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Hazardous materials

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Hazardous materials

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Question 1 of 80
  1. 1. Who normally classifies a shipment and supplies its proper shipping description before the carrier accepts it?
  2. 2. At pickup, a hazardous-material package visibly leaks its contents, with no authorized venting or other exception. What should the driver do?
  3. 3. Under the general federal hazmat-employee training rule, how often is recurrent training required?
  4. 4. A newly hired hazmat employee has not finished required initial training. What condition permits covered work during the initial training period?
  5. 5. After a hazmat employee leaves that role with an employer, how long must that employer keep the required current training record?
  6. 6. Which employees need the applicable in-depth security training in addition to general security awareness?
  7. 7. For an ordinary highway shipment assigned a packing group, which basic-description order is correct?
  8. 8. Hazardous and nonhazardous freight appear on one shipping paper. Which is an accepted way to identify the hazardous entries?
  9. 9. What language must the required hazardous-material shipping description use for covered U.S. transportation?
  10. 10. Which abbreviation is expressly allowed in the shipping-paper rules when it is commonly accepted and recognizable?
  11. 11. A required shipping paper spans three pages. How should the pages be identified?
  12. 12. Where may the total quantity appear relative to the basic hazardous-material description?
  13. 13. When a subsidiary hazard class must be shown on a shipping paper, where is its number entered?
  14. 14. A material's table entry has no assigned packing group. Should the driver invent a packing group to fill the description?
  15. 15. A shipper uses an outside emergency-response telephone service. What associated identification must appear as prescribed on the paper?
  16. 16. Which information must be included in the required emergency-response information?
  17. 17. For a non-waste hazardous-material shipment, how long must a receiving motor carrier retain the required shipping-paper copy?
  18. 18. What does a material's hazard class communicate?
  19. 19. Which Hazardous Materials Table column supplies the identification number used in the basic shipping description?
  20. 20. Which Hazardous Materials Table column gives the proper shipping name?
  21. 21. Where does the Hazardous Materials Table identify required hazard labels?
  22. 22. Absent an applicable exception, where must required placards be displayed on a transport vehicle containing hazardous materials?
  23. 23. A highway shipment contains 200 pounds of Division 4.3 material with no applicable exception. Does being below 1,001 pounds remove its placarding requirement?
  24. 24. A truck carries 900 pounds aggregate gross weight of ordinary Class 3 material in non-bulk packages. No subsidiary-hazard or other special requirement applies. What does 172.504(c) permit?
  25. 25. When applying the Table 2 aggregate gross-weight placarding threshold, does packaging weight count?
  26. 26. Can a bulk package rely on the general less-than-1,001-pound Table 2 placarding exception merely because it contains little material?
  27. 27. A vehicle carries qualifying non-bulk packages from two Table 2 categories requiring different placards. Neither category reaches 2,205 pounds loaded at one facility. Which option may be available?
  28. 28. A qualifying mixed non-bulk load uses DANGEROUS placards. One facility loads 2,300 pounds aggregate gross weight of Class 8 material. What additional category display is required?
  29. 29. For a domestic Class 9 shipment in bulk packaging, what is true even though a CLASS 9 placard is not required?
  30. 30. For a tractor and cargo body, may the required front placard be displayed on the front of the truck-tractor?
  31. 31. Hazardous-material packages are not permanently attached to the vehicle. What must their securement prevent during normal transportation?
  32. 32. A package bears required orientation arrows. How must it be carried?
  33. 33. Before loading or unloading hazardous material, what must be done to prevent the vehicle from moving?
  34. 34. A tool could damage a hazardous package's closure during unloading. Should it be used?
  35. 35. A cargo-tank unloading operation uses the ordinary in-person attendance method, with no special exception or alternative system. How close must the qualified person remain?
  36. 36. For ordinary in-person cargo-tank attendance, which person is qualified?
  37. 37. An approved remote cargo-tank monitoring system loses its monitoring capability during transfer. What must happen?
  38. 38. An ordinary hazardous-liquid cargo tank still contains product. One manhole is unsecured. May it be driven a short distance to the exit?
  39. 39. Two hazardous products each have correct papers. What else must be checked before placing them together in the same cargo space?
  40. 40. A placarded vehicle requires attendance. The attendant is outside, 80 feet away, but a building blocks the view. Does this meet the attendance definition?
  41. 41. A placarded vehicle needs an attendant. Does a driver asleep in the sleeper berth satisfy the rule?
  42. 42. What makes a parking area a safe haven for unattended Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 loads?
