CDL Tanker Endorsement Practice Test 2026: Practice test 2

Practice test 2 of 2 for the CDL Tanker Endorsement Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Commercial vehicle
United States
50 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 of 25
What kind of surge do baffles reduce?
- Side-to-side surge
- All surge completely
- Up-and-down movement only
- Forward and backward surge
Show answer
Answer: D. Forward and backward surge
Baffles control front-to-back surge. Side-to-side surge can still happen and can cause a rollover.
Question 2 of 25
Even with baffles, what kind of surge can still cause a rollover?
- Surge only happens in empty tanks
- Forward surge
- Side-to-side surge
- Backward surge
Show answer
Answer: C. Side-to-side surge
Baffles do not stop side-to-side surge. Take care when steering and on curves.
Question 3 of 25
What is a smooth bore tank?
- A tank with nothing inside to slow the liquid
- A tank with many baffles to slow the liquid
- A tank with solid bulkheads between parts
- A tank that is used only for carrying gas
Show answer
Answer: A. A tank with nothing inside to slow the liquid
Smooth bore (unbaffled) tanks have no bulkheads or baffles, so forward and back surge is very strong.
Question 4 of 25
Why are smooth bore tanks often used for food products like milk?
- Baffles make milk spoil faster
- Sanitation rules forbid baffles in them
- Smooth bore tanks can hold more weight
- Milk does not surge in a tank
Show answer
Answer: B. Sanitation rules forbid baffles in them
Sanitation rules forbid baffles in tanks for some food products, so these tanks are smooth inside.
Question 5 of 25
When should you be most careful driving a smooth bore tank?
- Only when parked
- Only on straight, flat roads
- When starting and stopping
- Only when the tank is full to the top
Show answer
Answer: C. When starting and stopping
Surge is strongest in smooth bore tanks, so be very careful when starting and stopping.
Question 6 of 25
Which kind of tank has the strongest front-to-back surge?
- They all surge the same
- The smooth bore tank
- The baffled tank
- The tank with solid bulkheads
Show answer
Answer: B. The smooth bore tank
With nothing inside to slow the liquid, a smooth bore tank has the strongest forward and backward surge.
Question 7 of 25
What is outage?
- Space left in a tank so the liquid can expand
- The amount of liquid that leaked out
- The time a tank is out of service
- The tank's total capacity
Show answer
Answer: A. Space left in a tank so the liquid can expand
Never fill a cargo tank completely. Liquids expand as they warm, so you must leave room called outage.
Question 8 of 25
Why must you never fill a cargo tank to the very top?
- Liquids expand as they warm up
- Full tanks are too light
- The valves won't close
- Full tanks surge more
Show answer
Answer: A. Liquids expand as they warm up
Liquids expand when they get warm, and the tank needs room for that expansion.
Question 9 of 25
How much outage do you need?
- Always half of the tank's size
- It depends on the liquid you haul
- Always exactly 10% of the tank
- None at all when hauling water
Show answer
Answer: B. It depends on the liquid you haul
Different liquids expand by different amounts, so they need different amounts of outage.
Question 10 of 25
Which things decide how much liquid you can load into a tank?
- Only the weather on the day of the trip
- Only the size of the tank, nothing else
- Only what the driver prefers to carry
- Expansion, the liquid's weight, and weight limits
Show answer
Answer: D. Expansion, the liquid's weight, and weight limits
The amount depends on expansion during transit, the liquid's weight and legal weight limits.
Question 11 of 25
Why are tanks carrying very dense liquids, such as some acids, often only partly loaded?
- A full tank could be over the legal weight limit
- Dense liquids do not surge
- Partly full tanks are more stable
- Acids must be kept half empty by law in all cases
Show answer
Answer: A. A full tank could be over the legal weight limit
Dense liquids are very heavy. A full tank may exceed legal weight limits, so it may be loaded only partway.
Question 12 of 25
Why should a tank vehicle driver be extra careful when steering quickly to avoid a crash?
- Tankers cannot steer quickly at all
- Top-heavy vehicles may flip over
- Steering drains the tank
- Quick steering is always safer in a tanker
Show answer
Answer: B. Top-heavy vehicles may flip over
You can usually turn faster than you can stop, but top-heavy vehicles such as tankers may flip.
Question 13 of 25
A cargo tank used for hazardous materials is empty. Must it still stop before railroad crossings?
- Only if placarded with Class 1
- Only at night
- No, empty tanks never stop
- Yes, loaded or empty
Show answer
Answer: D. Yes, loaded or empty
Cargo tanks used for hazardous materials must stop at railroad crossings whether they are loaded or empty.
