When inspecting your brakes, you should check for cracked drums; shoes or pads covered in oil, grease, or brake fluid; and shoes that are missing, broken, or worn dangerously thin.

Distractions while driving can be physical (such as reaching for an object), mental (such as making conversation with a passenger), or both (such as holding a phone to send texts). Strategies to help you avoid distracted driving include pre-programming radio stations; planning out your route in advance; avoiding complex or emotionally taxing conversation while driving; adjusting your mirrors before setting out; and not eating, drinking, or smoking while behind the wheel.

A "G" in Column 1 of a hazardous materials shipping paper indicates that the description in Column 2 is the generic name for a material. A generic shipping name must be accompanied by a technical name.

The person driving a vehicle is responsible for its safe operation. Be sure to perform routine vehicle inspections before operating a commercial motor vehicle.

Employees who work with hazardous materials must be trained and tested at least once every three years.

Drivers of vehicles equipped with ABS and drivers of vehicles without ABS should brake in relatively the same manner. When ABS is working properly, it automatically applies when brakes are applied in situations that may create lockup.

When inspecting a vehicle's suspension, you should look for broken or missing leaves in the leaf springs. Any defect of this kind is dangerous. If one-fourth or more of the leaves are missing from any leaf spring, the vehicle must be put out-of-service.

Rollovers can happen when a combination vehicle is turned too quickly. To help prevent the risk of rollover, it is important to keep the vehicle's center of gravity low by loading cargo as close to the ground as possible.

All commercial motor vehicles are required to be equipped with the proper emergency equipment. This may include spare electrical fuses; three red reflective triangles, six fuses, or three liquid burning flares; and at least one properly charged and rated fire extinguisher.

A tractor protection valve keeps air in a tractor or truck air brake system should the trailer break away or develop a bad leak. The valve will close automatically if the pressure drops to an unsafe level.

When backing with a trailer, begin by turning the steering wheel in the direction opposite of the turn. Once the trailer starts to turn, reverse the direction of the steering wheel to follow the trailer.

A retarder is a device that helps to slow a vehicle, reducing the need for a driver to use the brakes. However, these devices can be noisy and are not permitted everywhere.

Liquids expand as they get warmer and drivers must allow extra space in a tank to accommodate this expansion. Different liquids expand to different degrees, so drivers must be aware of the outage requirements of the specific load they are carrying.

If your brakes fail on a downgrade, your best option is to use an escape ramp. If no escape ramp is available, it is a good idea to look for a different escape route, such as a side road or open field.

If you must drive so slowly that you will impede the flow of traffic, you should turn on your four-way flashers to alert drivers behind you (as long as local laws allow the use of flashers).

Diamond-shaped signs called placards are placed on bulk packages and on the outside of vehicles to warn drivers and others of the presence of hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of the shipper to place the placards, and it is the responsibility of the driver to verify that the correct placards have been placed.

When checking your tires as part of a pre-trip inspection, it is important to verify that the tire pressure is neither too low nor too high.

Smooth bore tanks, also known as unbaffled tanks, contain nothing to slow the movement of liquid and are likely to be affected by front-to-back liquid surge.

As the first step of a vehicle inspection, a driver should review any inspection report left by the previous driver.

To avoid engaging in aggressive driving behavior, it is helpful to give other drivers the benefit of the doubt. Assume that they have valid reasons for what they are doing and don't take their actions personally.