  43. 43. A truck containing Division 1.2 material is parked four feet from the traveled part of a public highway. Is this allowed under the parking rule?
  44. 44. A driver of a placarded Class 3 vehicle wants to park within five feet of the traveled roadway for personal shopping. Does the brief operational-necessity exception cover that stop?
  45. 45. A Division 1.1 vehicle is to be parked 200 feet from a dwelling, with no qualifying operational necessity. Is that within the prohibited zone?
  46. 46. Before parking a Division 1.3 vehicle on private property, what must the person in charge of that property know and provide?
  47. 47. How close may a vehicle carrying covered hazardous materials be parked to an open fire under 397.11?
  48. 48. A placarded truck contains Class 3 flammable liquid. Someone stands 15 feet away with a lit cigarette. Is that far enough under the smoking rule?
  49. 49. An empty tank vehicle previously carried placard-required Class 3 flammable liquid. Does emptying the liquid by itself remove the 25-foot smoking restriction?
  50. 50. A truck containing covered hazardous materials stops to refuel its own fuel tank. What does the hazmat fueling rule require?
  51. 51. Before offering hazardous material in a package, who must ensure the package materials are compatible with its contents?
  52. 52. A closed hazardous-material package has hazardous residue adhering to its outside. Does a tight closure alone make this acceptable for ordinary transport?
  53. 53. When does the tire rule for covered hazardous-material vehicles require examination of each tire?
  54. 54. A covered hazmat truck has a flat tire. Where may it be driven under the repair-location exception?
  55. 55. A tire on a covered hazmat vehicle is found overheated. What must be resolved before further operation?
  56. 56. A Class 3 placard-required truck approaches an ordinary railroad grade crossing with no applicable exception. Where must it stop?
  57. 57. A cargo tank formerly used to transport hazardous material is empty. At an ordinary grade crossing with no applicable exception, does empty status alone remove the federal stop requirement?
  58. 58. After making a required railroad stop, how should the driver choose a gear for crossing?
  59. 59. Which shipping information helps responders locate the appropriate entry in the Emergency Response Guidebook?
  60. 60. You notice an unfamiliar leak from hazardous cargo. How should you identify the material without deliberately exposing yourself?
  61. 61. A transportation incident meets 171.15's NRC telephone-report criteria. When must the person in physical possession notify the NRC?
  62. 62. A hazardous-material incident closes an interstate on-ramp for exactly one hour while the main lanes stay open. Does that meet the road-closure reporting trigger?
  63. 63. After filing a required detailed hazardous-material incident report, how long must the reporting person retain a copy?
  64. 64. After an incident covered by 171.16, what is the ordinary deadline for the detailed hazardous-material incident report?
  65. 65. A truck carries enough hazardous material to require placards. What minimum extinguisher rating must its power unit carry under 393.95(a)?
  66. 66. A fully charged extinguisher is secured behind cargo that must first be unloaded. Does this meet the required installation standard?
  67. 67. For winter operation, which extinguisher-agent condition is required by 393.95(a)?
  68. 68. An extinguisher has no pressure gauge but provides another way to visually determine whether it is fully charged. Is the missing gauge alone disqualifying?
  69. 69. A cargo tank used for Class 3 flammable liquids is empty. May the truck carry unlit fusees (flame-producing road flares)?
  70. 70. A commercial vehicle uses compressed gas as motor fuel but carries ordinary freight. May it carry fusees under 393.95(g)?
  71. 71. An old equipment checklist lists three liquid-burning emergency flares as an alternative to triangles. What changed in March 2026?
  72. 72. A checklist says federal 393.95(b) always requires spare electrical fuses unless circuit breakers are fitted. What changed in April 2026?
  73. 73. Hazardous cargo causes nearby residents to be evacuated for exactly one hour during transportation. Does this reach the public-evacuation NRC-notice threshold?
  74. 74. You must make an initial NRC report, but some cargo details are not yet known. What information belongs in the notice?
  75. 75. After exposure to hazardous cargo, a person is examined in an emergency room and released without admission. Does that alone meet the hospital-admission reporting criterion?
  76. 76. A collision kills someone, but the hazardous cargo remains intact and did not cause the death. Does the cargo's presence alone satisfy the hazmat-fatality NRC criterion?
  77. 77. Undeclared hazardous material is discovered during transportation, without leakage. Is a detailed incident report required?
  78. 78. A radioactive shipment's outer package breaks, but the inner receptacle remains intact. Does PHMSA require NRC notification?
  79. 79. At delivery, the driver stays and observes unloading when a reportable hazmat incident occurs. Who must file?
  80. 80. After delivery is complete and the carrier has left, the consignee unloads and spills material. Which reporting statement is correct?
Review all 80 questions with answers

