Home › CDL Practice Tests › General Knowledge Questions › Question 79
Your service brakes fail while driving. Which actions can help you stop?
- A.Turn the engine off immediately and coast
- B.Pump the brake pedal to try to build pressure, downshift to a lower gear, and apply the parking brake gradually if needed
- C.Shift into reverse
- D.Steer into a ditch at full speed
Correct answer
B. Pump the brake pedal to try to build pressure, downshift to a lower gear, and apply the parking brake gradually if needed
Why
Pumping may restore enough hydraulic or air pressure for a stop, engine braking from a lower gear sheds speed, and a gradually applied parking brake adds stopping force without locking wheels suddenly. On a downgrade, a runaway ramp is the safest option if one is available.
Manual topic: Safe Driving - Brake Failure · From the General Knowledge practice bank (GK-079).