South Carolina Grading Contractor Examination

Which set of references is listed for the South Carolina Grading Commercial Contractor examination in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin?

• ASCDOT 2007 Standard Specifications, 29 CFR Part 1926, Excavation and Grading Handbook (20…
• BIBC, SCDOT 2025 Standard Specifications, and NFPA 70
• CAASHTO Green Book, MUTCD, and OSHA 1910 only
• DSCDOT 2000 Standard Specifications and the International Building Code only

Under the South Carolina Contractor’s Licensing Board scope, grading work includes soil preparation and rehabilitation of which of the following?

• AOnly building-pad cuts inside a foundation wall
• BStreets, roads, highways, railroad beds, building sites, parking lots, and storm sewers,…
• COnly asphalt overlay and pavement striping
• DOnly structural steel erection and pile driving

A contractor seeking the South Carolina Highway classification must pass which combination of technical examinations?

• AGrading only
• BLimited Building and Plumbing
• CBridges, Concrete Paving, Asphalt Paving, and Grading
• DAir Conditioning and Refrigeration

If a grading-exam question has conflicting information between a legal requirement and another authorized reference, which source controls?

• AThe newest manufacturer catalog in the testing room
• BThe candidate’s field notes written in the reference book
• CWhichever book the candidate opened first
• DThe code, law, or regulation; and if two legal requirements conflict, the state-specific…

Before a normal excavation in South Carolina, how much advance notice must an excavator give SC811?

• AThree full working days, not counting the day of the request, weekends, or holidays
• BOne calendar day, including the day the ticket is entered
• CSeven calendar days, including weekends
• DTwenty-four hours, unless the work is on a state highway

How long is a normal SC811 locate request valid after its start time?

• A5 calendar days
• B15 working days
• C10 calendar days
• D30 calendar days

In South Carolina, the tolerance zone around a marked underground facility is:

• A12 inches on either side of the mark, regardless of pipe size
• B18 inches on either side of the mark, with no addition for pipe diameter
• C24 inches on either side of the mark, plus one-half the diameter of the facility if the d…
• D5 feet on either side of the mark for all land excavations

Under the APWA Uniform Color Code used by SC811, white markings identify:

• AElectric power lines
• BNatural gas
• CPotable water
• DProposed excavation

A locator paints a continuous red line across a proposed cut. What facility does that mark represent?

• AElectric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables
• BSanitary sewer and storm drain lines
• CCommunication and fiber-optic cables
• DReclaimed water or irrigation

Yellow APWA marks on a grading site indicate:

• ATemporary survey control
• BGas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous materials
• CProposed excavation limits
• DPotable water mains

Orange paint or flags on a South Carolina jobsite identify:

• ASanitary sewer force mains only
• BElectric transmission only
• CCommunication, alarm, or signal lines, cables, or conduit
• DHigh-pressure natural gas only

Blue APWA markings indicate:

• AStorm sewer only
• BProposed excavation
• CElectric secondary services
• DPotable water

Green APWA markings on a site identify:

• ASewers and drain lines
• BReclaimed water and irrigation
• CPotable water
• DTemporary survey marks

When excavation must occur inside the South Carolina tolerance zone of a marked facility, the excavator must first:

• AUse a toothed bucket to peel soil in 12-inch lifts
• BUse hand digging, vacuum excavation, or another non-destructive method until the facility…
• CAssume the line is 36 inches deep and machine-excavate above that depth
• DWait one additional calendar week and then machine-dig

Before starting a normal excavation after the waiting period, the excavator must:

• AAssume all utilities were marked if three days have passed
• BCall the county building official instead of SC811
• CCheck Positive Response and confirm that operators have responded, and look for visible s…
• DBegin work if at least one utility has painted marks

A grading crew finds an unmarked electric line running from a building meter to a detached shop. Why was it probably not located by the SC811 member?

