ELDT Hazmat Practice Test: 25 Free Questions

Before you can take the hazmat (H) knowledge test at your state licensing agency, you must complete ELDT hazmat theory with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry and pass its assessment with a score of 80% or higher. Hazmat has no behind-the-wheel part.

These 25 questions cover the rules that come up most: placarding, shipping papers, parking, fueling and loading. Pick an answer to see whether it is right, why, and which federal rule it comes from. They are practice only. They are not the questions from our course assessment or from any state test, so use them to find the topics you need to review.

1. Which of these materials requires placards in any amount, even a single small package?
Answer: B.
Division 2.3 poison gas is in placarding Table 1, which applies to any quantity. Flammable liquids and corrosives are Table 2 materials, and Class 9 does not need a placard for domestic highway transport.
Source: 49 CFR 172.504(e)
2. A van carries only non-bulk packages of Table 2 materials. At what aggregate gross weight must it be placarded?
Answer: D.
Placards are not required for Table 2 materials in non-bulk packages when the vehicle holds less than 454 kg (1,001 pounds) of them in total. At 1,001 pounds or more, it must be placarded.
Source: 49 CFR 172.504(c)
3. Where must placards be displayed on a placarded transport vehicle?
Answer: A.
A placarded vehicle must show the required placard on each side and each end, so it can be seen from any direction.
Source: 49 CFR 172.504(a)
4. A trailer carries non-bulk packages of two Table 2 categories. When may the driver use a DANGEROUS placard?
Answer: C.
The DANGEROUS placard may replace separate Table 2 placards for mixed loads. If 1,000 kg (2,205 pounds) or more of one category is loaded at one facility, that category's own placard is required.
Source: 49 CFR 172.504(b)
5. What is the minimum size of a diamond-shaped hazmat placard?
Answer: A.
Each square-on-point placard must measure at least 250 mm (9.84 inches) on each side, with a solid inner border line.
Source: 49 CFR 172.519(c)
6. While you are at the controls, where must the hazmat shipping paper be?
Answer: C.
At the controls, the shipping paper must be within immediate reach while you are restrained by the lap belt, and either readily visible to someone entering the cab or in a holder on the inside of the driver's door.
Source: 49 CFR 177.817(e)
7. You step away from the cab at a customer's dock. Where must the hazmat shipping paper be?
Answer: B.
When the driver is not at the controls, the shipping paper must be in the holder on the inside of the driver's door or on the driver's seat, where emergency responders expect to find it.
Source: 49 CFR 177.817(e)
8. Your hazmat shipping paper is mixed in with other freight bills. What does the rule require?
Answer: D.
The hazmat shipping paper must be clearly distinguished from other papers, either by distinctive tabbing or by appearing first.
Source: 49 CFR 177.817(e)(1)
9. In what order must the basic description appear on a shipping paper?
Answer: A.
The basic description is the identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class or division, and packing group, in that sequence with nothing in between, for example "UN1203, Gasoline, 3, PG II".
Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)-(b)
10. What do the letters "RQ" on a shipping paper mean?
Answer: B.
"RQ" marks a hazardous substance shipped in a reportable quantity. It appears before or after the basic description.
Source: 49 CFR 172.203(c)
11. In column 1 of the Hazardous Materials Table, what does the letter "G" tell the shipper?
Answer: C.
"G" marks generic proper shipping names. The technical name of the hazardous material must be entered in parentheses with the basic description.
Source: 49 CFR 172.101(b)(4)
12. The emergency response telephone number on a shipping paper must be:
Answer: D.
The number must be monitored at all times the material is in transportation, including storage incidental to transportation, by someone knowledgeable about the material or with immediate access to such a person.
Source: 49 CFR 172.604
13. Which packing group indicates the greatest danger?
Answer: B.
Packing groups rank the degree of danger: I is great danger, II is medium danger and III is minor danger.
Source: 49 CFR 171.8
14. Which hazard class is corrosive material?
Answer: A.
Class 8 is corrosive material: a liquid or solid that causes irreversible damage to skin, or corrodes steel or aluminum at a severe rate.
Source: 49 CFR 173.136
15. How close to a vehicle carrying Class 1 explosives or Class 3 flammable liquids may anyone smoke?
Answer: D.
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, or flammable materials such as Division 2.1 and Class 3.
Source: 49 CFR 397.13
16. When fueling a vehicle that contains hazardous materials, which rule applies?
Answer: B.
During fueling the engine must not be running, and a person must be in control of the fueling process at the point where the fuel tank is filled.
Source: 49 CFR 397.15
17. A vehicle loaded with Division 1.1 explosives is parked on a public highway outside a safe haven. Which rule applies?
Answer: B.
A vehicle with Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material must be attended at all times by its driver or a qualified representative of the carrier, with narrow exceptions such as an approved safe haven.
Source: 49 CFR 397.5(a)
18. Under the hazmat attendance rules, when is a vehicle considered "attended"?
Answer: C.
A vehicle is attended when the person in charge is on it, awake and not in the sleeper berth, or is within 100 feet of it and has it in unobstructed view.
Source: 49 CFR 397.5(d)
19. Except for brief operational stops, how far must a vehicle with Division 1.1 explosives be parked from a bridge, tunnel or occupied building?
Answer: A.
A vehicle containing Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material must not be parked within 300 feet of a bridge, tunnel, dwelling, or place where people work, congregate or assemble, except briefly when operations make it necessary.
Source: 49 CFR 397.7(a)(3)
20. A vehicle carries hazmat that is not an explosive. How close to the traveled part of a public road may it be parked, except for brief necessary stops?
Answer: C.
A vehicle with hazardous materials must not be parked on or within five feet of the traveled portion of a public street or highway, except for brief periods when operations require it.
Source: 49 CFR 397.7(b)
21. How often must the driver of a hazmat vehicle examine its tires?
Answer: A.
The driver must examine each tire at the beginning of each trip and each time the vehicle is parked. A flat, leaking or overheated tire must be dealt with before the vehicle goes on.
Source: 49 CFR 397.17
22. You are driving a vehicle placarded for Class 3 flammable liquid toward a railroad crossing. Where must you stop?
Answer: B.
Vehicles placarded for classes such as Class 3 must stop within 50 feet of, and not closer than 15 feet to, the tracks, then look and listen both ways before crossing without shifting gears.
Source: 49 CFR 392.10
23. What must be done before hazardous materials are loaded onto or unloaded from a motor vehicle?
Answer: D.
No hazardous material may be loaded or unloaded unless the handbrake is securely set and all other reasonable precautions are taken to prevent motion of the vehicle.
Source: 49 CFR 177.834(e)
24. During the unloading of a cargo tank, how close must the qualified person attending it stay?
Answer: B.
The qualified person attending the unloading of a cargo tank must be within 25 feet of it, alert, and have an unobstructed view of the cargo tank and delivery hose as far as practicable.
Source: 49 CFR 177.834(i)
25. What is the minimum overall score to pass the ELDT hazmat theory assessment?
Answer: C.
Training providers must use written assessments for the theory portion, and the driver-trainee must receive an overall minimum score of 80 percent. The provider then reports the completion to the Training Provider Registry.
Source: 49 CFR 380.715(a)

