reflectors or red flags, set out as for a stopped vehicle. Fusees and flares are the classic stopped-vehicle warning, but burning signals may not be used around a vehicle loaded with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives (49 CFR 392.25). Beacons and cones are not the devices the rule names.

Correct answer: Bags of a corrosive solid, placed anywhere on the floor

The Class 8 entries in the 49 CFR 177.848 table, and the 4.2 rule in 177.848(c), cover Class 8 liquids only, so bags of a corrosive solid may be placed anywhere on the floor. A corrosive liquid is an X with Division 4.2, which means no arrangement makes it legal: a pallet of its own, a full bulkhead, or loading it lower than the 4.2 drums all still put the two in one vehicle.

Correct answer: 9 feet

In the 49 CFR 177.842 table, a total transport index of 5.1 to 10.0 requires 2.7 m (9 feet) to undeveloped film for 4 to 8 hours of transit. Six feet applies only to trips of 2 to 4 hours and 11 feet to trips of 8 to 12 hours. Three feet is the distance to people or a partition for this row, not to film.

Correct answer: No, because the cans must also be kept from moving against each other

Under 49 CFR 177.834(a), every hazmat package not permanently attached to the vehicle must be secured against shifting, including relative motion between packages, so loose cans that rub and tip are not secured. The rule does not require each can to be strapped directly to the floor or a wall; any method that stops movement works. It also applies regardless of quantity, so a load below the placard threshold still has to be secured.

Correct answer: Refuse that case, since no damaged explosive package may be hauled

The state CDL manual says never to transport damaged packages of explosives, and that rule is not limited to Divisions 1.1 to 1.3, so the crushed 1.4 case stays behind. Noting damage on the papers does not make a damaged package acceptable. Nothing in the rule requires refusing the undamaged cases in the same shipment.

Correct answer: Cylinders of a Division 2.1 flammable gas

In the 49 CFR 177.848 table, Division 2.1 is blank against both Class 3 and Class 8 liquids, so cylinders of a Division 2.1 flammable gas may go on with no restriction. Division 4.3 and 5.2 are blank against Class 3 but an O against Class 8 liquids, and Division 5.1 is an O against both, so each needs separation and the corrosive may not sit above or beside them.

Correct answer: The cylinders must first be detached to become separate packages

Under 49 CFR 177.841(c), a Division 2.3 or Division 6.1 material may not be transported if there is any interconnection between packagings, and the state manual says never to transport them in containers with interconnections. The cylinders must be separate packages, so closing a master valve or bolting down the rack still leaves them interconnected. Overpacking in a metal drum is the condition for carrying a poison with food, not a cure for a manifold.

Correct answer: A liquid in a tote holding 990 lb with a 125-gallon capacity

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a receptacle for a liquid is bulk when its maximum capacity is greater than 119 gallons (450 L), so the 125-gallon tote qualifies whatever it weighs. A solid is bulk only when its net mass is greater than 882 lb AND its capacity is greater than 119 gallons, so the 900 lb hopper fails on capacity and the 800 lb hopper fails on mass. A gas cylinder is bulk only with a water capacity greater than 1,000 lb, so 980 lb falls short whatever it holds.

Correct answer: A Class 8 corrosive liquid, Packing Group I

The rule does not apply to a Class 8 corrosive liquid. Under 49 CFR 177.834(c), smoking on or about a vehicle is forbidden while loading or unloading Class 1, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5 and Division 2.1 materials, and corrosives are not on that list. Oxidizers of any packing group and organic peroxides are both Class 5, so the ban covers them even though they are not fuels themselves, and a pyrophoric liquid is Division 4.2, which is part of Class 4.

Correct answer: No, the person attending must be authorized and able to move the tank

No, because the person attending must be authorized and able to move the tank. Under 49 CFR 177.834(i), a qualified attendant knows the hazards and the emergency procedures, stays alert within 25 feet of the tank with a clear view, and is also authorized to move the cargo tank and has the means to do so. Meeting every other condition is not enough without that last one. The rule does not require the attendant to work for the carrier, and the distance limit is 25 feet from the tank, not 10 feet from the hose.

