A commercial driver operating a 75\text{-foot} combination vehicle at a steady cruising sp… — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) General Knowledge Exam

A commercial driver operating a $75\text{-foot}$ combination vehicle at a steady cruising speed of $35\text{ mph}$ under ideal, dry road conditions must maintain a minimum following distance of at least $7.5\text{ seconds}$ behind the vehicle ahead.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True, because a

75\text{-foot}

vehicle operating under

40\text{ mph}

requires exactly

1\text{ second}

per

10\text{ feet}

of length (

7.5\text{ seconds}

total) without adding the high-speed safety second.

The statement is true because the standard CDL formula mandates 1 second for every 10 feet of vehicle length at speeds below 40 mph. For a 75-foot vehicle, 75 divided by 10 yields 7.5 seconds. Since the vehicle is traveling at 35 mph, no additional second is added.

Step-by-Step Solution

Determine the base time interval based on total vehicle length.

75\text{ feet} \div 10\text{ feet per second} = 7.5\text{ seconds}

Commercial driver regulations prescribe

1\text{ second}

of following distance for every

10\text{ feet}

of vehicle length.

Evaluate operating speed to determine if the speed adjustment rule applies.

Operating speed is

35\text{ mph}

, which is strictly below

40\text{ mph}

The additional

1\text{-second}

high-speed buffer is only applied when operating at speeds of

40\text{ mph}

or higher.

Calculate the total required following distance.

7.5\text{ seconds} + 0\text{ seconds} = 7.5\text{ seconds}

Summing the base length interval and speed modifier yields the minimum required space cushion.

Key Concept

Commercial vehicle following distance calculation under 40 mph

Estimated Time:1m 0s

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