Virginia Hazmat CDL Practice Test

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

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

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

You may use a flame to check for hazmat leaks:

When you have a respirator
Never — never use any flame near hazmat
Only at night
Only with permission

Correct. Never use a flame to check anything near hazmat. Use a flashlight or other intrinsically safe light.

Question 4 of 20

The Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) lists:

Only flammable liquids
Each hazardous material with its proper shipping name, hazard class, ID number, packing group, and required label
Only items shipped by air
Only items shipped by truck

Correct. The HMT in 49 CFR §172.101 lists every hazardous material with its proper shipping name, hazard class, identification number, packing group, label requirements, and special provisions.

Question 5 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 6 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 7 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 8 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 9 of 20

When in the cab with the engine running, the hazmat shipping paper must be:

In the trailer
Within the driver's reach — clipped on the driver's door clip or on the driver's seat
In the glove compartment
In the trunk

Correct. When in the seat with the engine running, keep shipping papers within reach (driver-side door clip or on the seat). When out of the vehicle, leave on the seat or in the door pouch.

Question 10 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 11 of 20

During loading of cargo tanks of flammable liquid, the driver must remain:

Alert, within 25 feet of the cargo tank, with a clear view, ready to handle emergencies
Far away
In the cab with the engine running
At lunch

Correct. Driver must stay within 25 feet of the cargo tank during loading or unloading of flammable liquid and remain ready to act in emergency.

Question 12 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 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

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 15 of 20

A driver may not carry hazmat aboard a vehicle without:

A current Hazmat (H) endorsement on the CDL
A green light
Two cell phones
A reflective vest

Correct. Hauling placardable hazmat requires the H endorsement, which includes a TSA Threat Assessment background check.

Question 16 of 20

The four-digit ID number on a placard or shipping paper is the:

UN/NA identification number for the material
The driver's permit number
The truck VIN
The DOT registration number

Correct. The four-digit number is the UN/NA ID — used with the ERG to find emergency response procedures.

Question 17 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 18 of 20

Class 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives must be parked:

Anywhere
In an attended location with a qualified person within 100 feet, awake and able to see the vehicle
At a school
At a gas station

Correct. Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, and Division 2.3 or 6.1 PIH cargo, must have an attended-vehicle (qualified person within 100 feet, awake, able to see the vehicle).

Question 19 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 20 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.

About the Virginia 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 Virginia Department 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 Virginia CDL practice tests.