Correct answer: A portable tank, which must show the name of its owner or lessee

A portable tank is a bulk packaging fitted with skids or mountings so it can be lifted on and off a vehicle by mechanical means, and 49 CFR 172.326(b) requires it to display the name of its owner or lessee. A cargo tank is attached to the vehicle or is loaded and unloaded without being removed from it, so a tank filled at the plant and then forklifted aboard is not a cargo tank. The 171.8 definition of an intermediate bulk container excludes portable tanks and caps IBCs at 3 cubic meters (about 793 gallons), well under 2,000 gallons.

Correct answer: Connect it before any filling hole is opened, and remove it after the last one is closed

The bond wire must be connected before any filling hole is opened and removed only after the last filling hole is closed, as 49 CFR 177.837(c)(1) requires for loading through an open filling hole. Vapor can escape the moment a hole is open, so the static path must exist the whole time any hole is open, not just while product flows. The rule ties the bond to the filling holes, not to the engine or the loading arm.

Correct answer: Baffles cut front-to-back surge, but side-to-side surge can still roll the rig over

Baffles are bulkheads with holes that let the liquid flow through; they help control forward-and-backward surge, but side-to-side surge can still occur and cause a rollover. The option saying baffles cut front-to-back surge so the ramp is safe at its posted speed starts correctly but is wrong, because tankers can roll over at the posted speeds for curves and ramps and must take them well below those speeds. The two options saying baffles cut side-to-side surge reverse the direction baffles actually control.

Correct answer: It must be off at the first station but may run at the second one

The engine must be off at the first station but may run at the second one, where it drives the pump. Under 49 CFR 177.837(a), a flammable liquid may not be loaded or unloaded while the engine is running unless the engine is used to operate a pump. Bonding and staying within 25 feet are separate requirements that do not permit the engine to run during a gravity drop, and the rule does not require a separate motor for the pump.

Correct answer: No, because the words Inhalation Hazard already appear on the placards

Under 49 CFR 172.313(a), a material poisonous by inhalation must be marked Inhalation Hazard, on two opposing sides of a bulk packaging, but the marking is not required when those words already appear on the label or placard. The POISON INHALATION HAZARD placard carries the words, so no separate marking is needed here. The two-opposing-sides rule is real, but it applies only when the placards do not already show the words, and the marking rule covers bulk packagings as well as non-bulk ones.

Correct answer: No, the carrier's duty ended once the power unit was taken off the premises

Under 49 CFR 177.834(i)(2), a carrier must ensure a cargo tank is attended during unloading, but that duty ends once its transportation duty is done, the tank is placed on the consignee's premises, and the motive power has been removed from the tank and the premises. Signing for the load alone does not end it; the power unit must also be gone from the premises. The rule has no waiver.

Correct answer: On two opposing sides of the portable tank itself

Under 49 CFR 172.302(a), a bulk packaging with a capacity under 1,000 gallons shows its ID number on two opposing sides, while one of 1,000 gallons or more shows it on each side and each end. The vehicle itself needs the number on each side and each end only when the tank's own ID markings are not visible. A tank under 1,000 gallons is still bulk packaging, so the number must appear on the tank, not just the shipping paper.

Correct answer: Top-loading at a rack through an open dome filling hole

Under 49 CFR 177.837(c)(1), a bond wire is required when a cargo tank is loaded through an open filling hole, connected before the hole is opened and left on until it is closed. Loading or unloading through a vapor-tight top or bottom connection needs no bonding, because no vapor escapes where a spark could occur. Unloading into a stationary tank is also exempt while the metal filling connection stays in contact with the fill hole.

Correct answer: Non-bulk, because a solid must also exceed 119 gallons

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a receptacle for a solid is bulk only when its net mass is greater than 882 pounds (400 kg) AND its capacity is greater than 119 gallons (450 L). This bin passes the weight test but its 95-gallon volume fails the capacity test, so it is non-bulk. Reading the rule as weight or capacity is the common mistake, and solids such as those in bulk bags and dump bodies can be bulk when both limits are exceeded.