  1. Who normally classifies a shipment and supplies its proper shipping description before the carrier accepts it?

    Correct answer: The shipper offering the material.

    The shipper normally classifies and describes the material. Each offeror remains responsible for the functions it performs; a carrier cannot knowingly accept an improperly prepared shipment.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 22-0041, September 9, 2022; shipper classification and proper description; also 49 CFR 171.2(b), (e)–(f); reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  2. At pickup, a hazardous-material package visibly leaks its contents, with no authorized venting or other exception. What should the driver do?

    Correct answer: Refuse it and have the problem resolved before transport.

    Packaging must prevent identifiable releases under normal transportation conditions, except where specifically authorized. A carrier must not accept this leaking shipment; have the problem resolved before transport.

    Source: 49 CFR 173.24(b)(1); also 171.2(e); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  3. Under the general federal hazmat-employee training rule, how often is recurrent training required?

    Correct answer: At least once every three years.

    Recurrent hazmat-employee training is required at least every three years. A CDL renewal is not a substitute, and required training for changed duties or rules must not be postponed until that interval expires.

    Source: PHMSA Training Requirements for Industry, updated October 8, 2024; 49 CFR 172.704 initial and recurrent training; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  4. A newly hired hazmat employee has not finished required initial training. What condition permits covered work during the initial training period?

    Correct answer: Direct supervision by a properly trained, knowledgeable hazmat employee.

    Initial training must be completed within 90 days, and covered functions performed beforehand must be under the specified direct supervision. This does not waive separate driver licensing requirements.

    Source: PHMSA Training Requirements for Industry, updated October 8, 2024; 49 CFR 172.704 initial and recurrent training; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  5. After a hazmat employee leaves that role with an employer, how long must that employer keep the required current training record?

    Correct answer: For 90 days after employment as a hazmat employee ends.

    The employer retains current training records, inclusive of the preceding three years, throughout hazmat employment and for 90 days thereafter.

    Source: PHMSA Training Requirements for Industry, updated October 8, 2024; 49 CFR 172.704 recordkeeping; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  6. Which employees need the applicable in-depth security training in addition to general security awareness?

    Correct answer: Employees covered by a required hazardous-material security plan.

    PHMSA lists general security awareness among hazmat training subjects and in-depth security training when a security plan is required. The training must match the employee's covered duties.

    Source: PHMSA Training Requirements for Industry, updated October 8, 2024; 49 CFR 172.704 training categories; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  7. For an ordinary highway shipment assigned a packing group, which basic-description order is correct?

    Correct answer: Identification number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group.

    The four basic elements must appear in the prescribed sequence, without unrelated information inserted between them. Authorized technical names and subsidiary hazards follow their specific rules.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(1)–(4), (b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  8. Hazardous and nonhazardous freight appear on one shipping paper. Which is an accepted way to identify the hazardous entries?

    Correct answer: Put an X before their basic descriptions in an HM column.

    PHMSA describes an X in the HM column as one accepted method. Hazardous entries can alternatively be listed first or presented in the specified contrasting color; merely marking the total weight is not sufficient.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 15-0189, January 8, 2016; 49 CFR 172.201(a)(1), identifying hazardous entries; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  9. What language must the required hazardous-material shipping description use for covered U.S. transportation?

    Correct answer: Legible English.

    The required shipping description and transport copies must be legible and printed manually or mechanically in English.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 10-0140, August 11, 2010; 49 CFR 172.201(a)(2), legible English shipping descriptions; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  10. Which abbreviation is expressly allowed in the shipping-paper rules when it is commonly accepted and recognizable?

    Correct answer: A packaging-type abbreviation such as cyl. for cylinder.

    Commonly recognized packaging-type abbreviations and measurement units can be used. This does not authorize improvised abbreviations in the required material description.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(7), (c)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  11. A required shipping paper spans three pages. How should the pages be identified?

    Correct answer: Number them consecutively and show the total on page one.

    Each page must be consecutively numbered, and the first must indicate the total, such as page 1 of 3.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 15-0189, January 8, 2016; 49 CFR 172.201(c), multipage shipping papers; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  12. Where may the total quantity appear relative to the basic hazardous-material description?

    Correct answer: Before or after the basic description.

    Quantity and packaging information can appear before or after the basic description. They must not interrupt its prescribed sequence.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(b), (c)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  13. When a subsidiary hazard class must be shown on a shipping paper, where is its number entered?

    Correct answer: In parentheses immediately after the primary hazard class.

    Required subsidiary hazard numbers follow the primary class in parentheses. The rule includes exceptions when a corresponding subsidiary label is not required.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(3); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  14. A material's table entry has no assigned packing group. Should the driver invent a packing group to fill the description?

    Correct answer: No; apply the entry's requirements without inventing one.

    Packing groups are shown when assigned and required. The rules specifically except entries with no assigned group and several named categories.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(4); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  15. A shipper uses an outside emergency-response telephone service. What associated identification must appear as prescribed on the paper?

    Correct answer: The registered person's name or assigned contract or unique identifier.

    The provider needs to link the call to the registered person's current shipment information. Placement and prominent-identification alternatives are specified in the rule.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.604(b)(2); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  16. Which information must be included in the required emergency-response information?

    Correct answer: Health hazards, fire risks and preliminary first-aid measures.

