CDL practice tests
Free commercial driver's license practice questions, organized by the knowledge areas federal law actually requires you to know. Every answer explained.
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General Knowledge
Required for every CDL applicant, whatever class or endorsement you're after. The longest and most-weighted test in the battery.
2Air Brakes
Required if the vehicle you'll drive has air brakes. Score under 80% and an air-brake restriction goes on your license.
3Combination Vehicles
Required for Class A. Coupling, uncoupling, trailer brakes and rollover prevention.
The full CDL test battery
A car permit is one test. A CDL is a battery — you take General Knowledge plus whichever of these apply to the vehicle and cargo you'll be responsible for.
| Test | Who needs it | Manual section |
|---|---|---|
| General Knowledge | Every CDL applicant | CDL Manual §2 Driving Safely, §3 Transporting Cargo Safely |
| Air Brakes | Anyone driving an air-brake vehicle | CDL Manual §5 Air Brakes |
| Combination Vehicles | Class A (tractor-trailer) applicants | CDL Manual §6 Combination Vehicles |
| Hazardous Materials (H) H | Drivers hauling placarded hazardous materials | CDL Manual §9 Hazardous Materials |
| Tank Vehicles (N) N | Drivers hauling liquid or gas in bulk | CDL Manual §8 Tank Vehicles |
| Passenger (P) P | Bus and passenger-vehicle drivers | CDL Manual §4 Transporting Passengers Safely |
| School Bus (S) S | School bus drivers (also requires the P endorsement) | CDL Manual §10 School Buses |
| Doubles & Triples (T) T | Drivers pulling more than one trailer | CDL Manual §7 Doubles and Triples |
Two tests where failing costs more than a retake
Air Brakes
Failing this doesn't just mean a retake — a restriction is added to your CDL barring you from air-brake vehicles, which is most commercial trucks.
Combination Vehicles
Score under 80% and a Group A CDL cannot be issued to you at all.
Hazardous Materials (H)
Also requires a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting, on top of the knowledge test.
What General Knowledge covers
These are the federally required knowledge areas. Our bank is organized by them, and a practice test draws proportionally from each — the same way the regulation requires a prescribed number of questions from each area.
Vehicle inspection
33 questions
Basic vehicle control
30 questions
Seeing & communicating
30 questions
Space management
30 questions
Speed management
30 questions
Night, weather & mountain driving
30 questions
Hazard perception & emergencies
30 questions
Crashes, fires & first response
30 questions
Cargo weight & securement
30 questions
Alcohol, drugs & fatigue
30 questions
CDL rules & disqualification
30 questions
Railroad crossings & hazmat awareness
30 questions
Not yet available here
These tests are part of the battery but we haven't written their question banks yet, so we're not pretending otherwise: Hazardous Materials (H), Tank Vehicles (N), Passenger (P), School Bus (S), Doubles & Triples (T). The material for each is in the CDL manual section listed above.
Common questions
How many tests do I have to pass for a CDL?
At least two, usually more. Everyone takes General Knowledge. Add Air Brakes if your vehicle has them, Combination Vehicles for Class A, and one test per endorsement you want. A Class A driver hauling tanked hazmat is looking at five knowledge tests plus a skills test.
What score do I need to pass?
80% on every knowledge test, in every state. Unlike car permit tests — where each state sets its own passing score — this one is federal, under 49 CFR 383.135.
Are CDL tests the same in every state?
The subject matter is. Federal rules require states to build their tests from an FMCSA pre-approved question pool covering federally prescribed knowledge areas. States write their own versions of the questions and set their own test lengths, so the wording and question count vary — but what you're tested on does not. That's why studying by knowledge area works nationwide.
Does anyone have the real CDL test questions?
No, and the regulation is the reason. The question pool isn't public, states develop their own wording from it, and test versions rotate. Any site advertising "the actual questions on the exam" is describing something that doesn't exist. Ours are original questions covering the same federally required knowledge areas.
What is ELDT and do I need it?
Entry-Level Driver Training. Since 2022, first-time applicants for a Class A or B CDL, or for the hazmat, passenger or school bus endorsements, must complete training from a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before testing. A practice test site cannot satisfy ELDT — including this one. Study here, but get your ELDT from a registered provider.
What's the difference between Class A, B and C?
Class A covers combination vehicles — a tractor-trailer where the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds. Class B is a heavy single vehicle. Class C is a smaller vehicle carrying 16 or more passengers or placarded hazardous materials.