AK CDL General Knowledge study plan

Define each speed-and-space factor - following distance, stopping distance, space cushion, and traffic-flow adjustment - in one written sentence you can recite without notes.

Calculate following distance in seconds at 30, 50, and 65 mph and show the arithmetic and the real-world gap in feet for each speed.

Walk the pre-trip inspection sequence in order and name one specific defect that each step is designed to catch.

Take a 30-question untimed diagnostic across all ten domains and log every miss by domain so you can see which areas are already weak.

Recite the full pre-trip sequence from memory twice, once inside the cab and once walking the exterior, without consulting notes.

Select and justify the correct gear for descending a long grade under a heavy load, explaining engine braking versus service brake use in writing.

Describe the straight-line and 90-degree backing procedures step by step, including GOAL, mirror use, and spotter signals.

Explain the correct shifting technique and identify at least three common shifting mistakes that damage the drivetrain or cause a missed gear.

Identify the leading causes of rollover in turns and off-ramps and state the specific recovery action for each.

List in correct order the driver actions for a front-tire blowout at highway speed, from grip through stopping off the roadway.

Distinguish when to brake and when to downshift on a downgrade, and explain how a runaway ramp is used as a last resort.

Read five short hazard scenarios and write the first correct action for each within five seconds of finishing the description.

Match each warning light and gauge reading to its meaning and to the required driver response, including when to stop immediately.

Work through three malfunction scenarios - low air pressure, brake fade on a downgrade, and electrical/lighting failure - and write the ordered response for each.

Describe the mirror-scan pattern and the blind-spot zones around a long tractor-trailer, including where a 4-wheeler disappears.

List the signals a driver must give and the exact situations that require each one, including lane changes, turns, and slowing.

Compute legal payload from steer, drive, and trailer axle limits for three worked examples, showing each subtraction.

Apply the tie-down rules - minimum number of tiedowns, working load limit, aggregate WLL at least half the cargo weight, and direct contact - to three different loads.

State the hours-of-service limits and explain how the driving limit, the on-duty window, the required break, and the cycle limit interact.

List the driver qualification requirements, including medical certification, self-certification, and which records must be carried or retained.

Differentiate the correction for a drive-wheel skid, a steer-wheel skid, and a trailer swing, and state what makes each recovery work.

Explain how ice, black ice, bridge decks, and shaded curves change stopping distance and steering input compared with dry pavement.

Extract every Alaska-specific item from the state manual - winter operations, tire rules, extreme cold, wildlife, and remote-highway hazards - and rank each by how likely it is to be tested.

Describe how to inspect and install traction devices and when their use is required or restricted.

Re-derive the following-distance, stopping-distance, and space-cushion rules and apply each to ten new scenario questions without notes.

Work 15 timed hazard scenarios, writing the first correct action within five seconds for each.

Re-attempt every question you previously missed in domains 1 through 9 and record which ones you still get wrong.

Explain how speed choice changes on wet, icy, gravel, and downhill grades and state the adjustment you would make in each case.

Complete three full-length timed practice exams of 50 or more questions under test conditions with no notes or pauses.

Review every missed question and write the governing rule with the manual section that supports it.

Recite the ten facts you have missed most often from memory in a final flashcard pass and confirm each against the manual.

Re-check the two heaviest domains end to end to confirm no rule has slipped since week 1.