CDL practice tests, one federal bank

Commercial licensing is federal, so these three papers are the same questions whichever state you license in. 49 CFR Part 383 sets what you have to know and fixes the pass mark at 80 percent.

The pass mark is 49 CFR 383.135(a)(1). Paper lengths are ours: the regulation fixes the mark, not how many questions go on the paper.

Why one bank covers every state

A state issues the license, charges for it and books the appointment. It does not write the syllabus: 49 CFR Part 383 sets the knowledge a commercial applicant has to demonstrate, 383.135(a)(1) fixes the pass mark, and the book agencies hand out is the AAMVA model Commercial Driver’s License Manual rather than one of their own drafting. Car permit rules run the other way, which is why every car paper here carries a layer written from that state’s own statutes and these three do not.

The car figures come from the state and do not have to agree with each other. The commercial column cannot vary.

What each paper decides

• General knowledge. The first paper for every applicant, whatever the eventual class or endorsement looks like.
• Air brakes. Fail or skip it and an air brake restriction goes on the license, forbidding any vehicle whose braking system runs on air. Nothing here is rounded for readability either: the low air pressure warning has to activate before pressure falls below 60 psi, under 49 CFR 393.51.
• Combination vehicles. Required for Class A. Rearward amplification, off-tracking, and the coupling sequence down to the glad hands and the tractor protection valve.

Which parts of 49 CFR these questions cite

Under every answer sits the regulation, or the piece of FMCSA guidance, the question was built from, so the federal claim on this page can be checked rather than taken on trust. Four parts of Title 49 do most of the work.

• Part 383, commercial driver standards. The 80 percent pass mark at 383.135(a)(1), the definition of a commercial motor vehicle at 383.5, the 0.04 alcohol threshold at 383.51 and the duty to report a conviction to your employer at 383.31.
• Part 392, driving a commercial vehicle. Cargo checks at 392.9, railroad crossings at 392.10, warning devices after stopping at 392.22 and the alcohol rules at 392.5.
• Part 393, parts and accessories. The low pressure warning at 393.51, brake adjustment at 393.47 and air tank draining at 393.50.
• Part 396, inspection and maintenance. The post-trip report at 396.11, and the out-of-service conditions that mean a vehicle does not move at all.

Title 49 carries no copyright and the model manual very much does, so every question here was drafted from the regulation text. No paragraph of that manual has been reworded into one.

Which knowledge tests do you pass before a state issues the CLP?

A commercial learner's permit is a separate document from the CDL (49 CFR 383.25(b)). Carried with a valid driver's license from the same state, it lets you drive that class of commercial vehicle for behind-the-wheel training while a CDL holder with the right group and endorsements rides with you (383.5 and 383.25(a)). You must be at least 18 and pass the general knowledge test for the vehicle group you plan to drive (383.71(a)(1) and (a)(2)).

Part 383 lists what each test covers: 20 general areas in 383.111(a), 7 air brake areas in 383.111(b), and 3 combination vehicle areas in 383.111(c). States build the tests from an FMCSA-approved question pool, and a quarter of the questions on each new version must be new (383.133(b)(1) and (b)(2)(ii)). The question count comes from that approved test system, not from the regulation text (383.133(b)(2)(iv)). A test may be given on paper, orally, or on a computer, and in a foreign language, but never through an interpreter (383.133(b)(3)).

Group A is a combination with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed unit is rated over 10,000 pounds. Group B is a single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, towing no more than 10,000 pounds. Group C is anything outside A and B that is designed for 16 or more people, including the driver, or that carries hazardous materials as 383.5 defines them (383.91(a)). For the skills test, the rating decides the group, not what the vehicle weighs that day (383.133(c)(3)). A pass in Group A lets you drive B and C, and a pass in B lets you drive C, if you hold the needed endorsements (383.91(c)).

How does New York handle CDL testing?

New York requires you to hold a New York Class D, E, or non-CDL C license before you apply. NY DMV gives CDL knowledge tests only at its offices, in English, Spanish, Chinese, or Russian. The HazMat test is in English only. Each knowledge test needs 80 percent to pass, and each question offers three choices. NY DMV does not publish the General (Core) Knowledge question count. Failed tests have no fixed retake limit, but a District Director, Office Manager, County Clerk, or Office Supervisor decides whether you may retake one.

