La. Admin. Code tit. 55 § III-101

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section III-101 - General Knowledge Required of All Applicants for a Commercial Driver's License

A. All commercial motor vehicle operators must have knowledge of:

1. safe operations regulations- driver-related elements of:

a. motor vehicle inspection, repair, and maintenance;

b. procedures for safe vehicle operations;

c. the effects of fatigue, poor vision, hearing, and general health upon safe commercial motor vehicle operation;

d. the types of motor vehicles and cargoes subject to the requirements of 49 CFR Part 397 and R.S. 32:408; and

e. the effects of alcohol and drug use upon safe commercial motor vehicle operations;

2. commercial motor vehicle safety control systems- proper use of the motor vehicle's safety system, including lights, horns, side and rear-view mirrors, proper mirror adjustments, fire extinguishers, symptoms of improper operation revealed through instruments, motor vehicle operation characteristics, and diagnosing malfunctions. The commercial driver shall have knowledge on the correct procedures needed to use these safety systems in an emergency situation, e.g., skids and loss of brakes;

3. safe vehicle control:

a. control systems- the purpose and function of the controls and instruments commonly found on commercial motor vehicles;

b. basic control- the proper procedures for performing various basic maneuvers, including:

i. starting, warming up, and shutting down the engine;

ii. putting the vehicle in motion and stopping;

iii. backing in a straight line; and

iv. turning the vehicle, e.g., basic rules, offtracking, right/left turns and right curves;

c. shifting- the basic shifting rules and terms, as well as shift pattens and procedures for common transmissions, including:

i. key elements of shifting, e.g., control, when to shift and double clutching;

ii. shift pattens and procedures; and

iii. consequences of improper shifting;

d. backing- the procedures and rules for various backing maneuvers, including:

i. backing principles and rules; and

ii. basic backing maneuvers, e.g., straight-line backing, and backing on a curved path;

e. visual search- the importance of proper visual search and proper visual search methods, including:

i. seeing ahead and to the sides;

ii. use of mirrors; and

iii. seeing to the rear;

f. communication- the principles and procedures for proper communications and the hazards of failure to signal properly, including:

i. signaling intent, e.g., signaling and changing speed or direction in traffic;

ii. communicating presence, e.g., using horn or lights to signal presence; and

iii. misuse of communications;

g. speed management- the importance of understanding the effects of speed, including:

i. speed and stopping distance;

ii. speed and surface conditions;

iii. speed and the shape of the road;

iv. speed and visibility; and

v. speed and traffic flow;

h. space management- the procedures and techniques for controlling the space around the vehicle, including:

i. the importance of space management;

ii. space cushions, e.g., controlling space ahead and to the rear;

iii. space to the sides; and

iv. space for traffic gaps;

i. night operation- preparations and procedures for night driving, including:

i. night driving factors, e.g., driver factors (vision, glare, fatigue, inexperience), roadway factors (low illumination, variation in illumination, familiarity with roads, other road users, especially drivers exhibiting erratic or improper driving), vehicle factors (headlights, auxiliary lights, turn signals, windshields and mirrors); and

ii. night driving procedures, e.g. preparing to drive at night and driving at night;

j. extreme driving conditions- the basic information on operating in extreme driving conditions and the hazards that are encountered in extreme conditions, including:

i. adverse weather;

ii. hot weather; and

iii. mountain driving;

k. hazard perceptions- the basic information on hazard perception and clues or recognition of hazards, including:

i. importance of hazard recognition;

ii. road characteristics; and

iii. road user activities;

l. emergency maneuvers- the basic information concerning when and how to make emergency maneuvers, including:

i. evasive steering;

ii. emergency stop;

iii. off-road recovery;

iv. brake failure; and

v. blowouts;

m. skid control and recovery- the information on the causes and major types of skids, as well as the procedures for recovering from skids;

4. relationship of cargo to vehicle control- the principles and procedures for the proper handling of cargo, including:

a. the importance of proper cargo handling, e.g., consequences of improperly secured cargo, drivers' responsibilities, federal/state and local regulations;

b. principles of weight distribution; and

c. principles of cargo securement;

5. vehicle inspections- the objectives and proper procedures for performing vehicle safety inspections, as follows:

a. the importance of periodic inspections and repair to vehicle safety and prevention of enroute breakdowns;

b. the effects of undiscovered malfunctions upon safety;

c. what safety related parts to look for when inspecting vehicles, e.g.:

i. fluid leaks;

ii. interference with visibility;

iii. excessively worn tires;

iv. wheel and rim defects;

v. braking systems defects;

vi. steering system defects;

vii. suspension system defects;

viii. exhaust system defects;

ix. coupling system defects; and

x. cargo problems;

d. pre-trip/enroute/post-trip inspection procedures; and

e. reporting findings;

6. hazardous materials knowledge- such as:

a. what constitutes hazardous material requiring an endorsement to transport;

b. classes of hazardous materials;

c. labeling and placarding requirements; and

d. the need for specialized training as a prerequisite to receiving the endorsement and transporting hazardous cargoes;

7. airbrake knowledge:

a. general airbrake system nomenclature;

b. the dangers of contaminated air supply (dirt, moisture and oil);

c. implications of severed or disconnected air lines between the power unit and the trailer(s);

d. implications of low air pressure readings;

e. procedures to conduct safe and accurate pre-trip inspections, including knowledge about:

i. automatic fail safe devices;

ii. system monitoring devices; and

iii. low pressure warning alarms;

f. procedures for air actuated systems, including the ability to detect defects which may cause the system to fail, including:

i. tests which indicate the amount of air loss from the braking system within a specified period, with and without the engine running; and

ii. tests which indicate the pressure levels at which the low air pressure warning devices and the tractor protection valve should activate.

B. The following additional knowledge shall be required for the combination vehicle group:

1. coupling and uncoupling- the procedures for proper coupling and uncoupling a tractor to semi-trailer; and

2. vehicle inspection- the objectives and proper procedures that are unique for performing vehicle safety inspections on combination vehicles.

La. Admin. Code tit. 55, § III-101

Filed by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Motor Vehicle, 1974, promulgated and amended by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Motor Vehicles, LR 15:1089 (December 1989), amended LR 24:2312 (December 1998).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 32:408.