CDL Railroad Crossings Practice Questions
Railroad Crossings makes up 2 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CDL practice test. Here are 10 of the 25 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Covers the CDL general knowledge exam. 80% to pass on the real test.
1. Which commercial vehicles must stop at all railroad crossings?
- A.All commercial vehicles regardless of cargo or size
- B.Buses, hazmat vehicles, and vehicles carrying passengers
- C.Only loaded tank trucks carrying flammable materials
- D.Vehicles under 26,001 pounds gross vehicle weight only
Answer: B. Buses, vehicles transporting hazardous materials, and vehicles designed to carry passengers must stop at all railroad crossings.
2. When stopped at a railroad crossing, you should stop no closer than?
- A.5 feet from the nearest rail
- B.10 feet from the nearest rail
- C.25 feet from the nearest rail
- D.15 feet from the nearest rail
Answer: D. Federal regulations require stopping at least 15 feet but no more than 50 feet from the nearest rail at railroad crossings.
3. At a railroad crossing, you should stop no farther than?
- A.50 feet from the nearest rail
- B.25 feet from the tracks
- C.75 feet from the tracks
- D.100 feet from the tracks
Answer: A. The legal stopping zone at railroad crossings is between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail for required stops.
4. When approaching a railroad crossing, you should?
- A.Sound your horn to warn trains
- B.Stop regardless of posted signs
- C.Slow down and look both ways
- D.Maintain speed if no train is visible
Answer: C. All drivers should slow down and carefully look both ways when approaching any railroad crossing, even if not required to stop.
5. What should you do if your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks?
- A.Stay in the vehicle with your seat belt fastened
- B.Push the vehicle off the tracks
- C.Get out immediately and move away from the tracks
- D.Try to restart the engine quickly before a train comes
Answer: C. If stalled on tracks, get out immediately and move away from both the vehicle and tracks, as trains cannot stop quickly.
6. Before crossing railroad tracks, you should?
- A.Make sure you can completely cross without stopping
- B.Speed up to cross quickly before any train arrives
- C.Stop and wait 10 seconds with the engine shut off
- D.Sound your horn three times so the engineer knows you are there
Answer: A. Never begin crossing unless you can completely clear the tracks, as getting stuck on tracks is extremely dangerous.
7. A passive railroad crossing is one that?
- A.Has automated gates and flashing warning lights
- B.Has a traffic signal that controls vehicle movement
- C.Is controlled by a flagman during train operations
- D.Has only signs to warn of the crossing
Answer: D. Passive crossings have only warning signs and pavement markings; they lack active signals, gates, or flashing lights.
8. An active railroad crossing has?
- A.A railroad employee directing traffic
- B.Flashing lights, bells, or gates
- C.Only warning signs
- D.Pavement markings only
Answer: B. Active crossings have electrical devices like flashing lights, bells, and/or gates to warn of approaching trains.
9. When you stop at a railroad crossing, you should?
- A.Turn on hazard lights and keep the radio on for train alerts
- B.Turn off radios and fans, open the window, and listen
- C.Turn up the radio and watch only for signals
- D.Set the parking brake and shut off the engine
Answer: B. At a crossing, turn off radios and noisy fans and open your window so you can hear an approaching train, then look both ways. Keep the engine running so you do not stall.
10. If a railroad crossing has flashing red lights, you should?
- A.Speed up to cross quickly
- B.Treat it like a stop sign
- C.Proceed with caution if no train is visible
- D.Stop until the lights stop flashing
Answer: D. Flashing red lights at railroad crossings mean stop and do not proceed until the lights stop flashing and it's safe to cross.
Practice all 25 railroad crossings questions, and the rest of the 600-question bank, in the free CDL training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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