Correct answer: No, the attendant needs an unobstructed view of the tank and hose

Under 49 CFR 177.834(i)(3)(i), the person attending unloading must be within 25 feet, alert, and have an unobstructed view of the cargo tank and delivery hose to the maximum extent practicable. Being within 25 feet is only part of the test, and since walking to the hose side is practicable, a blocked view fails it. Nothing in the rule requires a hand on the valve.

Correct answer: One single cylinder with a 1,020-pound water capacity of its own

Under 49 CFR 171.8, a receptacle for a gas is bulk packaging when its own water capacity is greater than 1,000 pounds (454 kg), so only the 1,020-pound cylinder qualifies. The definition applies to each receptacle, so a pallet or cage of small cylinders stays non-bulk no matter what their total adds up to. The 940-pound cylinder is over the 882-pound figure, but that number belongs to the definition for solids, not gases.

Correct answer: Close and secure every manhole and close every valve on the tank

Under 49 CFR 177.834(j), you may not drive a cargo tank containing hazardous material, regardless of quantity, unless all manhole closures are closed and secured and all valves are closed and free of leaks. The manual adds that this applies no matter how small the amount or how short the distance. A compartment holding residue is not empty under the rules unless it has been cleaned and purged.

Correct answer: A full tank of a liquid so dense would exceed legal weight limits

The manual says a full tank of a dense liquid, such as some acids, may exceed legal weight limits, so heavy liquids are often loaded only partway. How much to load depends on expansion in transit, the weight of the liquid, legal weight limits and the load's temperature. Outage is set by how much a liquid expands, which depends on the material and the temperature change, not on density, and a partly filled tank surges more than a full one, not less.

Correct answer: No, not until every loading and unloading connection is unhooked

Under 49 CFR 177.840(f), a chlorine cargo tank may not be moved, coupled or uncoupled while any loading or unloading connection is attached, and the manual tells drivers to unhook all connections before coupling, uncoupling or moving a cargo tank. Closing the valves first is good practice but does not allow moving with the hose still attached. A short, slow move with a helper is still a move.

Correct answer: The driver signs a receipt, and the carrier keeps it for 1 year

Under 49 CFR 397.19(b), a driver who receives the copy of Part 397 and the written accident-and-delay instructions must sign a receipt for them. The motor carrier keeps that receipt for one year from the date the driver signs it. The receipt is a carrier record, so the driver does not keep it in the cab.

Correct answer: Walking out of sight 100 feet back to set out a warning triangle

Under 49 CFR 397.5(c), a vehicle carrying hazardous materials other than Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 that is on a public highway or its shoulder must be attended by its driver, but not while the driver performs duties incident and necessary to operating the vehicle, such as setting out warning devices. Otherwise the vehicle is attended only when the driver is on it, awake and not in the sleeper berth, or within 100 feet with it in unobstructed view. A diner 250 feet away is too far even with a clear view, a store 80 feet away fails when the truck is out of view, and sleeping in the berth does not count.

Correct answer: A written route plan, which the driver may prepare as the carrier's agent

Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives need a written route plan, and 49 CFR 397.67(d) lets the driver prepare it as agent for the motor carrier when the trip begins somewhere other than the carrier's terminal. Saying only terminal staff may prepare it ignores that exception. The plan must be written and carried, so a route read over the phone does not count, and the shipper has no duty to prepare it.

Correct answer: A van of Division 5.1 oxidizer bags

Under 49 CFR 397.13, no one may smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe on or within 25 feet of a vehicle containing Class 1, Class 5, Division 2.1, Class 3, or Division 4.1 and 4.2 materials, so oxidizers are covered even though they do not burn on their own. They feed a fire with oxygen. Corrosives, poisons and nonflammable gases such as nitrogen are not on the list, so a driver who thinks only of how toxic or dangerous a load is picks the wrong one.

