Ireland Truck Theory Test cheat sheet

Irish speed limits for goods vehicles over 3,500 kg design gross weight: 80 km/h on national roads, 80 km/h on regional and local roads, and 90 km/h on motorways; a lower posted limit always overrides these default values.

A circular sign with a red border gives a prohibition or restriction; a blue circular sign gives a mandatory instruction; a yellow diamond with a black border is an Irish warning sign; a red octagon means stop and an inverted red-bordered triangle means yield.

A continuous white centre line may not be crossed except to avoid an obstruction or in an emergency; a broken white line may be crossed when safe; a double white line means the nearer line's rule applies.

Solid yellow lines along the kerb prohibit parking during the times shown on the accompanying plate; broken yellow lines prohibit parking only during the stated periods.

A single broken yellow line at the edge of the carriageway marks the hard shoulder; it is not a running lane, and stopping there is permitted only in an emergency or where a sign allows it.

At a yellow box junction a driver may enter only when the exit is clear, except when turning right and blocked solely by oncoming traffic.

A zebra crossing requires yielding to pedestrians on the crossing; at traffic lights a flashing amber arrow permits proceeding only if the way is clear and no pedestrian is crossing.

A vehicle may not be parked within 5 metres of a road junction, within 15 metres of a pedestrian crossing on the approach side, or on a footpath, cycle lane or bus lane during its hours of operation.

Traffic signs in Ireland are bilingual; regulatory signs use red, warning signs use yellow, and motorway signs use blue with white lettering.

Minimum tyre tread depth for goods vehicles over 3,500 kg is 1.0 mm across the central three-quarters of the tread width and around the entire circumference; car-derived vans and cars require 1.6 mm.

Tyre pressures are checked cold; a tyre that is visibly under-inflated, has a cut longer than 25 mm or deeper than 10 percent of the section width, or shows cord or a bulge is unfit and must be replaced.

The legal minimum for the service (foot) brake is 50 percent braking efficiency, the secondary or parking brake 25 percent, and the parking brake must hold the vehicle on a gradient of at least 16 percent.

A daily walkaround check covers lights and reflectors, tyre condition and pressure, wheel nut indicators, brake and air-pressure warning behaviour, fluid leaks, load security, mirrors, wipers, washers and the horn.

Loads must be secured so they cannot move or fall; a load projecting more than 1 metre behind the vehicle must be marked, and projection to the front or sides beyond permitted dimensions requires attention before moving.

Height must be known before driving; the statutory maximum vehicle height in Ireland is 4.65 metres unless a permit applies, and low bridges are signed in both metres and feet and inches.

Dipped headlights are required between sunset and sunrise and in fog, falling snow or heavy rain, and whenever visibility is seriously reduced; fog lights may only be used in fog or falling snow.

A vehicle first registered more than 4 years ago needs an annual roadworthiness (CVRT) test; a valid CVRT certificate and insurance disc must be displayed on the windscreen.

Air loss on a full application of the brakes, or a warning buzzer that fails to stop once pressure is built up, indicates a defect that makes the vehicle unroadworthy.

The two-second rule gives the minimum dry-weather following gap; double it to four seconds in rain and at least ten times normal in ice or snow.

The legal drink-driving limit in Ireland is 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood for learner, novice and professional drivers, and 50 mg per 100 ml for other drivers.

Stopping distance is thinking distance plus braking distance; at 80 km/h total stopping distance on a dry road is roughly 53 metres, and braking distance rises with the square of speed.

Fatigue countermeasures that work are a planned break of at least 15 minutes every two hours and a short sleep; opening a window or turning up the radio does not reverse sleepiness.

The observation sequence before moving off is mirrors, signal where needed, blind-spot check over the shoulder, then move; a lorry's blind spots extend along both sides and directly in front and behind.

When turning left a lorry may need to swing out first, and cyclists or pedestrians may be on the inside; check the left mirror and blind spot before and during the turn.

A safe speed is one from which the vehicle can stop within the distance seen to be clear; on a single-track road with a passing place, the vehicle nearest the passing place reverses into it.

In fog, use dipped headlights and fog lights, reduce speed so as to stop within the visible distance, and never follow tail lights closely as a guide.

EU drivers' hours: maximum 9 hours driving per day, extendable to 10 hours twice a week; maximum 56 hours in any week and 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks.

A break of at least 45 minutes is required after 4 hours 30 minutes of driving; it may be split into a 15-minute break followed by a 30-minute break, in that order.

Daily rest is normally at least 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours no more than three times between weekly rests; a split daily rest is 3 hours plus 9 hours.

A weekly rest is at least 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours provided the reduction is compensated by an equivalent period taken in one block before the end of the third week.

The tachograph must record all activity: driving, other work, availability and rest; manual entries are required for any period the card was not inserted, and records must be kept for at least 12 months.

A driver must be able to produce tachograph records covering the current day and the previous 28 days when requested by an authorised officer or at a roadside check.

Driver CPC requires 35 hours of periodic training in each five-year cycle, and the Driver Qualification Card must be carried while driving professionally.

A transport manager named on a road transport operator licence must have good repute and professional competence; the licence also requires financial standing and a stated number of vehicles at an operating centre.

Drivers' hours rules are enforced by An Garda Síochána and the RSA transport officers; exceeding daily or weekly driving limits can result in fixed charge notices, prosecution and disqualification.