Maryland CDL Combination case studies
Maryland CDL Combination · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Maryland CDL Combination Vehicles knowledge test is the written exam a driver must pass to add the Class A combination-vehicle endorsement path to a Maryland commercial learner's permit or CDL. It matters most to people who intend to pull a tractor-trailer or a truck plus trailer, where the coupling, pivot points, and air brake systems behave very differently from a single-unit truck. The Maryland CDL Combination case studies are 5 cases and about 3,949 words.
1The One-Inch Gap: Coupling to a Loaded Van at Dawn
05:40 at a Frederick distribution center. You are coupling to a loaded 53-foot dry van standing on its landing gear at the dock.
832 words, about 4 min2Air Brake Check in Cold Weather: Which Numbers Fail?
You are running the in-cab air brake check on a three-axle tractor and a 53-foot van before leaving a Jessup terminal. The system is fully charged, both gauges read 120 psi, the engine is off and the wheels are chocked.
795 words, about 4 min3Right Turn, Off-Tracking, and a Car in the Lane You Need
You are driving a three-axle tractor pulling a 53-foot trailer, about 78,000 lb gross, northbound on a four-lane arterial in Baltimore County. You are in the right lane, signaling right, stopped at a red light.
788 words, about 4 min4Wet Off-Ramp, High Load, and the Lean Before the Rollover
It is 06:15 in late October, light rain, on the ramp from I-695 to a suburban arterial near Pikesville. You are pulling a 48-foot flatbed loaded with two steel coils, 42,000 lb total, chained down and sitting about 5 feet above the deck.
786 words, about 4 min5Six Percent Grade: Fade, Decisions, and the Escape Ramp
You are westbound on a 6 percent mountain grade in western Maryland, five miles long, signed "Trucks use lower gear." Your combination weighs 74,000 lb. You topped the grade at 40 mph in 8th of 10 gears, near the engine's governor.
748 words, about 4 min