Virginia Doubles/Triples CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the Doubles/Triples portion of the Virginia Commercial Driver's License knowledge exam. Questions are pulled from a pool of 50 drawn from the AAMVA CDL Manual, which is the source document the Virginia Department 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 Virginia.

Question 1 of 20

A pintle hook is:

The hitch on the rear of a trailer used to tow another trailer or dolly
The kingpin
The fifth wheel
A type of placard

Correct. The pintle hook is the strong rear-mounted hitch that grips the dolly's lunette eye, allowing one trailer to tow another behind it.

Question 2 of 20

The "T" endorsement is required to:

Drive any commercial vehicle
Pull two or more trailers
Drive a bus
Haul hazmat

Correct. The T endorsement is required to pull more than one trailer (doubles or triples).

Question 3 of 20

A "drive-axle skid" on a doubles rig:

Can lead to a tractor jackknife and complicated trailer movement behind it
Is harmless
Means the dolly broke
Increases stability

Correct. A drive-axle skid leads to tractor jackknife. With trailers behind, the situation gets worse fast — the rear trailers can swing wildly.

Question 4 of 20

Safety chains on a converter dolly are required to:

Prevent the dolly from disconnecting if the pintle hook fails
Decorate the rig
Bind cargo
Add weight

Correct. Safety chains catch the dolly if the pintle hook releases or fails — preventing the trailer behind from breaking loose.

Question 5 of 20

When you encounter a breakaway in your doubles (a trailer separates):

Maintain control of the tractor and lead trailer, brake gently to a controlled stop, set warning devices, and contact dispatch
Brake hard
Speed up
Swerve sharply

Correct. Maintain control of what remains, brake gently and progressively, secure the area with warning devices, contact dispatch.

Question 6 of 20

Before connecting a converter dolly, you should:

Inspect tires, brakes, fifth-wheel jaws, and overall condition
Skip inspection
Only check the tires
Only check the lights

Correct. Pre-trip the dolly: tires, brake adjustment, fifth-wheel jaws (open and clean), pintle hook, electrical receptacle, lights.

Question 7 of 20

When coupling the second trailer to the converter dolly:

Position the dolly in front of the second trailer, lower trailer landing gear if necessary, lock the dolly to the lead trailer's pintle hook with safety chains, then back the second trailer onto the fifth wheel
Just push them together
Use the trailer hand valve
Drive past it fast

Correct. Position dolly, secure to lead-trailer pintle, then back second trailer over the fifth wheel and lock as a normal coupling.

Question 8 of 20

On a triple, the air pressure to the rearmost trailer:

Is the same as the lead
Is delayed by line length, so braking response at the rear trailer lags noticeably
Is faster
Does not exist

Correct. Greater line length = greater brake-lag at the rear. Plan braking earlier than you would for a single trailer.

Question 9 of 20

When backing a doubles or triples combination:

Avoid it whenever possible — multi-trailer rigs cannot be backed any meaningful distance safely
Back at full speed
Back without a helper
Use only the trailer brake

Correct. Doubles and triples cannot be backed safely beyond a few feet — joints flex unpredictably. Plan your route and parking to avoid backing.

Question 10 of 20

In a multi-trailer combination, the most violent movement during evasive maneuvers happens at:

The tractor
The first trailer
The last trailer
The cab

Correct. Rearward amplification (crack-the-whip effect) is greatest at the rear-most trailer. The last trailer in a triple can be thrown sideways with much greater force than the tractor.

Question 11 of 20

Air pressure on a triple-trailer rig takes:

Less time to reach the rear trailer than on a single
Significantly more time to reach the rear trailer's brake chambers
The same time
No air pressure is needed

Correct. Each additional trailer adds line length. Brake response at the rear trailer of a triple is noticeably delayed — brake earlier.

Question 12 of 20

When inspecting a doubles or triples rig, you should additionally check:

Each pintle hook, each set of safety chains, each converter dolly, each trailer's lights, brake chamber connections, glad-hands, and shut-off valves
Only the lead trailer
Only the tractor
Only the cargo

Correct. Every connection point and every trailer needs inspection — pintle hooks, chains, dollies, lights, brake lines, glad-hands, and air-supply valves.

Question 13 of 20

During a pre-trip on doubles, the trailer-supply line:

Should be open from tractor to rear-most trailer
Should be open at the front but closed at the rear-most trailer
Should be closed everywhere
Should always be disconnected

Correct. The supply line carries air from tractor through every trailer; verify open valves at every coupled connection and a closed valve at the rear of the rear-most trailer.

Question 14 of 20

A driver licensed for Class A with all endorsements may drive any combination vehicle. The T endorsement allows:

Doubles and triples
Hazmat
Tanker
Buses

Correct. T endorsement specifically authorizes doubles and triples. Other endorsements (H, N, P, S) cover other categories.

Question 15 of 20

Glad-hand shut-off valves at the rear of trailers (for connecting to a following trailer) must be:

Open at the rear of the rear-most trailer
Open at the rear of any trailer that has another trailer behind it; closed at the rear of the last trailer
Always closed
Always open

Correct. Open the shut-off valves where the next trailer is connected; close them at the rear of the last trailer to prevent air loss.

Question 16 of 20

When uncoupling the converter dolly from the lead trailer:

Lower trailer landing gear (if applicable), disconnect air and electrical, remove safety chains, then release pintle hook
Just unhook the chains and pull away
Drive forward fast
Use only the trailer brake

Correct. Standard sequence: support the trailer (landing gear if it is a semi-trailer), disconnect lines, remove chains, release pintle hook.

Question 17 of 20

You should never:

Quickly steer to the left while pulling triples
Drive at the speed limit
Use turn signals
Stop at intersections

Correct. Sudden steering with triples can cause the rear trailer to roll. Avoid abrupt steering and plan lane changes far in advance.

Question 18 of 20

When testing the brakes on a doubles rig:

Do all the standard checks plus verify air pressure builds at the rear trailer and that brakes apply at all wheels
Only test the tractor
Only test the lead trailer
Skip the test

Correct. Test the entire rig: build-up time, leakage, low-pressure warning, parking brake, and confirm rear-trailer brake function.

Question 19 of 20

Drivers should always couple the heaviest trailer:

Behind the tractor (in the front position)
At the rear
In the middle
It does not matter

Correct. Heaviest trailer goes directly behind the tractor; lightest goes at the rear. This minimizes rearward amplification and rollover risk.

Question 20 of 20

When inspecting a converter dolly, the pintle hook must:

Lock fully closed around the lunette eye
Be loose
Be cracked
Be replaced quarterly

Correct. The pintle hook must close fully around the lunette eye, with no excessive wear or cracks. Add safety chains as backup.

About the Virginia Doubles/Triples exam

Most states administer 20 Doubles/Triples questions and require 80% to pass. The exam emphasizes coupling and uncoupling the converter dolly, rearward amplification (the "crack-the-whip" effect), and the unique inspection and handling demands of multi-trailer rigs.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles follows the federal CDL standards established by FMCSA. To earn the Doubles/Triples 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 Doubles/Triples question bank or browse all Virginia CDL practice tests.