Correct answer: Only as far as the nearest place where its contents can be safely disposed of

Under 49 CFR 177.854(c), a leaking cargo tank may be moved only the minimum distance needed to reach a place where its contents can be disposed of safely, and every available means must be used to keep the liquid off the highway. The manual adds that you must never keep driving a leaking vehicle to find a phone, a truck stop or help, and says to keep away from truck stops and rest areas. A repair terminal is not a place to dispose of the contents and is usually much farther than safety allows.

Correct answer: A gravel pullout 20 feet off the road and 350 feet from a church

Under 49 CFR 397.7(a), a vehicle with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives may not park on or within 5 feet of the traveled road, or within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, dwelling or place where people work or gather, unless operations make it necessary. A spot 20 feet off the road and 350 feet from a church clears both limits. The spot 500 feet from a barn fails because 4 feet is inside the 5-foot zone, and a farmhouse is a dwelling, so 250 feet is too close.

Correct answer: An empty cargo tank truck that unloaded gasoline this morning

The empty cargo tank truck must stop, because 49 CFR 392.10 and the manual require the stop for every cargo tank used for hazardous materials, whether loaded or empty. The paint and acid loads are Table 2 materials under 1,001 pounds, so they need no placards and only have to slow and check the crossing. An empty dry van carries no hazardous material at all, so the loaded-or-empty rule for cargo tanks does not reach it.

Correct answer: Someone must stay at the nozzle and control the fuel flow the whole time

Under 49 CFR 397.15 and the state manual, the engine must be off and someone must always be at the nozzle, controlling fuel flow, so latching the nozzle and walking away is not allowed. The 25-foot no-smoking rule is a separate rule that covers Class 1, Class 5 and flammable loads such as Class 3, 2.1, 4.1 and 4.2, not this Class 8 load, and it is not part of the fueling rule. Setting the brake applies to loading and unloading, and the 10 B:C extinguisher must be on the power unit but does not have to be taken out for fueling.

Correct answer: A copy of the written route plan for the trip

Under 49 CFR 397.19(c), a driver of a vehicle with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives must possess, be familiar with and comply with the Part 397 copy and written emergency instructions, the shipping papers, and the written route plan required by 397.67. A carrier may also need a security plan under Part 172 Subpart I, but no rule requires the driver to carry it. Training records stay with the employer, and the TSA threat assessment is part of getting the endorsement, not a trip document.

Correct answer: Reflective triangles at 10 feet behind, 100 feet behind and 100 feet ahead

Under 49 CFR 392.22(b), on a two-way road the driver places one device about 10 feet behind on the traffic side, one 100 feet behind and one 100 feet ahead. Section 392.25 bans flame-producing signals for a Class 3 cargo tank, loaded or empty, so reflective triangles or red electric lanterns are used instead. The 10, 100 and 200 feet pattern, all behind the truck, is the rule for divided or one-way highways.

Correct answer: A working highway traffic signal at the crossing is showing green

A crossing controlled by a working highway traffic signal showing green, where local law lets vehicles proceed without stopping, is one of the listed exceptions in 49 CFR 392.10(b). Raised gates and dark railroad lights are not an exception, so the placarded tank truck must still stop. The business-district exception covers only streetcar tracks or industrial switching tracks, and an abandoned line is exempt only when a sign at the crossing says it is abandoned, not because a map says so.

Correct answer: One extinguisher rated 10 B:C or more

49 CFR 393.95 requires the power unit of a vehicle carrying hazardous materials in a quantity that needs placards to have a fire extinguisher with a UL rating of 10 B:C or more. The 5 B:C extinguisher, or two rated 4 B:C, satisfies the rule only for power units not hauling hazmat. Doubling up on 5 B:C units is not an option the rule offers for placarded loads.