• AWhite paint was used, so the line was treated as proposed excavation
• BElectric lines are never marked in South Carolina
• CThe line was too deep to detect
• DSC811 members mark only the facilities they own and maintain; private lines beyond the me…

Why does SC811 tell excavators not to rely on an assumed bury depth?

• AMembers mark approximate horizontal location only; depth can change after installation be…
• BAll South Carolina utilities are installed at exactly 48 inches
• CDepth is printed on every locate ticket
• DOSHA requires every utility to be at least 8 feet deep

Under SCDOT 2007 Section 203, unclassified excavation is:

• AOnly sand and gravel that can be loaded with a wheel loader
• BRoadway and drainage excavation regardless of the materials encountered or the manner of…
• COnly rock that requires blasting
• DOnly material hauled more than 3,000 feet

On an SCDOT project, when is borrow excavation used instead of unclassified excavation?

• AWhenever any soil is moved, even within the same cut
• BOnly when the material is rock
• CWhen needed fill must be brought from outside the right-of-way; material available entire…
• DOnly when the haul is less than 500 feet

SCDOT 2007 defines rock excavation as rock that cannot be excavated without blasting, rippers, hoe-rams, or pavement breakers, and also includes boulders or detached stones each having a volume of at least:

• A1 cubic foot
• B1/4 cubic yard
• C2 cubic yards
• D1/2 cubic yard

SCDOT muck excavation is the removal of unsuitable material that, in the RCE’s opinion:

• ACannot be excavated using equipment normally used to remove unclassified excavation
• BCan be excavated with the same equipment normally used for unclassified excavation
• CIs always paid as borrow
• DIs limited to rock boulders larger than 2 cubic yards

SCDOT 2007 includes a free-haul distance, with no overhaul payment, of:

• A500 feet
• B3,000 feet
• C1,000 feet
• D1 mile

For SCDOT station grading, one station of measurement is:

• A10 feet along the centerline
• B50 feet along the centerline
• C100 feet along the centerline
• D1,000 feet along the centerline

When a contract includes the pay item Site Excavation, SCDOT measures and pays that item:

• ABy the cubic yard of in-place cut, remeasured daily
• BBy the ton of hauled material
• CBy the acre of clearing only
• DAs a lump sum, with no field measurement of quantity

If an excavation site cannot be clearly identified from the locate notice description, SC811 requires the excavator to pre-mark the site with:

• AWhite paint, flags, or stakes
• BYellow paint, to warn of possible gas
• CRed paint, because red is the most visible color
• DPink paint, which is reserved for proposed excavation

An operator has not provided Positive Response and there are visible signs of a facility, such as a pedestal or pole. The excavator should:

• ABegin machine excavation immediately because the three-day wait has ended
• BContact SC811 for a No Show and allow an additional three hours for the operator or locat…
• CPaint the area green and proceed
• DAssume a No Conflict response

SCDOT overhaul is measured in cubic yard half-miles (CYHM). The first half-mile unit of overhaul applies to material hauled:

• AAny distance beyond 100 feet
• BMore than 5,280 feet but less than 10,560 feet
• CMore than 3,000 feet but less than 5,640 feet
• DOnly distances greater than 2 miles

A contractor hauls 2,400 cubic yards of Department-furnished borrow 4,100 feet. Using SCDOT 2007 overhaul rules, the overhaul quantity is:

• A0 CYHM, because 4,100 feet is still free haul
• B9,840 CYHM
• C4,800 CYHM
• D2,400 CYHM

Unless the RCE orders a recheck, SCDOT uses plan quantity for unclassified excavation when the final grade varies from the plan grade by no more than:

• A0.30 foot
• B0.10 foot
• C0.05 foot
• D1.00 foot

SCDOT allows recycled glass aggregate in embankment, with which limits?

