Driver Handbook in Texas

The State of Texas kindly provides all of its driver manuals online, courtesy of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). These are in PDF file format and can be read online or downloaded and printed out.

You will need the Adobe Reader software to access these files, and while it is almost impossible not to have a copy of that ubiquitous program on your computer already, it's free to download and install.

There are versions of the manuals for drivers of both passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles:

• Texas Drivers Handbook (104 pages)

• Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook (158 pages)

The Truth about Driver Handbooks

Here's the real lowdown about the driver handbooks: Studying them is absolutely essential in order to pass the written licensing tests. You may be the best driver in the world, but if you don't familiarize yourself with the special phrasing and style of the language used in the manuals and in the tests, you'll fall over your own feet on test day.

Remember, the powers that be want only the most confident and knowledgeable drivers (the ones who know the answers inside-out) to pass the test. For example, would you know that the term "safety responsibility" actually refers to financial responsibility and insurance coverage?

So if you don't read the manuals carefully, you won't be passing the knowledge test for your driver's license. And you'll have lots of additional opportunities to fall over your own feet―because you'll have to walk everywhere.

Texas Drivers Handbook Contents

Most sections of the Texas Drivers Handbook are illustrated, and there's even a nifty photo of Thomas A. Davis, Jr., Director, Texas DPS―suitable for framing. The handbook covers, in glorious detail, the following subjects:

• Your License to Drive

• Vehicle Inspection and Registration

• Safety (Financial) Responsibility

• Right-of-Way

• Signals, Signs, and Markers

• Signaling, Passing, and Turning

• Stopping, Standing, or Parking

• Speed and Speed Limits

• Some Special Driving Situations

• How Alcohol and Drugs Affect a Person's Ability to Drive

• Driving While Intoxicated or Driving under the Influence of Drugs―Penalties

• Zero Tolerance Law

• Motor Vehicle Crashes

• Pedestrian Safety

• Bicycle Vehicle Law and Safety

• Additional Safety Tips

• Sharing the Roads with Motorcycles

• Special Requirements for Commercial Motor Vehicles

• Safety Practices

• Registration of Vehicles

• Glossary

• Study and Review Questions for Class C Operators

• Study and Review Questions for Class A and Class B Operators

• Full-Time Driver License Offices

The Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook and the motorcycle manual cover similar subjects, with additional materials pertaining to their own special licensing needs.

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