Alabama Hazmat CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the Hazmat portion of the Alabama Commercial Driver's License knowledge exam. Questions are pulled from a pool of 68 drawn from the AAMVA CDL Manual, which is the source document the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Driver License Division uses to write its actual exam.

How it works: Click an answer. The correct choice highlights in green, and you'll see a short explanation. Aim for 85% or better before you sit for the real test in Alabama.

Question 1 of 20

The shipping paper for hazmat must include:

Only the destination
Proper shipping name, hazard class, ID number with UN/NA prefix, packing group, total quantity, and emergency contact
Only the weight
Only the carrier name

Correct. A complete shipping paper includes proper shipping name, hazard class or division, UN/NA ID number, packing group (where applicable), total quantity and unit, and a 24-hour emergency contact.

Question 2 of 20

A hazmat driver must complete which special training?

General awareness, function-specific, safety, security awareness, and in-depth security if a security plan is required
Forklift training
Basic first aid only
Defensive driving only

Correct. PHMSA requires general awareness, function-specific, safety, security awareness, and in-depth security training (when a security plan applies). Carriers document and re-train every three years.

Question 3 of 20

The Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) lists:

Only flammable liquids
Each hazardous material with its proper shipping name, hazard class, ID number, packing group, and required label
Only items shipped by air
Only items shipped by truck

Correct. The HMT in 49 CFR §172.101 lists every hazardous material with its proper shipping name, hazard class, identification number, packing group, label requirements, and special provisions.

Question 4 of 20

When refueling a hazmat-loaded vehicle:

Leave the engine running
Turn off the engine, do not smoke, and someone must control the fueling process
Smoke if you are far enough away
It does not matter

Correct. Engine off, no smoking within 25 feet of the vehicle being fueled, and someone must be in control of the fueling at the nozzle.

Question 5 of 20

Hazard Class 3 is:

Flammable liquids
Explosives
Toxic substances
Radioactive

Correct. Class 3 is flammable liquids — gasoline, diesel, ethanol, alcohols, etc.

Question 6 of 20

The four-digit ID number on a placard or shipping paper is the:

UN/NA identification number for the material
The driver's permit number
The truck VIN
The DOT registration number

Correct. The four-digit number is the UN/NA ID — used with the ERG to find emergency response procedures.

Question 7 of 20

Drivers of hazmat vehicles must avoid which of the following routes when alternatives exist?

Tunnels, narrow streets, and densely populated areas
Interstates
Highways
Rural routes

Correct. Avoid populated areas, narrow streets, tunnels, and other places where an incident would maximize risk. Follow state-designated hazmat routes.

Question 8 of 20

Placards are required when:

Any amount of a Table 1 material is loaded, or 1,001+ lbs total of any combination of Table 2 materials
Any cargo is loaded
Only flammables are loaded
Only at the driver's discretion

Correct. Table 1 materials always require placards (any amount). Table 2 materials require placards when 1,001 pounds or more of any combination is loaded.

Question 9 of 20

You may use a flame to check for hazmat leaks:

When you have a respirator
Never — never use any flame near hazmat
Only at night
Only with permission

Correct. Never use a flame to check anything near hazmat. Use a flashlight or other intrinsically safe light.

Question 10 of 20

The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is used to:

Plan routes
Look up the four-digit hazmat ID number to find emergency response procedures
Calculate fuel cost
Find truck stops

Correct. The ERG cross-references the four-digit ID number from the placard or shipping paper to a guide page with isolation distance, response procedures, and first aid.

Question 11 of 20

The 24-hour emergency response phone number on the shipping paper:

Is optional
Must be provided by the shipper and monitored 24 hours per day
Is the driver's personal phone
Is for billing

Correct. The 24-hour emergency contact must be a person knowledgeable about the materials, available 24/7. Many shippers contract CHEMTREC or similar.

Question 12 of 20

When you stop a hazmat-placarded vehicle at the side of the road, you must place reflective triangles:

Within 10 minutes of stopping
Immediately, but never use flares with Division 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 explosives, oxidizers, or flammable cargo
Only if dark
Only if other vehicles are present

Correct. Place warning devices within 10 minutes. Never use flares with explosives, flammable cargo, or oxidizers — use reflective triangles or red lanterns.

Question 13 of 20

A driver of a hazmat-loaded vehicle must check the tires:

Once before the trip
At the start of the trip and every time the vehicle is parked
Only at fueling
Never

Correct. Hazmat drivers must check tires at the beginning and again each time the vehicle is parked. A flat or smoking tire must be addressed before continuing.

Question 14 of 20

Where can a hazmat-placarded vehicle never be parked?

On private property
Within 5 feet of the traveled portion of a roadway, except briefly for vehicle operation
Anywhere
At a truck stop

Correct. Never park within 5 feet of the traveled portion of a road. Avoid populated areas, near open fires, and near places where people congregate.

Question 15 of 20

You should keep the hazmat shipping paper:

Identifiable and within reach of the driver, marked with a tab or kept on top of other papers
Hidden
In the trailer
Folded inside the manual

Correct. Hazmat shipping papers must be identifiable to emergency responders — tabbed or kept on top of other paperwork, in the seat or door pouch when the driver is out.

Question 16 of 20

A vehicle hauling explosives may not be parked within:

100 feet of an open fire, school, theater, or place where people gather
10 feet of any building
One block of a fire station
Any distance

Correct. Class 1 explosives have specific parking restrictions — at least 300 feet from open fires; never near schools, theaters, or places where people gather.

Question 17 of 20

When loading a vehicle with hazardous materials, you should:

Set the parking brake, chock the wheels, turn off the engine
Leave the engine running
Smoke if outside the cab
Skip the brake check

Correct. Set the parking brake, chock wheels of cargo tank vehicles, and shut off the engine before loading or unloading flammables.

Question 18 of 20

When you place placards on a vehicle, the placard ID number (when applicable) must:

Be displayed on each side and end of bulk packagings or on placards or orange panels
Not be shown
Be in red ink only
Be a phone number

Correct. Bulk packagings and certain shipments require the four-digit UN/NA number on each side and end of the package, on the placard, or on an orange panel.

Question 19 of 20

Class 7 (Radioactive) materials require:

Special placards depending on the radiation level (I, II, or III), maintaining a Transport Index, and limits on aggregate radioactivity in a vehicle
No special handling
Only one placard
No documentation

Correct. Class 7 materials use Roman-numeral category labels (RADIOACTIVE I, II, III), placarded based on aggregate Transport Index, and have specific transport limits.

Question 20 of 20

Class 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives must be parked:

Anywhere
In an attended location with a qualified person within 100 feet, awake and able to see the vehicle
At a school
At a gas station

Correct. Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, and Division 2.3 or 6.1 PIH cargo, must have an attended-vehicle (qualified person within 100 feet, awake, able to see the vehicle).

About the Alabama Hazmat exam

Most states administer 30 Hazmat questions and require 80% to pass. The exam covers hazard classes, the shipping paper, placards and labels, loading and unloading, driving and parking rules, emergency response, and the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG).

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Driver License Division follows the federal CDL standards established by FMCSA. To earn the Hazmat credential, you must answer at least 80% of the questions correctly. Many candidates score lower the first time because the test pulls from a large pool — refreshing this page will give you a different mix of questions, drawn from the same authoritative source.

Want more practice? Try the full Hazmat question bank or browse all Alabama CDL practice tests.