    The required information also includes the material description, immediate precautions, and initial methods for fires, spills and leaks. It must be immediately accessible for an incident.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.602(a), (c); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  17. For a non-waste hazardous-material shipment, how long must a receiving motor carrier retain the required shipping-paper copy?

    Correct answer: One year after the carrier accepts the material.

    The receiving motor carrier keeps the required non-waste shipping-paper copy for one year after acceptance. Its hazardous-waste shipping papers have a separate three-year period under 177.817(f).

    Source: 49 CFR 177.817(f); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  18. What does a material's hazard class communicate?

    Correct answer: The kind of transportation hazard assigned to the material.

    Hazard classes organize materials by their transportation hazards. They are not cargo-value or driver-experience ratings.

    Source: 49 CFR 171.8, Hazard class definition; current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  19. Which Hazardous Materials Table column supplies the identification number used in the basic shipping description?

    Correct answer: Column 4, which supplies the identification number.

    The shipping-description rule directs the identification number to Column 4 of the Hazardous Materials Table. That number does not replace the other required basic-description elements.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  20. Which Hazardous Materials Table column gives the proper shipping name?

    Correct answer: Column 2.

    The shipping-description rule requires the proper shipping name prescribed in Column 2 of the Hazardous Materials Table. The identification number and hazard class come from different columns.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.202(a)(2); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  21. Where does the Hazardous Materials Table identify required hazard labels?

    Correct answer: Column 6.

    Column 6 specifies hazard labels for the entry. Additional subsidiary-hazard labels can be required under 172.402, so Column 6 must not be treated as overriding all other labeling provisions.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 22-0041, September 9, 2022; 49 CFR 172.101(g) and 172.402, label requirements; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  22. Absent an applicable exception, where must required placards be displayed on a transport vehicle containing hazardous materials?

    Correct answer: On each side and each end.

    The general rule specifies each side and each end, with the placards appropriate to the material. Other provisions contain visibility, combination-vehicle and packaging exceptions.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(a); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  23. A highway shipment contains 200 pounds of Division 4.3 material with no applicable exception. Does being below 1,001 pounds remove its placarding requirement?

    Correct answer: No; Division 4.3 is in Table 1.

    Division 4.3 is a Table 1 hazard. The general less-than-1,001-pound exception for certain Table 2 non-bulk loads does not apply.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(a), (c), (e) Table 1; current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  24. A truck carries 900 pounds aggregate gross weight of ordinary Class 3 material in non-bulk packages. No subsidiary-hazard or other special requirement applies. What does 172.504(c) permit?

    Correct answer: Transport without a placard under the stated weight exception.

    The exception is for less than 1,001 pounds aggregate gross weight of Table 2 hazardous material in the stated circumstances. It does not erase other hazardous-material requirements.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(c); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  25. When applying the Table 2 aggregate gross-weight placarding threshold, does packaging weight count?

    Correct answer: Yes; gross weight includes packaging and contents.

    The threshold uses the gross weight of the hazardous packages, not merely net product weight or the vehicle's own weight.

    Source: 49 CFR 171.8, Gross weight definition; also 172.504(c); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  26. Can a bulk package rely on the general less-than-1,001-pound Table 2 placarding exception merely because it contains little material?

    Correct answer: No; that exception expressly excludes bulk packagings.

    Bulk-packaging and special subsidiary-hazard rules must be checked separately. The non-bulk aggregate-weight exception is not a general small-residue exemption for tanks.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(c), (d); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  27. A vehicle carries qualifying non-bulk packages from two Table 2 categories requiring different placards. Neither category reaches 2,205 pounds loaded at one facility. Which option may be available?

    Correct answer: A DANGEROUS placard instead of their separate Table 2 placards.

    172.504(b) allows the DANGEROUS option for the stated mixed non-bulk Table 2 load. It does not replace Table 1 or other separate requirements.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  28. A qualifying mixed non-bulk load uses DANGEROUS placards. One facility loads 2,300 pounds aggregate gross weight of Class 8 material. What additional category display is required?

    Correct answer: The CORROSIVE placard for that category.

    When at least 2,205 pounds of one Table 2 category is loaded at one facility, its specified category placard must be applied.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  29. For a domestic Class 9 shipment in bulk packaging, what is true even though a CLASS 9 placard is not required?

    Correct answer: The bulk packaging still needs the appropriate identification-number marking.

    The domestic placard exception does not remove bulk identification marking. The number can appear on the authorized Class 9 placard, orange panel or white square-on-point display.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.504(f)(9); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  30. For a tractor and cargo body, may the required front placard be displayed on the front of the truck-tractor?

    Correct answer: Yes; it may be there instead of or in addition to the cargo-body front.

    The rule expressly allows the required front display on the tractor. Other applicable placarding and visibility requirements remain.