Correct answer: In an area approved in writing by government for that kind of parking

Under 49 CFR 397.5(d)(3), a safe haven is an area specifically approved in writing by local, State or Federal authorities for parking unattended vehicles carrying Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives, and 397.5(b) lets the truck go unwatched there. The consignee's yard qualifies only if a bailee who knows the load and the emergency procedures keeps it in unobstructed view, so an empty locked yard does not. An owner's consent satisfies the private-property parking rule, not the attendance rule, and a general truck-parking area is not a safe haven.

Correct answer: The consignee's unloading dock can be reached only from a downtown street

A reasonable deviation needed to reach a point of loading or unloading is allowed by 49 CFR 397.67(b), so a dock reachable only from a downtown street justifies that route. Extra time and fuel on the beltway is operating convenience, which 397.67(c) says is not a basis for leaving the safer route, and the manual says to take other routes even if inconvenient. A customer's delivery-time wish and avoiding tolls or a weigh station are also convenience, not necessity.

Correct answer: After 150 more miles, or about 2 hours 30 minutes of driving

Under 49 CFR 392.9(b), after the check within the first 50 miles the driver must recheck the cargo and its securement at each change of duty status, or after 3 hours or 150 miles of driving, whichever comes first. At 60 mph, 150 miles comes at 2 hours 30 minutes, before the 3-hour mark. The 100-mile and 2-hour pair is not the cargo recheck interval, and 50 miles applies only to the first check of the trip.

Correct answer: Emergency assistance phone numbers for each state the trip enters

Section 397.101(d) requires the route plan to state the origin and destination, the route, all planned stops and estimated departure and arrival times, plus telephone numbers that reach emergency assistance in each state entered. The 24-hour emergency response number belongs on the shipping papers, not in the route plan. The driver's license number and training dates belong on the separate certificate of training the driver must carry.

Correct answer: A dry van hauling sealed drums of Class 3 paint

49 CFR 392.25 bars flame-producing signals for vehicles carrying Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives, for cargo tanks used for Class 3 or Division 2.1 whether loaded or empty, and for vehicles fueled by compressed gas. Class 3 in drums in a van is not on that list, though 392.22 still bars flames near any leaking flammable liquid. The empty propane tank is the trap: the ban on Division 2.1 cargo tanks applies even when they are empty.

Correct answer: Cylinders of Division 2.2 compressed gas such as argon

Under 49 CFR 397.13, no one may smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe within 25 feet of a vehicle containing Class 1, Class 5, Division 2.1, Class 3, or Divisions 4.1 and 4.2 materials. A nonflammable Division 2.2 gas such as argon is not on that list. Division 1.4 is still Class 1 and Division 5.2 is still Class 5, so both are covered even though they feel like lower-hazard divisions.

Correct answer: The van stays parked until a new rear placard is put on it

49 CFR 177.823(a) says a carrier may not move a vehicle containing hazardous materials unless it is placarded as Part 172 requires, and placards are required on each side and each end. The only exceptions are emergencies: a state or local government escort, permission from DOT, or a move needed to protect life or property. Driving to a terminal for a spare placard is still moving an underplacarded vehicle when there is no emergency.

Correct answer: A van carrying 600 pounds of Class 8 liquids in drums

Under 49 CFR 392.10, the stop is required for any amount of chlorine, for hazmat cargo tanks, and for vehicles that must be placarded with one of the listed classes, which include Division 1.4, Division 2.2 and Class 8. Class 8 is a Table 2 material, so 600 pounds in drums with nothing else aboard needs no placards, and only the slow-down rule of 392.11 applies. Division 4.3 is a Table 1 material placarded in any amount, so the van with 100 pounds of it must stop, as must the placarded loads of 1.4G fireworks and nitrogen.

Correct answer: Triangles at 10, 100 and 200 feet back toward traffic

On a divided or one-way highway, 49 CFR 392.22(b)(2)(v) places one device on the traffic side within 10 feet of the rear and the others at 100 and 200 feet toward approaching traffic, and 392.25 requires triangles or other non-flame devices for Division 1.1 loads. The 10-behind, 100-behind, 100-ahead layout is the two-way road rule, and on a divided road no traffic approaches from ahead.

