Arkansas Hazmat CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the Hazmat portion of the Arkansas 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 Arkansas Office of Driver Services 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 Arkansas.

Question 1 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 2 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 3 of 20

Hazard Class 1 is:

Flammable liquids
Explosives
Corrosives
Radioactive materials

Correct. Class 1 covers explosives, divided into divisions 1.1 through 1.6 by mass-explosion and projection hazard.

Question 4 of 20

When you stop at a railroad crossing in a placarded hazmat vehicle, you must stop:

On the tracks
Between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail
Anywhere
Only if a train is visible

Correct. Placarded hazmat vehicles must stop at every railroad crossing 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail. Look and listen for trains.

Question 5 of 20

The H endorsement TSA background check is required to be renewed every:

Year
3 years
5 years
10 years

Correct. The TSA HME is good for five years. Renew before expiration to avoid losing the endorsement.

Question 6 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 7 of 20

You should never smoke or carry an open flame near hazmat that is:

Class 1 (explosives), Class 2.1 (flammable gas), Class 3 (flammable liquid), or oxidizers (Class 5.1)
Any class
Class 9
Class 6

Correct. Smoking or open flames are dangerous near explosives, flammable gases, flammable liquids, and oxidizers. The 25-foot rule applies during loading.

Question 8 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 9 of 20

The shipper must certify on the shipping paper that:

The shipment complies with HMR (Hazardous Materials Regulations)
The shipment is heavy
The driver is qualified
The truck is empty

Correct. The shipper signs a certification that the shipment is properly described, packaged, marked, labeled, and complies with HMR.

Question 10 of 20

Subsidiary risk labels on a package indicate:

Additional hazards beyond the primary hazard
Just decoration
The price
The weight

Correct. Some materials have multiple hazards. The primary hazard is shown on the top-class label; subsidiary risks (e.g., toxic AND flammable) are shown on additional labels.

Question 11 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 12 of 20

A "bulk packaging" generally refers to:

Packaging holding less than 119 gallons of liquid
Packaging holding more than 119 gallons of liquid, more than 882 lbs solid, or more than 1,000 lbs of gas
Anything in a box
Plastic only

Correct. Bulk packaging exceeds 119 gallons (liquid), 882 lbs (solid), or 1,000 lbs (gas). Bulk packaging requires markings, the four-digit ID number on each side and end, and additional driver-training requirements.

Question 13 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 14 of 20

Hazmat drivers must report any change of:

Address to the licensing agency
Daily route
Diet
Vehicle paint color

Correct. Address changes must be reported to the state licensing agency in line with state CDL requirements; some states require reporting within 30 days.

Question 15 of 20

Mixing certain hazmat in one shipment is prohibited because:

Of cost
They may react dangerously together; the segregation table specifies prohibitions
It is too heavy
Of regulations on cargo color

Correct. Some classes react dangerously when mixed (e.g., acids with cyanides, oxidizers with flammables). The segregation table prohibits these mixtures.

Question 16 of 20

When tarping hazmat cargo, you must:

Cover the placards
Leave placards visible at all times
Tarp only at night
Use only red tarps

Correct. Placards must remain visible. Tarps and decorations may not block them.

Question 17 of 20

Bulk packaging of certain corrosives requires:

No special markings
Display of the proper shipping name on each side and the four-digit ID number on each side and end
Only one placard
Painted red

Correct. Bulk packaging of corrosives, like other hazmat, requires shipping name on the sides and ID-number marking on each side and end.

Question 18 of 20

A "DANGEROUS" placard may be used:

Instead of multiple Table 2 placards when 1,001+ lbs of two or more Table 2 materials are loaded
For any cargo
For non-hazmat
For hazmat below 100 lbs

Correct. When more than two Table 2 materials are aboard with combined weight over 1,001 lbs (none over 2,205 lbs at one stop), a single DANGEROUS placard may substitute.

Question 19 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 20 of 20

Hazardous materials are products that:

Are heavier than normal cargo
Pose a risk to health, safety, or property during transportation
Can only be hauled at night
Require a special trailer color

Correct. Hazardous materials (hazmat) are products that pose a risk to health, safety, or property during transportation. Hazmat regulations are codified in 49 CFR.

About the Arkansas 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 Arkansas Office of Driver Services 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 Arkansas CDL practice tests.