    Source: 49 CFR 172.516(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  31. Hazardous-material packages are not permanently attached to the vehicle. What must their securement prevent during normal transportation?

    Correct answer: Shifting, including movement relative to other packages.

    Packages must be secured against normal transit movement. Loading must also minimize the chance of damage to valves and fittings.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(a); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  32. A package bears required orientation arrows. How must it be carried?

    Correct answer: In the indicated orientation throughout transportation.

    Required orientation markings control both loading position and the package's position during transport.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  33. Before loading or unloading hazardous material, what must be done to prevent the vehicle from moving?

    Correct answer: Securely set the parking brake and take other reasonable precautions.

    Set the parking brake securely and take other reasonable precautions to prevent movement. Neither apparently level ground nor transmission position replaces the required brake application.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(e); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  34. A tool could damage a hazardous package's closure during unloading. Should it be used?

    Correct answer: No; use handling equipment that will not damage containment.

    Tools likely to impair a package or its closure must not be used. The restriction concerns damaging tools, not a blanket ban on handling equipment.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(f); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  35. A cargo-tank unloading operation uses the ordinary in-person attendance method, with no special exception or alternative system. How close must the qualified person remain?

    Correct answer: Within 25 feet of the cargo tank.

    The ordinary method requires the qualified person within 25 feet, alert, and with the prescribed unobstructed view to the maximum extent practicable. Authorized alternative methods and product-specific exceptions have their own conditions.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(i)(3)(i); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  36. For ordinary in-person cargo-tank attendance, which person is qualified?

    Correct answer: One trained for the hazards and emergencies and able and authorized to move it.

    The attendant must know the material's hazards and emergency procedures and have authority and means to move the tank under this attendance method.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(i)(4); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  37. An approved remote cargo-tank monitoring system loses its monitoring capability during transfer. What must happen?

    Correct answer: Terminate transfer immediately and restore compliant attendance.

    The remote-system alternative requires immediate termination on loss of monitoring capability. A qualified person must immediately resume the required in-person attendance after remote-system failure.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(i)(3)(ii)(C), (E); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  38. An ordinary hazardous-liquid cargo tank still contains product. One manhole is unsecured. May it be driven a short distance to the exit?

    Correct answer: No; secure the manhole before moving the tank.

    The cargo-tank rule requires manhole closures closed and secured regardless of the quantity carried, subject to its stated empty-tank exception. A short distance is not itself an exception.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.834(j); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  39. Two hazardous products each have correct papers. What else must be checked before placing them together in the same cargo space?

    Correct answer: Whether the applicable segregation rules allow that combination.

    Correct papers do not establish compatibility. Apply the relevant segregation table, subsidiary-hazard provisions and specific prohibitions; a blank table entry does not override another applicable prohibition.

    Source: 49 CFR 177.848(a), (c)–(e); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  40. A placarded vehicle requires attendance. The attendant is outside, 80 feet away, but a building blocks the view. Does this meet the attendance definition?

    Correct answer: No; the vehicle must be in unobstructed view.

    An outside attendant must be within 100 feet and have an unobstructed view. On the vehicle, the attendant must be awake and not in a sleeper berth.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.5(d)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  41. A placarded vehicle needs an attendant. Does a driver asleep in the sleeper berth satisfy the rule?

    Correct answer: No; the on-vehicle attendant must be awake and outside the sleeper berth.

    The attendance definition specifically excludes sleeping and the sleeper berth. Its alternative outside position requires distance and unobstructed-view conditions.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.5(d)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  42. What makes a parking area a safe haven for unattended Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 loads?

    Correct answer: Specific written approval by a local, state or federal authority.

    Safe haven is a defined approval status, not a driver's description of a convenient place. The other applicable attendance conditions still matter.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.5(b), (d)(3); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  43. A truck containing Division 1.2 material is parked four feet from the traveled part of a public highway. Is this allowed under the parking rule?

    Correct answer: No; it cannot be parked on or within five feet.

    172.504 identifies this hazard for placarding, and 397.7(a)(1) forbids parking on or within five feet of the traveled portion of a public street or highway.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.7(a)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  44. A driver of a placarded Class 3 vehicle wants to park within five feet of the traveled roadway for personal shopping. Does the brief operational-necessity exception cover that stop?

    Correct answer: No; personal shopping is not the stated operational necessity.

    The exception requires a brief operational necessity and impracticability of parking elsewhere. It does not provide a general convenience-parking exemption.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.7(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  45. A Division 1.1 vehicle is to be parked 200 feet from a dwelling, with no qualifying operational necessity. Is that within the prohibited zone?

    Correct answer: Yes; the rule uses 300 feet in these circumstances.

    The rule restricts parking within 300 feet of bridges, tunnels, dwellings and places where people work or assemble, with a narrowly stated brief operational exception.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.7(a)(3); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  46. Before parking a Division 1.3 vehicle on private property, what must the person in charge of that property know and provide?

