When driving in apparatus you should remain in the highest gear that allows an apparatus to blank and still have some power in reserve for acceleration.

• A. Overtake aggressively
• B. Idle
• C. Maximize fuel economy
• D. Keep up with traffic

Answer: (D)

The idea here is to use a gear that keeps the engine in a usable power range while staying able to respond quickly if traffic slows or a hazard appears. You want the highest gear that still lets you maintain the flow of traffic and have some reserve power for acceleration. If you go too low, you’ll waste fuel and slow down unnecessarily; if you go too high, the engine can lug and you won’t have the power to speed up when needed. Keeping up with traffic captures both staying steady and being ready to accelerate—exactly what you need for safe, responsive apparatus operation.