When checking your vehicle's pedals during a pre-trip inspection, you should ensure that there is nothing under or around the pedals that will obstruct their use. Make sure the pedals are in proper working condition and that the surfaces of the pedals are grooved, if applicable.

Placards must be placed on the front, the rear, and both sides of a vehicle carrying hazardous cargo. They must be readable from any direction.

Always signal your intentions before turning or changing lanes. Do not assume that other drivers will move out of your way simply because you are signaling to turn.

If you must stop on the side of the road, make sure to use your four-way emergency flashers. This is particularly important at night.

Driving while fatigued can be extremely dangerous. Strategies for preventing drowsiness while driving include getting a full night's sleep before a trip; having someone ride with you; scheduling trips for times during which you are normally awake; and avoiding medications that may cause drowsiness. Exercising regularly can increase your energy levels and make you less likely to become tired while driving.

If your hydraulic braking system will not build up the pressure needed to slow or stop your vehicle, there are a few possible solutions. Try shifting into a lower gear, pumping the brakes, and/or using the emergency brake.

Never attempt to beat a train to a railroad crossing. It is very difficult to accurately judge the speed of an approaching train. If you come upon a crossing that is being approached by a train, you must stop and wait for the train to pass before you attempt to cross the tracks.

When inspecting a trailer coupling, you should make sure the fifth wheel locking jaws are closed around the shank of the kingpin, not the head of the kingpin.

Check hydraulic brakes by pumping the brake pedal three times before applying firm pressure to the pedal for five seconds. The pedal should not move. If it does, there may be a leak or some other problem in the braking system.

Driving in fog is always dangerous and should be avoided entirely if at all possible. If you must drive in fog, be sure to turn on your low beam headlights and fog lights, even during the daytime.

When involved in an accident, you should protect the area, notify authorities, care for the injured, collect required information, and report the accident. You can lose your license for leaving the scene of an accident.

It is important to observe other drivers' actions and identify clues that a person could be driving impaired. Drivers who have had too much to drink, are sleepy, are on drugs, or are ill can present hazards to other drivers. One sign that a driver may be impaired is that they have their windows rolled down in cold weather.

Eating while driving can be a dangerous distraction to the driver both because it diverts their attention away from the task at hand and requires them to remove a hand from the steering wheel.

After a tire has been changed, you should stop a short while later to recheck the tightness of the lug nuts.

You must sign a vehicle inspection report only if defects were noted and either certified to have been repaired or certified as not needing to be repaired.

If your CMV gets stuck on railroad tracks, you should immediately leave the vehicle and get away from the tracks. Check the signposts or signal housing at the crossing for emergency contact information and call 911, or another appropriate emergency number.

Always signal continuously through a turn. Do not cancel a signal until the turn is finished.

Splitting driving responsibilities with a second driver lowers the chance that either of you will drive while fatigued. You can also reduce the risk of fatigue by avoiding heavy foods and keeping the interior of the cab cool.

However you choose to deal with a brake failure on a downhill slope, it is important that you make your decision as quickly as possible. The longer you wait to act, the faster your vehicle will be moving, and the harder it will become to stop.

To prevent a vehicle with manual transmission from rolling backward when you begin to move forward from a stopped position, you can partly engage the clutch before removing your foot from the brake pedal.