• 80 questions

2B Hoisting License Practice Test

Our own questions on the Massachusetts loader/backhoe class, Dig Safe and trench rules, each answer naming its section.

The State/Municipal Limited license lets public works employees run equipment under which three licenses?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit, 18 right to pass (70%).

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections. Bank checked October 12, 2026.

Next step Next: Massachusetts hoisting lawNext: 1A crane license test

All 80 questions

What a 2B license covers 11

  • A 2B holder is asked to run a crawler excavator. Which class of license does that machine call for? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(b)
  • An attachment's manufacturer no longer exists. Who may approve the attachment, by the definitions in 6.01? 230 CMR 6.01(2)
  • Are backhoes and front end loaders "hoisting machinery" under 230 CMR 6.01? 230 CMR 6.01(2)
  • Class 2D, also inside a 2B, is compact hoisting machinery up to what gross vehicle weight? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(h)
  • For which use is hoisting machinery outside 230 CMR 6.00 altogether? 230 CMR 6.01(1)
  • The State/Municipal Limited license lets public works employees run equipment under which three licenses? 230 CMR 6.10(5)
  • What is the class 2C machine, which a 2B holder may also run? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(f)
  • What may a 2B operator run, by 230 CMR 6.10(2)(d)? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(d)
  • Which class 2 license has knowledge of hand signals for crawler/excavator operations written in as a prerequisite? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(a), (c)
  • Which other classes of equipment does a 2B license take in? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(d)
  • Which single class 2 license covers the 2B machines as well as its own? 230 CMR 6.10(2)(b)
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Keeping the license: renewal, permits, penalties 13

  • A license is not renewed by its expiration date. What happens, by 6.02(6)? 230 CMR 6.02(6); M.G.L. c. 146, § 67
  • A person's license was revoked. What must be passed before a later license is issued, by M.G.L. c. 146, § 65? M.G.L. c. 146, § 65
  • For how long is a temporary permit to run rented compact hoisting machinery normally valid? 230 CMR 6.03(7)(a)
  • How many continuing education hours renew a 2A, 2B, 2C or 2D license? 230 CMR 6.04(1)(b)
  • How many temporary permits may one person be issued in any 45-day period? M.G.L. c. 146, § 65A
  • How old must an applicant be for a hoisting license other than an apprentice license? 230 CMR 6.02(2)(a)
  • How soon must a licensee tell the Office of a change of address? 230 CMR 6.02(8)
  • Under whose guidance may an apprentice licensee run a loader/backhoe? 230 CMR 6.05(1)
  • Until when does a hoisting license continue in force under M.G.L. c. 146, § 67? M.G.L. c. 146, § 67
  • What is the lowest fine M.G.L. c. 146, § 54A sets for a person who permits an unlicensed person to operate hoisting machinery? M.G.L. c. 146, § 54A
  • What must a temporary permit holder hold besides the permit? 230 CMR 6.01(2); M.G.L. c. 146, § 54
  • What must the operator carry while running hoisting machinery, by 6.08(2)(c)20? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • Which text is on the class 2 continuing education list in 6.04 but not on the class 3 list? 230 CMR 6.04(1)(b)

Operating rules for every machine 9

  • How often must wire ropes, bearings, gears, brakes and other parts subject to wear be visually inspected? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(b)
  • If the machine has a warning signal, when must it be sounded? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • In what state must a machine be for maintenance, repair and refueling? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(a)
  • The operator doubts that an action is safe. What authority does 6.08 give? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • What does 6.08 say about seat belts and other manufacturer installed safety devices? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • What must the operator do before starting any hoisting machinery? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • What must the operator do with the controls before operating? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • Which of these does 6.08(2)(c)5 forbid? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)
  • Who is responsible for securing hoisting machinery that is left unattended? 230 CMR 6.08(2)(c)