• AUp to 50% by weight, any particle size, including the top 6 inches
• BA maximum of 25% by weight, maximum particle size 1/2 inch, and none in the top 18 inches…
• CGlass only, with no soil blended in
• DUnlimited glass if it is washed

Unless otherwise approved, borrow used in the top 5 feet of an SCDOT embankment must have a maximum dry density of not less than 100 lb/ft³ at optimum moisture by SC-T-29, and no embankment soil may have an optimum moisture content greater than:

• A8.0%
• B12.0%
• C25.0%
• D18.0%

For SCDOT borrow, the maximum loss on ignition (SC-T-36) is:

• A5.0% anywhere in the fill
• BNo organic-content limit is specified
• C0.1% in the top 5 feet and 2.0% below that
• D1.0% in the top 5 feet and 0.5% in the top 18 inches

SC811 is which type of organization?

• AA not-for-profit funded by its members, who are primarily facility operators
• BA for-profit utility locating contractor that marks every private line
• CA division of SCDOT
• DA federal OSHA area office

For subaqueous excavation in South Carolina, operators have a longer response time and a wider tolerance zone. Those values are:

• A3 working days and 24 inches
• B10 days and a 15-foot tolerance zone on either side of the marked facility
• C15 working days and a 5-foot tolerance zone
• D24 hours and no tolerance zone

If a grading crew damages an underground facility, South Carolina law requires the excavator to:

• ABackfill immediately and report the damage only if service is interrupted overnight
• BCall OSHA instead of SC811
• CNotify the notification center and the facility operator, if known, of the location and n…
• DWait until the end of the pay period to file a written claim

When excavating parallel to a marked facility inside the South Carolina tolerance zone, the excavator must visually expose the facility at intervals not exceeding:

• A10 feet
• B25 feet
• C200 feet
• D50 feet

Under the SC811 emergency rules, an excavator who declares an emergency must, among other duties, maintain communication with the operator, locator, or representative through Positive Response within:

• AThree hours of the notification center transmitting the emergency notice
• B15 minutes of breaking ground
• CThree working days
• DFifteen working days

SCDOT earthwork volumes for items such as muck excavation and embankment in-place are calculated using which method unless otherwise specified?

• ATruck-count loose measure only
• BThe average-end-area method
• CStockpile weight tickets converted at 3,000 lb/CY
• DContour planimeter of the entire county

Unless an exception applies, SCDOT 2007 requires embankment to be placed in successive uniform horizontal layers of not more than:

• A4 inches compacted
• B12 inches compacted
• C8 inches in depth, loose measurement
• D24 inches loose

Each SCDOT embankment layer must be compacted to not less than what percent of maximum density by SC-T-29 before the next layer is placed?

• A90.0%
• B92.0%
• C100.0%
• D95.0%

The top 6 inches of an SCDOT embankment must not contain material larger than will pass a:

• A3-inch sieve
• B3/4-inch sieve
• CNo. 200 sieve
• D12-inch sieve

Before embankment construction begins, SCDOT requires the contractor to:

• ALeave stumps in place as shear keys
• BComplete clearing and grubbing and fill and compact stump holes and depressions
• CPlace the first 4-foot rock lift directly on uncleared ground
• DStockpile all organics on the finished subgrade

SCDOT Section 208 states that base, surface course, or pavement must never be placed on subgrade that is:

• AProof-rolled and approved
• BCompacted to 95.0% of maximum density
• CFrozen, muddy, or unstable
• DMoist near optimum moisture

In earthwork estimating, a bank cubic yard is the volume of soil:

• AAfter it has been excavated and dumped loosely in a truck
• BEqual to 36 cubic feet
• CAfter it has been placed and compacted in the fill
• DIn its natural, undisturbed condition in the ground

Which compactor is generally the most effective on cohesive clay embankment?

• ASheepsfoot or padfoot roller
• BSmooth-drum vibratory roller without kneading
• CStatic steel wheel on a sealed asphalt mat
• DPlate tamper used only on open-graded stone

A smooth-drum vibratory roller is typically the first-choice machine for compacting:

• AFat clay at 8 inches loose
• BGranular sand, gravel, or crushed-stone fills
• CHighly organic muck
• DFresh concrete curb