Railroad crossing rules — Montana Permit Test

Railroad crossing rules on the Montana permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

When a train is approaching a crossing, Montana requires you to stop no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail.

A train is wider than its rails, so a car stopped right at the track can still be hit.

You are required to STOP at railroad crossings as close as practicable but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail when warning signals, crossing gates, stop signs, or human watchmen indicate the approach of a train, or when the train is within 1500 feet of the crossing or if clearly visible and an obvious hazard.

Montana Driver Manual, p.33

You must also stop at a railroad crossing when a train is within 1,500 feet of it, even without warning signals.

A train at that distance can reach the crossing before a car stalled on the tracks can get off.

You are required to STOP at railroad crossings as close as practicable but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail when warning signals, crossing gates, stop signs, or human watchmen indicate the approach of a train, or when the train is within 1500 feet of the crossing or if clearly visible and an obvious hazard.

Montana Driver Manual, p.33

Never start to cross railroad tracks until there is room for your vehicle on the far side.

If traffic backs up ahead, a car that started across is trapped on the rails.

Never start to cross until there is room for your vehicle on the far side.

Montana Driver Manual, p.33

It is wise not to shift gears while crossing railroad tracks, in case you stall.

A stick shift that stalls mid-shift leaves the car sitting on the rails.

It is wise to not shift gears when crossing railroad tracks just in case you might stall.

Montana Driver Manual, p.33

On the test

When you must stop for a train, how close to the nearest rail may you stop?

No closer than 15 feet. A train is wider than its rails, so a car stopped right at the track can still be hit. Montana Driver Manual, p.33: “You are required to STOP at railroad crossings as close as practicable but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail when warning signals, crossing gates, stop signs, or human watchmen indicate the approach of a train, or when the train is within 1500 feet of the crossing or if clearly visible and an obvious hazard.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Montana Driver Manual, published by the Montana Department of Justice, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-04.