Canada Exam Prep
Manitoba Commercial overview

Manitoba Commercial: Impairment, fatigue and safety equipment

Impaired driving sanctions, carbon monoxide, emotions, fatigue and sleep debt, hours of service, airbags and seatbelts, distractions, warning reflectors, fire fighting and extinguishers.

  • 14 questions
  • Topic drill
0/14
Impairment, fatigue and safety equipment · Question 1Score 0/0

How far from a steering-wheel airbag should the driver's seat be positioned?

Study reference: MPI Professional Driver's Manual (PDF, Dec. 2025), Ch. 2 Efficient and safe vehicle operation — Driving while impaired, Safety considerations, Safety equipment, Vehicle fires

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. How far from a steering-wheel airbag should the driver's seat be positioned?

    1. At least 10 cm
    2. Exactly 15 cm
    3. At least 50 cm
    4. At least 25 cm

  2. A driver registers a BAC of .06 for the first time, with no children aboard. What suspension applies?

    1. A 15-day licence suspension
    2. A 24-hour suspension only
    3. A 72-hour licence suspension
    4. A three-month suspension

  3. Driver fatigue is estimated to be a factor in what share of heavy truck fatalities?

    1. More than 75 per cent
    2. 5 to 10 per cent
    3. About 15 per cent
    4. 30 to 40 per cent

  4. Until when must a child ride in a size-appropriate car seat in Manitoba?

    1. Until at least 145 cm, 36 kg or nine years old
    2. Until the child can reach the floor
    3. Until at least 18 kg or four years old
    4. Until at least 120 cm or six years old

  5. Which rule helps prevent vehicle fires?

    1. Leave the parking brake partly applied
    2. Shut off the engine when refuelling
    3. Start propane heaters with the van doors closed
    4. Throw cigarette butts away from the load

  6. How must alcohol be carried in a commercial vehicle in Manitoba?

    1. Anywhere, if it is part of personal luggage
    2. In the sleeper berth with the cap tightened
    3. Out of the driver's reach with the seal unbroken
    4. In the cab, as long as it is not opened

  7. What happens to a vehicle driven by someone whose licence is suspended?

    1. It is impounded only if the driver owns it
    2. It is impounded for at least 30 days
    3. It is impounded for 72 hours
    4. It is ticketed but stays with the owner

  8. You had too much to drink last night. What will remove the alcohol from your body?

    1. Exercise and plenty of water
    2. Only time
    3. Black coffee and a large meal
    4. A cold shower and fresh air

  9. A fire starts on your tractor-trailer combination. When should you separate the units?

    1. Only if the fire is inside the trailer
    2. Only if you are sure you can do it safely
    3. Never, the trailer brakes will lock
    4. Always, before calling for help

  10. What is 'micro sleep'?

    1. A few seconds when the brain tunes out
    2. A 20-minute nap taken at a rest stop on a long trip
    3. Sleeping fewer than six hours a night
    4. The drowsy feeling after a large meal

  11. Why should a CO2 extinguisher not be used in an enclosed space?

    1. It can cause suffocation and skin blistering
    2. It does not work on electrical fires
    3. It freezes the spilled fuel and can make it explode
    4. It spreads grease fires like water does

  12. A tire has been run while flat and is hot. What should you do before moving the vehicle?

    1. Drive slowly to the nearest tire shop
    2. Spray it with water from the radiator
    3. Let it cool, or replace it if you must move
    4. Inflate it to normal pressure and drive on

  13. You are disabled on a divided highway. Where do the three reflectors go?

    1. 30 m ahead, 3 m beside and 30 m behind
    2. 10 m, 50 m and 100 m behind the vehicle
    3. 3 m ahead and 30 m and 60 m behind
    4. 3 m, 30 m and 60 m behind the vehicle

  14. Which vehicles must always carry three reflectorized warning devices?

    1. Only vehicles carrying dangerous goods
    2. Only vehicles travelling outside cities and towns at night
    3. Only trucks with more than two axles
    4. All buses and trucks of 4,500 kg or more

Impairment, fatigue and safety equipment: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Ch. 2 Driving while impaired (pp. 14–15)

  • Impaired drivers caused 40% of traffic deaths in Manitoba in 2018; you can be charged with impaired driving at any blood alcohol level.
  • Only time removes alcohol; coffee, food or a cold shower do not.
  • In Manitoba, alcohol carried in a commercial vehicle must be out of the driver's reach with the seal unbroken; in the US it is banned unless part of a manifested load.
  • Prescription drugs can impair even at the prescribed dose; carry them in their original containers.
  • Drivers suspected of drug impairment can get an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension.
  • BAC of .05 to .079, a warn on a screening device, or a failed drug or coordination test brings a Tiered Administrative Licence Suspension: 72 hours first time (seven days with a child under 16 aboard), 15 days second, 30 days third, 60 days after that, within 10 years.
  • A BAC of .08 or more, a fail, refusal, THC over 5 ng or any illegal drug brings a three-month Administrative Licence Suspension, impoundment and an Impaired Driver Assessment.
  • Driving while suspended means impoundment for at least 30 days, even if someone else owns the vehicle.

Ch. 2 Safety considerations (pp. 16–17)

  • Carbon monoxide is odourless, colourless and tasteless; check the exhaust and get fresh air if dizzy or drowsy.
  • Fatigue is a factor in 30–40% of heavy truck fatalities; drivers usually do not notice it coming.
  • Most people need six to eight hours of sleep; missed sleep builds a sleep debt that must be repaid.
  • Micro sleep: the brain tunes out for seconds; highway hypnosis: inattention from dull terrain.
  • If you are very tired, pull off and sleep before you fall asleep at the wheel.
  • Hours of service rules exist to manage fatigue; contact the Motor Carrier Branch for details.
  • Sit at least 25 cm from an airbag in the steering wheel; keep the area in front of airbags clear.
  • All occupants must wear the full seatbelt; children need a car seat until at least 145 cm, 36 kg or age nine.
  • Using hand-held electronic devices while driving is illegal in Manitoba.

Ch. 2 Safety equipment and vehicle fires (pp. 18–19)

  • Passenger vehicles, vehicles carrying flammable goods (loaded or not) and pilot vehicles must carry fire extinguishers.
  • All buses and trucks registered at 4,500 kg or more must carry three reflectorized warning devices.
  • On a divided highway, place them 3 m, 30 m and 60 m behind the vehicle.
  • On an undivided highway, the manual lists one device 3 m and one 30 m from the front of the vehicle, and one 30 m behind it.
  • Fire: do not risk your life; separate tractor and trailer only if safe; fight with the wind at your back; disconnect the battery for electrical fires; open the hood only slightly.
  • Water spreads fuel, oil and grease fires; use an extinguisher, sand or dirt.
  • B.C. extinguishers handle grease, oil, fuel and electrical fires; A.B.C. also handles paper and cloth; do not use CO2 in an enclosed space.
  • Never start a vehicle with a fuel leak, shut off the engine to refuel, ground the nozzle, and do not start propane heaters with trailer van doors closed.
  • Let soft or flat tires cool before moving; replace the tire first if you must move.

Study the Impairment, fatigue and safety equipment rules as flashcards →

Other topics

Full practice tests