    Correct answer: Awareness of the hazardous contents and consent to park.

    Knowledge and consent must come from the person in charge of the property, who must be aware of the nature of the hazardous materials.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.7(a)(2); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  47. How close may a vehicle carrying covered hazardous materials be parked to an open fire under 397.11?

    Correct answer: It must not be parked within 300 feet.

    The parking restriction is 300 feet. Passing an open fire is a separate issue requiring precautions to establish that the vehicle can safely pass without stopping.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.11(a)–(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  48. A placarded truck contains Class 3 flammable liquid. Someone stands 15 feet away with a lit cigarette. Is that far enough under the smoking rule?

    Correct answer: No; the prohibited area extends to 25 feet.

    397.13 prohibits smoking or carrying lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes on or within 25 feet of the listed hazardous-material vehicles.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.13(a); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  49. An empty tank vehicle previously carried placard-required Class 3 flammable liquid. Does emptying the liquid by itself remove the 25-foot smoking restriction?

    Correct answer: No; the rule also covers this empty tank vehicle.

    The rule expressly covers an empty tank motor vehicle used for the specified flammable liquid or gas service when marking or placarding was required.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.13(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  50. A truck containing covered hazardous materials stops to refuel its own fuel tank. What does the hazmat fueling rule require?

    Correct answer: Engine off, with a person controlling the fueling at the fill point.

    397.15 concerns fueling the motor vehicle itself. It requires the engine not to operate and a person to control the fueling process where the fuel tank is filled.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.15(a)–(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  51. Before offering hazardous material in a package, who must ensure the package materials are compatible with its contents?

    Correct answer: The offeror, as required by the packaging compatibility rule.

    The offeror must ensure that the packaging is compatible with the hazardous material. A correct label or intact exterior does not by itself establish that the contents and packaging materials are compatible.

    Source: 49 CFR 173.24(e)(1); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  52. A closed hazardous-material package has hazardous residue adhering to its outside. Does a tight closure alone make this acceptable for ordinary transport?

    Correct answer: No; the general packaging rule also prohibits hazardous residue outside.

    General packaging requirements include no hazardous-material residue adhering to the package exterior during transport. Preventing leakage through the closure does not excuse contamination already outside.

    Source: 49 CFR 173.24(b)(4); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  53. When does the tire rule for covered hazardous-material vehicles require examination of each tire?

    Correct answer: At the start of each trip and each time the vehicle is parked.

    397.17(a) specifies trip-start and each-parking examinations. It does not replace the driver's other inspection duties.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.17(a); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  54. A covered hazmat truck has a flat tire. Where may it be driven under the repair-location exception?

    Correct answer: To the nearest safe place for the necessary repair.

    The tire must be repaired, replaced or properly inflated before driving, except travel to the nearest safe place to perform that work. Other safe-operation requirements still apply.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.17(b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  55. A tire on a covered hazmat vehicle is found overheated. What must be resolved before further operation?

    Correct answer: The cause of the overheating must be corrected.

    The driver must cause the overheated tire to be removed to a safe distance and correct the cause before operating again. Arrange qualified help and maintain applicable parking and attendance precautions.

    Source: 49 CFR 397.17(c)–(d); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  56. A Class 3 placard-required truck approaches an ordinary railroad grade crossing with no applicable exception. Where must it stop?

    Correct answer: Between 15 and 50 feet from the tracks.

    For a covered vehicle, stop within 50 feet but not closer than 15, then look and listen. Use a gear that allows crossing without shifting.

    Source: 49 CFR 392.10(a), (a)(3)(vi); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  57. A cargo tank formerly used to transport hazardous material is empty. At an ordinary grade crossing with no applicable exception, does empty status alone remove the federal stop requirement?

    Correct answer: No; the rule includes loaded and empty hazardous-material cargo tanks.

    392.10(a)(4) expressly covers such cargo tanks whether loaded or empty. The specific crossing exceptions in paragraph (b) must be considered separately.

    Source: 49 CFR 392.10(a)(4), (b); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  58. After making a required railroad stop, how should the driver choose a gear for crossing?

    Correct answer: Choose one that allows the whole crossing without shifting.

    The rule requires a gear that permits completing the crossing without a gear change and prohibits shifting while crossing.

    Source: 49 CFR 392.10(a); current eCFR text for covered operations, retrieved September 21, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  59. Which shipping information helps responders locate the appropriate entry in the Emergency Response Guidebook?

    Correct answer: The proper shipping name and material identification number.

    The handbook explains that ERG information is indexed by proper shipping name and identification number. Accurate hazard communication helps responders find the applicable guidance.

