Instructions

Combination

All applicants who are applying for a Class A CDL should be prepared to take the Combination test. This test covers information found in Section 6 of the Illinois Commercial.. Read More

All applicants who are applying for a Class A CDL should be prepared to take the Combination test. This test covers information found in Section 6 of the Illinois Commercial Driver's License Study Guide. Section 6 provides the information needed to safely operate tractor-trailers, doubles, triples, and straight trucks with trailers. The test is made up of 20 multiple-choice questions, and applicants will need to correctly answer a minimum of 16 questions to pass. The Combination test is not a replacement for the Double/Triple endorsement test.

Number of Question 20

Passing Score 16

1. Trailers built before 1975 are:

Required to have spring brakes.

Not required to have spring brakes.

Unsafe to drive.

Prohibited from public roadways.

Trailers built before 1975 are not required to have spring brakes. When parking a trailer without spring brakes, be sure to use wheel chocks to prevent the trailer from rolling.

2. If your trailer begins to drift off course while you are backing, you should:

Continue trying to back up without stopping.

Turn the top of your steering wheel in the direction of the drift.

Turn the top of the steering wheel in the direction opposite of the drift.

Return the steering wheel to the 12 o’clock position.

If your trailer begins to drift while you are backing, you should correct the drift immediately by turning the top of the steering wheel in the direction of the drift.

3. When driving a bobtail tractor, you should be aware that:

Bobtails stop very easily.

Bobtails cannot drive as fast as tractors with semitrailers.

Bobtails are more difficult to stop than tractors with semitrailers.

Bobtails are illegal in most states.

Bobtail tractors are tractors that are not attached to any semitrailers. When operating a bobtail, you should be aware that stopping can be difficult and that it will take a longer distance to bring the bobtail to a complete stop than it would a tractor attached to a loaded semitrailer.

4. What is a bobtail?

A tractor without a semi-trailer

A tractor with two semi-trailers

A tractor that goes faster than the speed limit

A tractor that goes slower than the speed limit

Tractors without semi-trailers are referred to as bobtail tractors. Operating a bobtail tractor requires drivers to exercise caution.

5. To lower the risk of a rollover, you should:

Load the cargo as far forward as possible.

Load the cargo as far back as possible.

Load the cargo as low as possible.

Stack the cargo as high as possible.

To lower the risk of a rollover, load your cargo as closely to the ground as possible. To further reduce this risk, take curves and corners slowly.

6. What does the trailer air supply control look like?

It is a square blue knob.

It is a triangular yellow knob.

It is an eight-sided red knob.

It is a circular orange knob.

On newer vehicles, the trailer air supply control is an eight-sided red knob. It's used to control the tractor protection valve.

7. Before a drive, ensure that air flows to all trailers by:

Opening the rear shut-off valves and listening for escaping air.

Closing the rear shut-off valves and listening for escaping air.

Disconnecting air supply lines and listening for escaping air.

Rolling each trailer down a hill and testing the brakes.

Before a trip, ensure that air in the air brake system reaches all trailers. Do this by waiting for air pressure to build, then sending air to both the emergency and service lines and opening the shut-off valves on the rear of the last trailer. If air escapes from the shut-off valves in the rear of the combination, the air is being supplied to the entire vehicle.

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