Excavating machine rules 7

  • Besides meeting the Dig Safe law, whom must the operator notify before digging? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(a)
  • What does 6.09(5)(c) say about setting an excavating machine across an open trench? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(c)
  • What must the operator obtain before any excavation, by 6.09(5)(a)? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(a)
  • Which hand signals does 6.09(5)(c) require with excavating machinery? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(c)
  • Which standard does 230 CMR 6.01(3) adopt for excavator and backhoe hand signals? 230 CMR 6.01(3)
  • Who may operate an excavating machine, by 6.09(5)(c)? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(c)
  • Who may stand within the full working radius of a backhoe while it is working? 230 CMR 6.09(5)(c)

Excavator and backhoe hand signals 8

  • A signal person draws a thumb or forefinger across the throat. What is the operator to do? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • Both hands clenched, thumbs pointing inward. Which movement is asked for? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • How is OPEN BUCKET signaled? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • How is TRAVEL signaled to an excavator or backhoe? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • What does a signal person mean with hands raised and open inward, moved sideways toward each other? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • What tells CLOSE BUCKET from OPEN BUCKET? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • Which Appendix B signal is EMERGENCY STOP? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B
  • Which Appendix B signal means RAISE LOAD VERTICALLY? 230 CMR 6.00, Appendix B

Dig Safe law (M.G.L. c. 82, §§ 40 to 40E) 11

  • An emergency calls for digging at once. What does § 40A still require? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40A
  • The excavator damages a pipe or its protective coating. What does § 40C require? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40C
  • How far ahead must an excavator premark and give initial notice to the Dig Safe system? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40A
  • How wide is the "safety zone" around a marked facility? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40
  • In what color is a proposed excavation premarked? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40
  • The marks have been rubbed out and the excavator asks for remarking. How long does the company have? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40C
  • What do yellow markings stand for in the standard color code? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40
  • What is the fine for a first violation of the Dig Safe sections, by M.G.L. c. 82, § 40E? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40E
  • What is the longest time before an excavation that the initial notice to the Dig Safe system may be given? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40A
  • What kind of digging does § 40C require close to underground facilities that are to be exposed? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40C
  • Which color marks communications cables, alarm or signal lines? M.G.L. c. 82, § 40

Trench permits and unattended trenches (520 CMR 14.00) 9

  • A serious injury happens at a trench. To whom must the excavator report it, and how fast? 520 CMR 14.05(8)(a)
  • An unattended trench is covered with steel plates. How thick must they be at least? 520 CMR 14.04(2)(a)
  • An unattended trench is fenced, not covered. How high must the barrier be? 520 CMR 14.04(2)(b)
  • How deep must a narrow excavation be to count as a "trench" under 520 CMR 14.02? 520 CMR 14.02
  • What is the widest gap allowed between sections of a trench barrier, or between the barrier and the ground? 520 CMR 14.04(2)(b)
  • What may stand in place of covers and barriers at an unattended trench, by 14.04(5)? 520 CMR 14.04(5)
  • What must be done with the trench permit before a licensed operator starts to dig, by 14.03(7)? 520 CMR 14.03(7)
  • What must be obtained before a trench is made, outside an emergency? 520 CMR 14.03(1)
  • Where must a trench permit be posted? 520 CMR 14.03(5)

Federal excavation and equipment rules (29 CFR 1926) 12

  • A loader has an obstructed view to the rear. When may it be used in reverse gear? 29 CFR 1926.602(a)(9)
  • A machine is parked on an incline. What does 1926.600 require? 29 CFR 1926.600(a)(3)
  • From what depth must a trench have a ladder, stairway or ramp, and how far may a worker have to travel to it? 29 CFR 1926.651(c)
  • How far back from the edge must excavated material and equipment be kept, where no retaining device is used? 29 CFR 1926.651(j)
  • How must end-loader buckets and similar equipment be left when not in use or under repair? 29 CFR 1926.600(a)(3)
  • How wide may a trench be at the bottom and still be a "trench" under 1926.650? 29 CFR 1926.650(b)
  • The operator of a machine near an excavation cannot see its edge clearly. What does 1926.651(f) require? 29 CFR 1926.651(f)
  • What does 1926.651(e) say about workers and loads handled by digging equipment? 29 CFR 1926.651(e)
  • When does 29 CFR 1926.652 excuse a protective system against cave-ins, apart from stable rock? 29 CFR 1926.652(a)
  • Which hazard on front-end loaders does 1926.602(a)(10) require to be guarded? 29 CFR 1926.602(a)(10)
  • Who inspects an excavation each day, and after what event must it be inspected again? 29 CFR 1926.651(k)
  • With no soil classification made, what is the steepest slope Option (1) of 1926.652(b) allows? 29 CFR 1926.652(b)