Correct answer: Remove the tire, set it a safe distance away, then fix the cause

49 CFR 397.17(c) says an overheated tire must be removed immediately and placed a safe distance from the vehicle, and the vehicle may not be driven until the cause of the overheating is corrected. Driving to the nearest safe place is what the rule allows for a flat or leaking tire, not an overheated one. Letting the tire cool in place leaves a possible fire source next to a flammable load.

Correct answer: The nature of the explosives that the truck is hauling

Under 49 CFR 397.19(a), the written instructions for Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 loads must give the names and phone numbers of people to contact, the nature of the explosives being hauled, and the precautions for fires, accidents or leaks. Safe havens come from the attendance rule in 397.5, not from this document, and the regulation never requires ERG guide numbers or a tire-stop schedule in it.

Correct answer: 1,500 pounds of Division 1.2 projectiles

Under 49 CFR 397.67(d), the written route plan is required for explosives in Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 only, so the 1.2 projectiles need one. Division 1.4 and 1.5 are also explosives but fall outside that rule, which is why many drivers wrongly include them. A Division 2.3 poison gas load must follow the general placarded routing rules, but federal law does not require it to have a written route plan.

Correct answer: No, unless a government body approved it in writing

Under 49 CFR 397.5(d)(3), a safe haven is an area specifically approved in writing by local, State or Federal government for parking unattended Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 vehicles; fences, cameras and guards do not create one. Briefed guards could act as watchers only on carrier, shipper or consignee property, which a truck stop is not.

Correct answer: At least 300 feet from the fire

49 CFR 397.11(b) says a motor vehicle containing hazardous materials must not be parked within 300 feet of an open fire. That rule covers every hazmat load, not only Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives, even though the manual lists the open-fire distance under explosives parking as well. The 25-foot figure is the smoking rule, which does not set a parking distance from fires.

Correct answer: Part 397, the driving, parking and routing rules for hazmat

49 CFR 397.19(a)(1) requires a carrier hauling Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives to give the driver a copy of the rules in Part 397, which covers hazmat driving, parking, attendance, smoking, fueling, tires and routing. Part 177 governs carriage by highway, including loading and segregation, but the regulation does not require the driver to carry a copy of it. Parts 172 and 383 are not on the list either.

Correct answer: A main-line crossing with gates raised and the warning lights dark

The exceptions in 49 CFR 392.10(b) are a police officer or flagman directing traffic to proceed, a green highway traffic signal, an abandoned line marked with a sign, an industrial or spur crossing marked Exempt by or with consent of the state or local authority, and streetcar or industrial switching tracks within a business district. Raised gates and dark warning lights are not on that list, so the driver must stop 15 to 50 feet back, look and listen. Treating quiet crossing equipment as an all-clear is the mistake the rule is written to prevent.

Correct answer: In a truck stop's private lot, eating inside with the truck out of view

For placarded loads other than Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3, 49 CFR 397.5(c) requires the driver to attend the vehicle only when it is on a public street, highway or its shoulder, so a private truck stop lot does not need a watcher. The curb spot fails because 397.7(b) bars parking on or within 5 feet of the traveled road except briefly when operations require it, and a meal does not. Both shoulder choices leave the truck unattended on a public highway, since a sleeper berth does not count.

Correct answer: Driving on to the nearest safe place to repair or replace that tire

Under 49 CFR 397.17(b), a flat, leaking or underinflated tire must be repaired, replaced or properly inflated before the vehicle is driven, but the vehicle may be driven to the nearest safe place to do that work. The rule does not allow continuing to the consignee or to the carrier's own terminal. Refusing to move the truck at all goes beyond the rule, which only bars further driving for an overheated tire until its cause is fixed.

Correct answer: A state police officer escorts the van to a nearby lot

In an emergency, 49 CFR 177.823(a) allows an improperly placarded vehicle to move only if a state or local government representative escorts it, the carrier has permission from the Department of Transportation, or the move is needed to protect life or property. A state police officer is a state government representative. The carrier's own safety director, the shipper's emergency contact and a private security guard have no authority under this rule.