New York's $10 CDL application fee covers knowledge and endorsement tests taken at the same time. Another required test not taken and passed at the initial application costs $5; the road test costs $40. You must be at least 21 for an H or X endorsement or to drive interstate (New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 502(2)(a)). New York also has a metal-coil endorsement (501(2)(b)(ix)). NY DMV's CDL manual says it is needed to carry metal coils that weigh 5,000 pounds or more, individually or bundled (CDL-10 section 3.4.5).

What can you drive with the CLP?

Unless it is a passenger vehicle, the supervising CDL holder sits in the front seat next to you. In a passenger vehicle they sit directly behind you or in the first row behind you, and in every case they keep you under observation and direct supervision (383.25(a)(1)). The permit must state that it is invalid without the underlying license from the same state (383.153(b)(2)(i)). You may not drive a vehicle carrying hazardous materials as 383.5 defines them (383.25(a)(6)).

How long before you can take the skills test?

A CLP must come before a first CDL, and before any upgrade that needs a skills test (383.25(d)). The skills test runs in a fixed order: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, then on-road driving, and failing one segment ends the test there (383.133(c)(6)). Passed segments count only while the first CLP lasts. Once the permit is renewed, all 3 are taken again (383.133(c)(6)(ii)). A state may use a simulator in skills testing but never in place of the on-street test (383.113(e)). Disobeying traffic laws or causing a crash during the test is an automatic failure (383.135(b)(2)). The passing scores sit in the examiner manual that 383.131(b) refers to, and Part 383 sets no test fee.

Holding a CLP at 18 does not settle who may hire you. Part 391, the federal qualification rule for people who drive for motor carriers, sets a minimum age of 21 in 391.11(b)(1), apart from the limited exemptions in its subpart G.

Who has to finish entry-level driver training?

Since February 7, 2022, entry-level training has to come from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry (380.600 and 380.609). Theory plus range and public-road driving must be finished before the skills test for a first Class A or B, or an upgrade to A or B. A Class B holder working toward Class A may take the Theory Instruction Upgrade Curriculum in place of the standard theory (Appendix A). A first P or S needs its course before that skills test. A first H needs the Appendix E course before the knowledge test, and H has no behind-the-wheel portion (380.715(b) covers Appendices A through D only). The state may not give a Class A, Class B, P, or S skills test until it confirms your training electronically (383.73(b)(11)).

No curriculum sets a minimum number of hours. Appendix A says so for Class A theory and for behind-the-wheel range and public-road training, and the Class B, passenger, school bus, and hazardous materials appendices say the same. The instructor still has to cover every topic, the theory assessment needs an overall 80 percent (380.715(a)), and a simulator cannot stand in for range or public-road training (Appendix A). Both behind-the-wheel portions come from the same provider, though theory may come from another (380.707(c)). By midnight of the second business day after you finish, the provider must report the training through the registry, including your behind-the-wheel clock hours (380.717).

When do doubles need more than the T test?

T is a knowledge test only (383.93(c)(1)). A longer combination vehicle is a truck-tractor with 2 or more trailers running on the Interstate System at a gross vehicle weight over 80,000 pounds (380.105), and driving one requires an LCV Driver Training Certificate first (380.107). The only way around that, the grandfather rule in 380.111, was open only in the year after June 1, 2004. To enter LCV Doubles training you need, for the 6 months before you apply, a Class A CDL with T, an employer's written statement that you drove a Group A vehicle for them, and a record that meets its conditions, such as no suspension of your CDL and at most 1 serious traffic violation in a CMV (380.203(a)). The course ends with its own knowledge test at 80 percent and a skills test given by a qualified LCV instructor (380.109). Part 380 sets no tuition.

Which code does the skills-test truck put on the license?

Removing Z, E, or an L that came from the skills vehicle does not require the complete skills test again. The state may give a modified test in a vehicle with that equipment (383.135(b)(7)). Removing L or Z also takes the air brake pre-trip inspection and a passed air brake knowledge test. Removing O means all 3 skills segments again, in a representative tractor-trailer (383.135(b)(8)). A (b)(7) removal does not trigger entry-level training (380.603(a)(4)). Read the letters carefully: on both documents N is the tank endorsement and also the restriction for no Class A and B passenger vehicle, and on a CLP, P and X are also restrictions, for no passengers in a bus and no cargo in a tank (383.153(a) and (b)).

