Louisiana Hazmat CDL Practice Test

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

Question 1 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 2 of 20

You discover a leak in a Class 3 (flammable liquid) shipment. You should:

Continue driving until you find a safe place
Stop, secure the area, notify emergency services, do not transfer cargo on the road, do not move the vehicle further than necessary
Drive faster to deliver the load
Open the placards

Correct. Stop in a safe location, secure the area, call 911, and notify your dispatcher. Do not transfer cargo by the side of the road.

Question 3 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 4 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 5 of 20

Who is responsible for proper hazmat packaging and labeling?

The shipper
The driver
The carrier
The consignee

Correct. The shipper packages, labels, and certifies the materials. The carrier and driver verify and refuse non-compliant shipments.

Question 6 of 20

When loading or unloading cargo tanks of flammable liquid, the driver must:

Stay alert and within 25 feet of the vehicle, with a clear view
Leave the area
Smoke
Run the engine at high RPM

Correct. During cargo-tank flammable-liquid loading or unloading, the driver must remain attentive and within 25 feet of the vehicle with an unobstructed view.

Question 7 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 8 of 20

Placards must be displayed on:

One side
Two sides
Three sides
All four sides of the vehicle

Correct. Placards are displayed on all four sides of the vehicle — front, back, and both sides.

Question 9 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 10 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 11 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 12 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 13 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 14 of 20

Hazard Class 8 is:

Flammable solids
Corrosives
Radioactive
Gases

Correct. Class 8 is corrosive materials — sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, etc.

Question 15 of 20

In a hazmat fire, you should:

Try to extinguish all fires regardless of size
Determine the materials involved using the shipping paper and ERG; only fight small fires that you can safely extinguish
Run
Pour water on every fire

Correct. Identify materials and consult the ERG. Only fight small fires that you can safely extinguish; large fires require professional response. Some materials react violently with water.

Question 16 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 17 of 20

A driver's responsibilities for hazmat include:

Refusing to accept improperly marked, labeled, or leaking shipments; placarding the vehicle; following routes; carrying the shipping paper; responding to incidents
Only signing the bill of lading
Only delivering on time
Only refueling

Correct. The driver verifies the shipment, placards if required, carries the documentation, follows routes and parking rules, and handles incidents per training.

Question 18 of 20

Hazard Class 3 is:

Flammable liquids
Explosives
Toxic substances
Radioactive

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

Question 19 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 20 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.

About the Louisiana 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 Louisiana Office 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 Louisiana CDL practice tests.