    Source: Minnesota Commercial Driver's Manual, archived 2023 (form January 2022); Section 9.7.1 Emergency Response Guidebook, printed 9-16; physical PDF page 172; reviewed September 21, 2026. Not a verified 2026 edition. ↗

  60. You notice an unfamiliar leak from hazardous cargo. How should you identify the material without deliberately exposing yourself?

    Correct answer: Use available shipping information from a safe position.

    Do not identify a hazardous leak by touching, tasting or deliberately smelling it. Use papers and safe observations, keep away and seek qualified emergency assistance.

    Source: Minnesota Commercial Driver's Manual, archived 2023 (form January 2022); Section 9.7.3 Fires, printed 9-16; physical PDF page 172; reviewed September 21, 2026. Not a verified 2026 edition. ↗

  61. A transportation incident meets 171.15's NRC telephone-report criteria. When must the person in physical possession notify the NRC?

    Correct answer: As soon as practical, no later than 12 hours after occurrence.

    The telephone deadline is as soon as practical and within 12 hours. This is not permission to delay emergency assistance; the detailed written report has a separate deadline.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 3–4, 49 CFR 171.15(a); reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  62. A hazardous-material incident closes an interstate on-ramp for exactly one hour while the main lanes stay open. Does that meet the road-closure reporting trigger?

    Correct answer: Yes; the one-hour-or-more rule includes access ramps.

    PHMSA treats highway access ramps as parts of a major transportation artery. Closure for one hour or more can trigger NRC notice; exactly one hour qualifies, even when the main lanes remain open.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 5 and 16, 49 CFR 171.15(b)(1)(iv); reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  63. After filing a required detailed hazardous-material incident report, how long must the reporting person retain a copy?

    Correct answer: Two years, with the required access for an authorized DOT request.

    PHMSA's reporting guidance requires the copy to be retained for two years and available within 24 hours of an authorized DOT request. Filing the report does not remove the retention obligation.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 10–11, 49 CFR 171.16(b)(3); reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  64. After an incident covered by 171.16, what is the ordinary deadline for the detailed hazardous-material incident report?

    Correct answer: Within 30 days of discovering the incident.

    The person in physical possession at the incident must submit the required DOT Form F 5800.1 within 30 days of discovery. This is separate from any prompt emergency call and NRC telephone notice.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 1–2, 49 CFR 171.16(a); reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  65. A truck carries enough hazardous material to require placards. What minimum extinguisher rating must its power unit carry under 393.95(a)?

    Correct answer: 10 B:C.

    The placarded-hazmat power unit needs an extinguisher rated at least 10 B:C. The lower non-placarded alternatives do not satisfy this requirement.

    Source: 49 CFR 393.95(a), October 1, 2025 edition, printed page 613; unaffected by the cited 2026 flare/fuse amendments; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  66. A fully charged extinguisher is secured behind cargo that must first be unloaded. Does this meet the required installation standard?

    Correct answer: No; it must also be readily accessible.

    Required equipment must be accessible as well as filled and secured. Preventing movement does not excuse burying the extinguisher behind freight.

    Source: 49 CFR 393.95(a), October 1, 2025 edition, printed page 613; unaffected by the cited 2026 flare/fuse amendments; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  67. For winter operation, which extinguisher-agent condition is required by 393.95(a)?

    Correct answer: It must not need protection from freezing.

    The required extinguishing agent must not need freezing protection. A correct capacity rating alone does not settle the cold-weather requirement.

    Source: 49 CFR 393.95(a), October 1, 2025 edition, printed page 613; unaffected by the cited 2026 flare/fuse amendments; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  68. An extinguisher has no pressure gauge but provides another way to visually determine whether it is fully charged. Is the missing gauge alone disqualifying?

    Correct answer: No; an acceptable alternative visual indication can qualify.

    FMCSA's guidance does not require a pressure gauge as the only visual charge indicator. This does not waive the other extinguisher requirements.

    Source: FMCSA 393.95 guidance question 1, effective May 4, 1997; visual indication of charge, not current rule text; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  69. A cargo tank used for Class 3 flammable liquids is empty. May the truck carry unlit fusees (flame-producing road flares)?

    Correct answer: No; the flame-device carriage ban also covers empty tanks.

    Under the amended rule, loaded and empty tanks used for Class 3 cargo are covered. The restriction concerns carrying flame devices, not just lighting them.

    Source: FMCSA final rule 2026-03261, 91 FR 7867, effective March 23, 2026; amended 393.95(f)–(g), printed page 7870, physical PDF page 4; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  70. A commercial vehicle uses compressed gas as motor fuel but carries ordinary freight. May it carry fusees under 393.95(g)?

    Correct answer: No; compressed-gas motor fuel also triggers the ban.

    The flame-device restriction includes compressed-gas-powered commercial vehicles. Ordinary freight does not remove that motor-fuel condition.