What has to happen before H goes on the CDL?

Part 1572 lists some convictions as permanent disqualifiers, including espionage, a federal crime of terrorism, improper transportation of a hazardous material, an explosives felony, and murder (1572.103(a)). Others, such as robbery, arson, and distributing a controlled substance, bar you if the conviction falls within 7 years of the application, or if your release from incarceration for that crime falls within 5 years of it (1572.103(b)). TSA may grant a waiver for the interim offenses and for most permanent ones, including the hazardous materials, explosives, and murder offenses, if it finds you do not pose a security threat. Espionage, sedition, treason, and terrorism under 1572.103(a)(1) through (a)(4) are outside the waiver rule (1515.7(a) and (b)). A pending warrant or indictment for a listed felony disqualifies you until it is released or dismissed (1572.103(c)). Applicants must be U.S. nationals or hold a status listed in 1572.105, such as lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee. States must require H to be renewed at least every 5 years, and must warn you at least 60 days before it expires, advising you to file as soon as possible and no later than 30 days before (383.141(c) and (d)).

What does one Class A application look like?

Common questions

Sources

• NY DMV, get a commercial driver license (eligibility, testing, languages, and fees)
• NY DMV, Commercial Driver's License Manual CDL-10, section 1 (knowledge tests and retakes)
• NY DMV, Commercial Driver's License Manual CDL-10, section 3 (metal-coil endorsement)
• New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 501, license classes and metal-coil endorsement
• New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 502, license applications (age 21 for H, X, or interstate CDLs)
• 49 CFR 383.5, definitions (CLP, CMV groups, tank vehicle, hazardous materials, manual transmission)
• 49 CFR 383.25, commercial learner's permit
• 49 CFR 383.71, driver application procedures, including the February 7, 2022 training rule
• 49 CFR 383.73, state procedures, including electronic training verification before the skills test
• 49 CFR 383.91, commercial motor vehicle groups
• 49 CFR 383.93, endorsements
• 49 CFR 383.95, restrictions
• 49 CFR 383.111, required knowledge (general, air brakes, combination)
• 49 CFR 383.113, required skills and the simulator rule
• 49 CFR 383.133, test methods (question pool, versions, segment order)
• 49 CFR 383.135, passing knowledge and skills tests
• 49 CFR 383.141, hazardous materials endorsement and the TSA threat assessment
• 49 CFR 383.153, endorsement and restriction codes on the CLP and CDL
• 49 CFR 380.105, longer combination vehicle definition
• 49 CFR 380.107, LCV training requirement
• 49 CFR 380.109, LCV knowledge and skills testing
• 49 CFR 380.111, LCV grandfather rule
• 49 CFR 380.203, LCV Doubles prerequisites
• 49 CFR 380.600, entry-level driver training compliance date
• 49 CFR 380.603, entry-level driver training applicability
• 49 CFR 380.609, who must complete entry-level driver training
• 49 CFR 380.707, training provider duties (CLP check, same provider for both behind-the-wheel portions)
• 49 CFR 380.715, theory assessment at 80 percent
• 49 CFR 380.717, training certification deadline
• Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 380, Class A curriculum, upgrade theory, and the no-minimum-hours rule
• 49 CFR Part 380, including Appendices B through E (Class B, passenger, school bus, hazardous materials)
• 49 CFR 391.11, general qualifications of drivers, including age 21
• 49 CFR 1572.5, standards for the HME security threat assessment
• 49 CFR 1572.11, HME applicant fingerprints and information
• 49 CFR 1572.103, disqualifying criminal offenses (7 years from conviction or 5 years from release)
• TSA, disqualifying offenses and other factors, linked from its hazmat endorsement page
• 49 CFR 1515.7, waivers of disqualifying criminal offenses for HME applicants
• 49 CFR 1572.105, immigration status for an HME threat assessment
• 49 CFR 1572.403, HME fee collection by states
• 49 CFR 1572.405, HME fee collection by TSA agents

Car and motorcycle tests: all US practice tests by state. How this material is written and checked: who writes this.

Sources: 49 CFR Parts 383, 392, 393 and 396; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidance; Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; Texas Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division; California Department of Motor Vehicles; New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Original practice questions, not the official examination questions, and not affiliated with or endorsed by the FMCSA or any state licensing agency.