Ohio Hazmat CDL Practice Test

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

Question 1 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 2 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 3 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 4 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 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

Hazard Class 8 is:

Flammable solids
Corrosives
Radioactive
Gases

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

Question 7 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 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

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 10 of 20

A leaking package of hazmat:

Should be immediately driven to the destination
Must not be transported; secure and report
Should be wrapped in plastic
Should be ignored

Correct. Never transport a leaking package. Secure the area, report to the carrier, contact emergency services if the leak poses immediate danger.

Question 11 of 20

When unloading flammable liquids from a cargo tank, the driver should:

Bond and ground the tank to the receiving container to prevent static-spark ignition
Disconnect the ground
Smoke
Run the engine

Correct. Bonding and grounding equalizes electrical potential between the tank and receiving container, preventing static-spark ignition during product transfer.

Question 12 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 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 marking on a non-bulk package includes:

Proper shipping name and UN/NA number
Just the weight
Just the destination
Color only

Correct. Non-bulk markings include the proper shipping name and UN/NA identification number, plus consignor/consignee information.

Question 15 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 16 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 17 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 18 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 19 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 20 of 20

A vehicle that has been transporting hazmat may need to be:

Decontaminated and re-placarded as required after unloading
Painted
Sold
Inspected by USCG

Correct. After unloading, the vehicle may need decontamination depending on the cargo. Placards may need to be removed unless residue still requires them.

About the Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio CDL practice tests.