Indiana Hazmat CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the Hazmat portion of the Indiana 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles 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 Indiana.

Question 1 of 20

Inhalation hazard placards (Division 6.1 PIH or Division 2.3) require:

Smaller placards
Subsidiary "INHALATION HAZARD" placards in addition to the primary placard
No placards
Only one placard

Correct. PIH (Poison Inhalation Hazard) materials require a primary hazard-class placard plus an "INHALATION HAZARD" subsidiary placard.

Question 2 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.

Question 3 of 20

How many hazard classes are there?

Three
Five
Nine
Twelve

Correct. There are nine hazard classes: 1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidizers and organic peroxides, 6 toxic and infectious, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosive, 9 miscellaneous.

Question 4 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 5 of 20

When carrying hazmat through a state or local jurisdiction with route restrictions, you must:

Comply with the restrictions
Choose the shortest route
Take the highway always
Disregard local rules

Correct. State and local hazmat route restrictions are enforceable. Plan routes that comply with restrictions and avoid prohibited tunnels and bridges.

Question 6 of 20

A hazmat carrier with hazmat cargo must conduct security awareness training:

Once at hire
Once every 3 years for each driver
Annually
Never

Correct. PHMSA requires re-training every three years, including security awareness and the carrier's in-depth security plan if applicable.

Question 7 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 8 of 20

A driver hauling hazmat must immediately notify the carrier if:

Any incident occurs that involves spillage, fire, contamination, injury, evacuation, or substantial property damage
Only if there is property damage
Only if police arrive
Only if cargo arrives late

Correct. Any spill, fire, contamination, injury, evacuation, or substantial damage triggers immediate carrier notification. The carrier files required federal reports.

Question 9 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 10 of 20

When transporting hazmat, you must check the cargo every:

Mile
100 miles
150 miles or 3 hours, plus changes of duty status
500 miles

Correct. Federal cargo securement: check at the start, then every 150 miles or 3 hours of driving, plus every change of duty status.

Question 11 of 20

The "Wetline" rule for cargo tanks of flammable liquid:

Limits the amount of flammable liquid that may be left in product piping during transit
Allows leaks
Bans tankers
Permits unlimited residue

Correct. Wetline regulations restrict residual flammable liquid in cargo-tank product piping during transportation, due to ignition risk if a piping line is breached.

Question 12 of 20

A driver is required to carry an ERG (or equivalent) when:

Driving any commercial vehicle
Transporting any quantity of hazardous materials
Only when hauling explosives
Only on weekends

Correct. Whenever hazmat is being transported, the driver must have access to current ERG information for the materials in question.

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

When loading hazmat that requires segregation, the driver must:

Refuse to mix incompatible materials in the same vehicle, per the segregation table
Mix them anyway
Load whatever fits
Stack on top

Correct. The segregation table in 49 CFR §177.848 lists which classes cannot be loaded together. Refusing improperly mixed loads is the driver's responsibility.

Question 15 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 16 of 20

You must not transport a vehicle that:

Has Class 1 explosives and is leaking, or any vehicle whose hazmat is leaking
Has fresh paint
Is over weight by 50 lbs
Is white

Correct. Never transport a leaking hazmat package. Secure the scene, notify authorities and the carrier, follow the carrier's instructions on disposition.

Question 17 of 20

When you transport Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosives, you must have a written route plan:

No, never
Yes — required for these explosives
Only on weekends
Only across state lines

Correct. A written route plan is required for transporting Division 1.1 or 1.2 explosives. The driver must follow it unless there is an emergency.

Question 18 of 20

Placards must be at least how many inches on each side?

10.75 inches (273 mm)
5 inches
15 inches
20 inches

Correct. Placards are diamond-shaped, at least 250 mm (about 10.75 inches) on each side.

Question 19 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 20 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.

About the Indiana 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles 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 Indiana CDL practice tests.