How this list was compiled: 230 CMR 6.00, Hoisting Machinery (Mass. Register 1561, dated 11/21/2025; previously codified as 520 CMR 6.00), the PDF copy published on mass.gov at https://www.mass.gov/regulations/230-CMR-600-hoisting-machinery; Massachusetts General Laws chapter 146, sections 53 to 54A and 57 to 67, on the Legislature's site, malegislature.gov; M.G.L. chapter 82, sections 40 to 40E (Dig Safe), on malegislature.gov; 520 CMR 14.00, Excavation and Trench Safety, the PDF copy on mass.gov at https://www.mass.gov/regulations/520-CMR-1400-excavation-and-trench-safety; and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P (Excavations, sections 1926.650 to 1926.652) and Subpart O (sections 1926.600 and 1926.602), from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-1926, in the version of 2026-10-08; all read 2026-10-12. The examination is described on the agency's page Education Requirements for Hoisting Engineer License, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/education-requirements-for-hoisting-engineer-license, opened 2026-10-12. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the public laws, rules and publications named as the source; nothing is copied from the real examination, a prep book or another practice test.

How it works

This unofficial 2B hoisting license practice test asks 80 of our own questions on the Massachusetts loader/backhoe class, the Dig Safe law and trench rules. It is not affiliated with the Office of Public Safety and Inspections.

Read the full guide

The digging laws

Before any excavation the regulation sends the operator to Dig Safe, M.G.L. c. 82, sections 40 to 40E. The trench rule, 520 CMR 14.00, and OSHA's 29 CFR 1926 are on its class 2 training lists, so each has a topic here.

What is left out

Machine handling and the operating manuals the agency also tells applicants to review are not asked.

  • Dig Safe in three numbers: 72 hours of notice not counting weekends and legal holidays, at most 30 days ahead, an 18 inch safety zone.
  • An unattended trench needs steel plates at least 3/4 inch thick or a barrier at least six feet high (520 CMR 14.04).
  • Federal trench numbers: protection from 5 feet deep, a ladder from 4 feet within 25 feet of travel, spoil 2 feet back.

Questions and answers

Is there a 2B hoisters license study guide?

The state publishes a page of what to review, not a guide: M.G.L. c. 146, 230 CMR 6.00, the machine's operating manuals and, for excavator operators, the hand signals in the regulation. The questions here come from the laws and rules.

What should a Massachusetts 2B hoisters license study guide include?

The class 2 list in 230 CMR 6.10, the operating rules in 6.08, the excavating machine rules in 6.09, the SAE hand signals in Appendix B, Dig Safe, the trench regulation 520 CMR 14.00 and the federal excavation rules.

What can you operate with a 2B hoisting license?

Combination loader/backhoe machines with manufacturer approved attachments, front end loaders (class 2C) and compact hoisting machinery up to 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (class 2D). Excavators are class 2A, which also covers everything a 2B does.

What is the passing score on the 2B hoisting exam?

230 CMR 6.02 sets a minimum grade of 70% on the written examination given by the Office of Public Safety and Inspections. The agency's pages give no question count or time limit.

Are these the real 2B exam questions?

No. Each was written for this page from the regulation, the General Laws, 520 CMR 14.00 or 29 CFR 1926. None is taken from the state examination, and the Office of Public Safety and Inspections did not write or review them.

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