TX CMV Handbook: S. 14 Special Requirements

Question 1

All CMVs, truck tractors, trailers, or semi-trailers must carry ________ (receipt for license plates) on vehicles operating on public highways.
- They show empty vehicle weight and how much it can legally haul.

Answer 1

Registration papers

Question 2

________ are required to haul loads or move equipment that’s heavier, longer, wider, or higher than legally allowed. Must be obtained TXDOT. They will not be granted if the load can be reasonably dismantled.

Answer 2

Special permits

Question 3

________________ must be immediately actuated when any truck, bus, truck tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer 80” or more wide or 30’ or more in overall length is stopped on a roadway or adjacent shoulder. If the vehicle is legally parked inside city limits or is stopped to receive or discharge passengers, these are not needed.

Answer 3

Hazard warning signal lights

Question 4

School buses, buses, taxis, and other vehicles hauling passengers for hire or lease must carry a chemical type ______ of at least 1qt. capacity.

Answer 4

Fire extinguisher

Question 5

A ______ properly filled and readily accessible must be equipped by CMVs subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Must be securely mounted on the vehicle.
- When required they must meet standards of 393.95 of Code of Federal Regulations.

Answer 5

Fire extinguisher

Question 6

______ must be mounted between 24”-60” in height above the ground on every pole trailer & on trucks, buses, truck tractors, trailers, semitrailers 80” or more in width.

Answer 6

Reflectors

Question 7

All motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, or pole trailers manufactured after the year ______ must be equipped with electrical turn signal lights.

Answer 7

1959

Question 8

You just stopped your CMV on the shoulder of a road. You must immediately activate your hazard warning lights if your CMV is at least ___ inches wide or at least ___ feet long.

Answer 8

80, 30

Question 9

With the exception of ‘cotton vehicles’ and vehicles carrying cylindrical shaped bales of hay, loads transported may not exceed _______ in width

Answer 9

102 inches in width.

Question 10

If the load you are hauling is ____________ than allowed by law , you must obtain a special permit from the Department of Transportation.

Answer 10

Heavier, longer, wider, or higher

Question 11

What type of lighting does every farm tractor and every self-propelled unit of farm equipment need to have?

Answer 11

2 head lamps,1 taillight, 2 red reflectors, hazard lights (flashers) - white or amber to the front, and red or amber to the rear.

Question 12

Your vehicle has broken down on a highway. What is the first thing you must do?

Answer 12

Put out the proper flares, flags, or reflectors. [14.2 Spec Req: Equipment]

Question 13

Combination vehicles that weigh more than 3000 pounds must be able to stop within _____ feet when traveling at 20 mph.

Answer 13

50

Question 14

When one vehicle is towing another, the connection must not be longer than ___ feet, and there must be a ______ flag attached to it.

Answer 14

15, white

Question 15

On an open road, maintain a following distance of at least ___ seconds.
- Under poor driving distance, increase your following distance even more.

Answer 15

4

Question 16

If you’re driving a house trailer at night outside the city limits or on a divided highway, your vehicle must be equipped with ________ and ____________.

Answer 16

three flares, three portable red emergency reflectors

Question 17

CMVs weighing ______ pounds or more with metal tires are not permitted on the highways.

Answer 17

5,000

Question 18

When following another vehicle, a CMV must leave ____________.

Answer 18

enough space for another vehicle to pass and enter the space between them safely.

Question 19

Surge or inertia brake systems may be used on trailers and semitrailers with gross weight of ______ or less.
- Additional control devices may be used to operate brakes on the towed vehicles (14.2 Spec Req)

Answer 19

15,000 lb

Question 20

In bad weather you increase the following distance to ______.

Answer 20

6-8 seconds

Question 21

Every vehicle that is designed to operate at speeds of ___ mph or less requires a slow-moving vehicle emblem. [14.2 Spec Req: Slow Moving Vehicle Emblem]

Answer 21

25

Question 22

Trailers, semitrailers, & pole trailers that weigh 4,500 pounds but no more than 15,000 pounds and are operated at speeds over 30 mph ____________.

Answer 22

must have brakes on both wheels of the rear axle.

Question 23

No combo of vehicles, other than a truck tractor-trailer combo may exceed ______.
- Check [14.3 Spec Req - Limitations (Note Exceptions)]

Answer 23

65 feet

Question 24

Vehicles transporting ________ must use triangular reflectors instead of flares.

Answer 24

flammable liquids or gases

Question 25

On a steep downgrade, you should ________.

Answer 25

Shift into a lower gear
- Right before the downgrade starts, shift into a lower gear and use engine braking to slow your vehicle. You may not be able to shift down after building up speed.

Question 26

What is the max weight for a single or combo vehicle including its load?
- Unless you obtain an oversized/overweight permit from the Texas Department of Transportation Permit Office.

Answer 26

80,000 pounds

Question 27

A semitrailer or trailer may not exceed a length of ___ feet each when operated in a truck tractor, semitrailer, and trailer combo.

Answer 27

28-1/2

Question 28

If you’re being tailgated, you should __________.

Answer 28

increase your following distance.
- This will make it safer for you and the tailgater and make it easier for them to pass you

Question 29

When driving during the summer, be alert for ________.

Answer 29

construction areas

Question 30

How high can a vehicle be, including the load it is hauling?

Answer 30

No more than 14 feet from ground to the top of the load
- No vehicle, including the load it is hauling, may be more than 14 feet in height from ground to the top of the load

Question 31

Combo vehicles weighing 3,000 pounds or less must be able to stop within ___ feet when travelling 20 mph.

Answer 31

40

Question 32

What is the color of rear clearance lamps on any truck, bus or trailer 80 inches or more in width?

Answer 32

Red
- Any truck, bus, or trailer 80 in or more in width must have two red clearance lamps on the back and two Amber clearance lamps on the front

Question 33

Reflectors on CMVs that are 80 or more inches wide must be mounted at least ___ inches but no more than ___ inches above the ground.

Answer 33

24, 60

Question 34

You may not drive a CMV with _______ on a highway.

Answer 34

studded rims

Question 35

Outside business and residential districts, school buses, and other buses carrying passengers must always ______ at ________.

Answer 35

Stop, uncontrolled railroad crossings

Question 36

The max length for a single motor vehicle other than a truck tractor is ______.

Answer 36

45 feet

Question 37

A semitrailer may not exceed ___ feet when operated in a truck tractor and semitrailer combination.

Answer 37

59

Question 38

When operated on a highway at night, such slow-moving vehicles as animal-drawn carts, farm tractors, & road machinery must have ____________ that are visible for 1,000 feet.

Answer 38

One white light on the front and two red lights on the rear

Question 39

When light lamps are not required, what must be used as indicators (instead of flares, lights, or reflectors)?

Answer 39

Two red flags