    Source: FMCSA final rule 2026-03261, 91 FR 7867, effective March 23, 2026; amended 393.95(f)–(g), printed page 7870, physical PDF page 4; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  71. An old equipment checklist lists three liquid-burning emergency flares as an alternative to triangles. What changed in March 2026?

    Correct answer: The liquid-burning-flare option was removed.

    Effective March 23, 2026, FMCSA removed that obsolete option. Follow the current warning-device requirements, including applicable flame-device restrictions.

    Source: FMCSA final rule 2026-03261, 91 FR 7867, effective March 23, 2026; amended 393.95(f)–(g), printed page 7870, physical PDF page 4; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  72. A checklist says federal 393.95(b) always requires spare electrical fuses unless circuit breakers are fitted. What changed in April 2026?

    Correct answer: The federal spare-fuse carriage requirement was removed.

    FMCSA removed paragraph (b) effective April 20, 2026. Carrying spare electrical fuses voluntarily is not prohibited; fusees are a different item.

    Source: FMCSA final rule 2026-03262, 91 FR 7877, effective April 20, 2026; removes and reserves 393.95(b), printed page 7880, physical PDF page 4; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  73. Hazardous cargo causes nearby residents to be evacuated for exactly one hour during transportation. Does this reach the public-evacuation NRC-notice threshold?

    Correct answer: Yes; one hour or more qualifies.

    The cited reporting guidance includes a public evacuation lasting one hour or more when directly caused by hazardous material. Exactly one hour meets that threshold.

    Source: PHMSA Guide for Preparing Hazardous Materials Incidents Reports, revised January 2004, still linked from PHMSA's September 7, 2023 FAQ; printed page 11, physical PDF page 13, 171.15(a)–(b). Dated guidance, not a verified 2026 rule edition; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  74. You must make an initial NRC report, but some cargo details are not yet known. What information belongs in the notice?

    Correct answer: Reporter/contact details, location, injuries and available material/hazard information.

    Provide the required incident and contact information, including available material details and continuing danger. Missing final findings do not justify delaying required notice.

    Source: PHMSA Guide for Preparing Hazardous Materials Incidents Reports, revised January 2004, still linked from PHMSA's September 7, 2023 FAQ; printed page 11, physical PDF page 13, 171.15(a)–(b). Dated guidance, not a verified 2026 rule edition; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  75. After exposure to hazardous cargo, a person is examined in an emergency room and released without admission. Does that alone meet the hospital-admission reporting criterion?

    Correct answer: No; treatment and release is not hospital admission.

    PHMSA distinguishes admission as a patient from treatment followed by release. Other reporting criteria may still apply; this is not a blanket exemption.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 03-0028, May 21, 2003, questions 3–4; dated interpretation of fatality and hospital-admission criteria, not current regulation text; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  76. A collision kills someone, but the hazardous cargo remains intact and did not cause the death. Does the cargo's presence alone satisfy the hazmat-fatality NRC criterion?

    Correct answer: No; that criterion requires a death directly resulting from the hazardous material.

    PHMSA's interpretation requires the stated causal connection. Other accident-reporting duties or other hazardous-material triggers can still apply.

    Source: PHMSA interpretation 03-0028, May 21, 2003, questions 3–4; dated interpretation of fatality and hospital-admission criteria, not current regulation text; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  77. Undeclared hazardous material is discovered during transportation, without leakage. Is a detailed incident report required?

    Correct answer: Yes, discovery itself is reportable.

    PHMSA says discovery of undeclared hazardous material requires a detailed report even without discharge.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 6–9 and 15, dated agency guidance; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  78. A radioactive shipment's outer package breaks, but the inner receptacle remains intact. Does PHMSA require NRC notification?

    Correct answer: Yes, despite the intact inner receptacle.

    PHMSA's FAQ treats this outer-package breakage as reportable without requiring a release or overexposure.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 6–9 and 15, dated agency guidance; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  79. At delivery, the driver stays and observes unloading when a reportable hazmat incident occurs. Who must file?

    Correct answer: The carrier remains responsible.

    PHMSA includes unloading while the carrier participates or observes within transportation for this reporting duty.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 6–9 and 15, dated agency guidance; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

  80. After delivery is complete and the carrier has left, the consignee unloads and spills material. Which reporting statement is correct?

    Correct answer: HMR transportation reporting need not apply; other laws may.

    PHMSA distinguishes unloading after transportation ends. Environmental and other reporting obligations can still apply.

    Source: PHMSA Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting FAQ, updated September 7, 2023; questions 6–9 and 15, dated agency guidance; reviewed September 21, 2026. ↗

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Hazardous materials

80 hazardous-material basics questions in five short sets, plus a 20-question mix. Not complete H-endorsement preparation or incident-response training.

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Safety guidance uses the explicitly archived 2023 Minnesota manual; licensing and other state or federal rules are checked separately. Review date: September 21, 2026. Study quizzes do not replace approved training or hands-on instruction.