0 of 25 correct (0%)

0 of 25 answered. The ELDT theory assessment needs 80% to pass.

How the hazmat knowledge test works

The real hazmat test is a written or computer-based knowledge test given by your state driver licensing agency. Federal rules require a score of at least 80 percent to pass any CDL knowledge test (49 CFR 383.135), and the hazmat test draws on the topic list in 49 CFR 383.121: the hazardous materials table, shipping papers, placarding, loading and segregation, attendance and parking, emergency response and routing. Retake waiting periods and test fees are set by each state.

Before the state lets you take it, two things have to be in place. If you are adding the H endorsement for the first time, the state checks the FMCSA Training Provider Registry for your ELDT hazmat theory record, which your provider submits after you pass its assessment with an overall score of 80 percent or higher. You also need a TSA Security Threat Assessment before the endorsement can be issued; many drivers start that first, because it takes the longest.

This practice test uses the same 80 percent line. Twenty of the 25 questions is a pass. If you fall short, read the explanation under each question you missed, then review that section of your state CDL manual, which is free and is what the state test is written from.

What these 25 questions cover

Placarding (49 CFR Part 172, Subpart F): Table 1 materials that need placards in any amount, the 1,001-pound threshold for Table 2 materials, where placards go on the vehicle, when a DANGEROUS placard is allowed, and the minimum placard size.

Shipping papers and the Hazardous Materials Table (49 CFR 172.101, 172.202-172.203, 172.604 and 177.817): where the papers must be while you drive and when you leave the cab, how they are kept separate from other freight bills, the order of the basic description, the meaning of RQ and the letter codes in column 1, the emergency response telephone number, and hazard classes and packing groups.

Parking, attendance, smoking, fueling and routing (49 CFR Part 397 and 177.834): how far from the road and from bridges, tunnels and buildings an explosives load may stop, when a vehicle counts as attended, who may stay near a cargo tank while it unloads, the smoking distance around explosives and flammable liquids, fueling rules and tire checks.

Driving rules and training (49 CFR 392.10 and Part 380): where a placarded vehicle stops at a railroad crossing, what must happen before loading or unloading, and the 80 percent passing score for the ELDT hazmat theory assessment that your provider reports to the registry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as the state hazmat knowledge test?

No. These 25 questions are practice written from the federal hazardous materials rules. The state hazmat knowledge test is given by your driver licensing agency and is written from the hazmat section of your state CDL manual, but it covers the same federal topic list (49 CFR 383.121), so the subjects overlap heavily. The questions here are also not taken from our course assessment or from any state test.

What score do I need to pass the hazmat knowledge test?

At least 80 percent. Federal rules set that minimum for every CDL knowledge test (49 CFR 383.135). The ELDT hazmat theory assessment that comes before the state test also requires an overall score of 80 percent or higher, and this practice test uses the same line: 20 of 25.

Do I need to finish ELDT hazmat theory before I take the state hazmat test?

Yes, if you are adding the H endorsement for the first time on or after February 7, 2022. The state confirms your hazmat theory completion on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before it gives the knowledge test. Hazmat ELDT is theory only, so an online course from a registered provider covers the whole training requirement; the TSA Security Threat Assessment is a separate step the state needs before it issues the endorsement.

Ready for the real course?

ELDT hazmat theory is $20 with us, self-paced on your phone, and reported to the FMCSA registry automatically when you pass.

Hazmat

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ENDORSEMENT

Required theory training for transporting hazardous materials safely and legally.

12 hours

13 lessons

English

FMCSA Compliant Curriculum
TPR Submission Included
Certificate of Completion
Mobile-Friendly Access

$20

View Course Enroll