Correct answer: Police at a crash close the bypass and send trucks into the tunnel

Section 397.67 tells placarded vehicles to avoid tunnels, crowds, heavily populated areas, narrow streets and alleys, with a deviation allowed when emergency conditions require it, including when a law enforcement official requires the driver to take another route. The same section says operating convenience is not a basis for leaving the safer route, which rules out saving time or a toll. A missing local sign does not cancel the federal rule, which applies to every placarded load.

Correct answer: The only practical spot to take on fuel is that close by

49 CFR 397.7(a)(3) allows parking within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, dwelling or place where people work or gather only for brief periods when the necessities of operation require it and no other place is practical; the state manual gives fueling as the example. Owner consent is the separate rule for parking on private property, and attending the truck does not lift the 300-foot limit.

Correct answer: Orange guide fire evacuation distance, then Table 1 downwind for residual release

For an entry highlighted in green when a fire is involved, ERG2024 directs you to use the evacuation distance in the orange guide, and also to protect downwind according to Table 1 for residual material release. Going straight to Table 1 is the step when there is no fire. Doubling the distances is ERG2024's advice for worst-case releases such as sabotage or a catastrophic accident, not the step for a fire.

Correct answer: As soon as practical, but no later than 12 hours after the incident occurred

An evacuation of the general public for one hour or more is a reportable incident under 49 CFR 171.15, and the telephone notice to the National Response Center must be made as soon as practical but no later than 12 hours after the incident occurred. The one-hour figure is the evacuation trigger, not the deadline. The 24-hour figure echoes the round-the-clock emergency response phone number on shipping papers, which is a different requirement.

Correct answer: The shipper who offered the gas

The manual's Class 2 rule says you must notify the shipper if compressed gas is involved in any accident. The National Response Center call is required only for listed outcomes such as a death, a hospitalization, an evacuation or a major road closed for an hour or more, none of which happened here. CHEMTREC and the consignee may be useful contacts, but neither is the notice the manual requires for a compressed gas accident.

Correct answer: 5.9 miles

ERG2024 defines a large spill as a release of more than 208 liters (55 US gallons), including multiple spills from many small packages, and night as any time between sunset and sunrise, so the large-spill night protective action distance of 5.9 miles applies. The 1.6-mile figure is the small-spill night value, which fits a single small cylinder, and 1.9 miles is the large-spill daytime value. Night distances are longer because the air mixes less after sunset.

Correct answer: A written incident report on DOT Form F 5800.1 within 30 days of discovery

Anyone who makes a telephone report under 49 CFR 171.15 must also file the written Hazardous Materials Incident Report on DOT Form F 5800.1, and 171.16 requires it within 30 days of discovery of the incident. The phone call does not replace the written report. The 10- and 15-day figures are not deadlines in these rules.

Correct answer: 200 feet

The manual says to remove all explosives before separating vehicles involved in a crash and to place them at least 200 feet from the vehicles and occupied buildings, then stay a safe distance away. The 300-foot figure is the parking rule that keeps Division 1.1 to 1.3 loads away from bridges, tunnels and buildings, 100 feet is the attendance and warning-device distance, and 25 feet is the no-smoking distance.

Correct answer: It may polymerize violently when heated or involved in a fire

In ERG2024, the letter P following a guide number in the yellow and blue sections marks a material that presents a polymerization hazard under certain conditions; the guides warn it may polymerize explosively when heated or involved in a fire. Poison-inhalation materials are flagged by green highlighting, not by a letter, and marine pollutants are identified on the shipping paper and package marking, not by a suffix on the guide number. Styrene is a flammable liquid, not a compressed gas.

Correct answer: A written incident report within 30 days, with no phone call to the NRC

Under 49 CFR 171.16, any unintentional release of a hazardous material during transportation, including unloading, requires a written report on DOT Form F 5800.1 within 30 days, and the small-spill exception does not apply to a PG II material from a 55-gallon drum. None of the 171.15 triggers (death, hospitalization, evacuation or a closure of one hour or more, radioactive or infectious material, a large marine pollutant release) occurred, so no telephone notice to the National Response Center is required. Believing a phone call always comes first, or that no injury means no report, are the two common mistakes.