Question 14 of 25
Where must a tank vehicle that is required to stop at a railroad crossing stop?
- 5 to 10 feet from the nearest rail
- 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail
- At least 100 feet from the rail
- On the tracks, to look both ways
Show answer
Answer: B. 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail
Vehicles that must stop do so within 50 feet of, and not closer than 15 feet to, the tracks.
Question 15 of 25
How close to a vehicle with an empty tank that held flammable liquid may someone smoke?
- No closer than 5 feet
- Anywhere, once the tank is empty
- No closer than 25 feet
- No closer than 10 feet
Show answer
Answer: C. No closer than 25 feet
No smoking within 25 feet of vehicles carrying flammable materials or empty tanks that held them.
Question 16 of 25
While a hazmat cargo tank is being loaded or unloaded, where must the person attending it be?
- Within 25 feet, with a clear view
- In the cab with the windows closed
- At least 100 feet away from it
- Anywhere on the loading property
Show answer
Answer: A. Within 25 feet, with a clear view
The person in charge of loading or unloading must stay within 25 feet and have a clear view.
Question 17 of 25
What must you do before moving a cargo tank that holds hazardous materials?
- Remove the gaskets
- Close all manholes and valves
- Leave the discharge valve open
- Open the vents fully
Show answer
Answer: B. Close all manholes and valves
Close all manholes and valves before moving any tank that holds hazardous materials.
Question 18 of 25
When loading flammable liquid into a cargo tank, when must the tank be grounded?
- Only after the loading is completely finished
- Before opening the filling hole until it is closed
- Only when it is raining or the ground is wet
- Never; cargo tanks do not need to be grounded
Show answer
Answer: B. Before opening the filling hole until it is closed
Ground the cargo tank before opening a filling hole and keep it grounded until the hole is closed.
Question 19 of 25
Your tank vehicle is 50 feet long and you are traveling at 50 mph. What following distance should you keep?
- At least 10 seconds
- At least 6 seconds
- At least 4 seconds
- At least 2 seconds
Show answer
Answer: B. At least 6 seconds
Allow 1 second per 10 feet (5 seconds) plus 1 second above 40 mph.
Question 20 of 25
How should you drive a tank vehicle on a wet road?
- Brake hard and often to test grip
- Slow down by about one-third
- Drive at your normal speed
- Speed up so the surge settles
Show answer
Answer: B. Slow down by about one-third
Wet roads can double stopping distance. Slow down by about one-third.
Question 21 of 25
What should you do when entering a curve in a tank vehicle?
- Shift to neutral and coast through
- Slow down before it, not in it
- Speed up as you enter the curve
- Brake hard in the middle of the curve
Show answer
Answer: B. Slow down before it, not in it
Slow before the curve. Braking in the curve can cause a skid, and surge plus a high center of gravity raise the rollover risk.
Question 22 of 25
Which statement about tank vehicles and ABS is true?
- ABS lets you drive faster on curves
- ABS removes the danger of liquid surge
- ABS helps you steer but may not shorten stops
- ABS stops side-to-side surge in the tank
Show answer
Answer: C. ABS helps you steer but may not shorten stops
ABS prevents wheel lockup so you can steer. It does not change how liquid surges or always shorten stopping distance.
Question 23 of 25
On a long downgrade in a tank vehicle, how should you control your speed?
- A low gear chosen before the grade, and steady braking
- Hold the brakes down lightly all the way
- Use only the parking brake on the grade
- Coast down in neutral to save the brakes
Show answer
Answer: A. A low gear chosen before the grade, and steady braking
Select a low gear before going down. Use the engine as the main control and brake to about 5 mph below safe speed, then release.
Question 24 of 25
This diagram shows a partly filled tank stopping. Why should you brake early and smoothly?
- So the outage space fills up evenly
- So surge doesn't push the truck forward
- So the liquid cools down on the way
- So the liquid has time to expand
Show answer
Answer: B. So surge doesn't push the truck forward
Smooth, early braking reduces the surge that can push the truck forward when you stop.
Question 25 of 25
Why is it important to know how your specific tank vehicle handles?
- Handling only matters when the tank is empty
- Surge and load height change how it handles
- Tankers never skid, so speed doesn't matter
- All tankers handle exactly like cars do
Show answer
Answer: B. Surge and load height change how it handles
Drivers must know their vehicle well because surge and load height change how it handles.

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