Unless your engine runs a pump for product transfer, turn it off when loading or unloading a compressed gas tank. If you do use your engine to run a pump, you should turn the engine off after the product transfer but before unhooking the hoses.

Strong winds can make it difficult for a driver to maintain control of their vehicle. Usually, this is especially true for drivers of lighter CMVs.

For the safety of everyone on the road, it is essential that you maintain adequate cushions of space between your vehicle and other vehicles. This will help ensure that if you need to stop your vehicle, you will be able to do so without hitting someone else.

If a vehicle is top-heavy, it is more likely to roll over. The weight of cargo should be positioned as low in a trailer as possible to minimize this risk.

If a shipping paper includes information about both hazardous and non-hazardous materials, the hazardous materials must be differentiated in one of three ways. They must be listed first, highlighted in a contrasting color, or identified with an "X" placed before the shipping description in a column labeled "HM."

When inspecting any style of tank, the most important thing for a driver to check for is leaks. Transporting any type of gas or liquid in a leaking tank is illegal.

Factors that affect how much liquid is safe to load into your tank include how much the liquid will expand in transit, the weight of the liquid, and legal weight limits.

Air lines are sometimes color-coded to help drivers avoid mistakes when coupling glad hands. Typically, blue is used for service lines and red is used for emergency lines.

Missing clamps, spacers, studs, or lugs can be a dangerous defect. Mismatched, bent, or cracked lock rings are not safe to be used. Wheels or rims with welded repairs are not safe.

Vehicles must be equipped with the appropriate emergency equipment. When inspecting a CMV, you should check for at least one fire extinguisher; spare electrical fuses, unless the vehicle is equipped with circuit breakers; and the appropriate warning devices to be used when the vehicle is parked.

If you are unsure of your path while you are driving in reverse, you should stop, exit the vehicle, and recheck your path of travel.

Once you have begun to drive after a tire has been changed, you should stop after a short distance to recheck the tightness of the lug nuts.

Older trailers do not have spring brakes. This means that if the air supply in an older trailer's air tank has leaked away, there will be no working brakes connected to the trailer and its wheels will turn freely.

Large combination vehicles take longer to stop when they are empty than when they are loaded. The decreased weight causes a vehicle's wheels to have decreased traction on the surface of the road.

If you must back up, you should exit the cab and check your path for obstacles before beginning the maneuver. Drive as slowly as you can, checking your mirrors on both sides.

It takes a longer distance to stop a vehicle on a slippery road than it does on a dry road. Use caution when driving under conditions that could cause a road surface to become slippery.

If you are experiencing a truck fire, you should not attempt to open trailer doors without first feeling the doors to see if they are hot. If the doors are hot, there may be a cargo fire. Leave the doors closed if there is a cargo fire.

It is always safest to assume that other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians don't see you. Be prepared for the possibility that they may suddenly move into your path. It may be safe to lightly tap your horn or flash your lights as you pass.

Partially-filled tanks of liquid cargo can be vulnerable to surge. Liquid surge is an occurrence in which a wave of liquid sloshes from one end or side of a tank to the other, causing dangerous effects on handling.

Escape ramps are constructed in areas with steep downgrades to allow a means of safely stopping runaway vehicles. They consist of a long bed of loose, soft material, and sometimes an uphill slope.