Correct answer: Use Guide 111 from the white-page placard table until the cargo is identified

When the ID number and name are not available, ERG2024 sends responders to the Table of Markings, Labels and Placards in the white pages, and it assigns Guide 111 when the DANGEROUS placard is displayed or the material is unknown. The most conservative guide rule applies only when several placards point to different guides, not to guessing every class a trailer might hold. The blue section needs a material name, and Table 1 applies only to entries highlighted in green.

Correct answer: Only when fueling machinery used in road construction or maintenance

The manual's Class 2 response says not to transfer a flammable compressed gas from one tank to another on any public roadway unless you are fueling machinery used in road construction or maintenance, which matches the fueling exception in 49 CFR 177.834(h). An emergency transfer with red reflectors, lanterns or flags is the rule for Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives, and the emergency exception for vehicle-to-vehicle transfers belongs to flammable liquids, not flammable gas. Bonding and grounding is a loading safeguard, not a permission to transfer on the road.

Correct answer: Aim the extinguisher at the wheel to keep the flames from reaching cargo

The state CDL manual says you may use the fire extinguisher to keep minor truck fires from spreading to the cargo before firefighters arrive. The tempting wrong answer stretches the rule against fighting hazmat fires without training to cover a minor truck fire, which it does not. Once cargo is burning it is not safe to fight, and doors should not be opened on a possible cargo fire.

Correct answer: A circle of that radius around the spill, with the public evacuated crosswind

ERG2024 says the initial isolation distance is the radius of a zone around the spill in all directions, and the general public is evacuated crosswind, perpendicular to the wind, and away from the spill. The square zone running downwind is the protective action zone, a different area where people are evacuated or sheltered in place. Moving people straight upwind is not what the guide directs, since the approach rule of staying upwind is for responders arriving at the scene.

Correct answer: Your supervisor at the motor carrier

The manual says that if a Division 6.2 infectious substance package is damaged in handling or transportation, you should immediately contact your supervisor, and damaged or leaking packages should not be accepted in the first place. Notifying the shipper is the manual's rule when compressed gas is involved in an accident, not for infectious substances. The consignee and the fire department are not the contacts the manual names for a damaged 6.2 package.

Correct answer: Stay with the parked truck and send another person to get help

The state CDL manual says that if hazmat is spilling from your vehicle you park it, secure the area, stay there, and send someone else for help if your phone or CB does not work. Driving on to find a phone or help is exactly what the manual forbids, because it spreads contamination the carrier must pay to clean up. Walking off to phone leaves the scene unsecured, and you must never try to repack leaking containers.

Correct answer: The orange guide for the material, because Table 1 lists only toxic gas hazards

Table 1 applies only to entries highlighted in green, which are materials toxic by inhalation or that give off toxic gas in water, so for gasoline the distances come from the Evacuation section of orange Guide 128: isolate at least 150 feet in all directions and, for a large spill, consider evacuating at least 1,000 feet downwind. Table 3 covers large spills of only six toxic gases such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia. The placard table is for when the ID number is unknown.

Correct answer: Its proper shipping name, hazard class and ID number

The state CDL manual lists the proper shipping name, hazard class and ID number of the hazmat, if you know them, as the cargo details to give the person you send for help, so responders bring the right equipment the first time. Packing group, weight, shipper and consignee are all on the shipping paper, but they are not the details the manual says the messenger must carry.

Correct answer: The blue section, which lists each material alphabetically by its name

The blue section indexes materials alphabetically by name and gives the guide number and ID number for each, so Chlorine leads to Guide 124 and UN1017. The yellow section needs the ID number you cannot read, and the white-page placard table is meant for when neither the ID number nor the name is known. The green Table 1 is arranged by ID number, and ERG2024 says to use the blue section to find that number first.