Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Driver License Division
Alabama CDL practice tests
How Alabama handles the commercial learner permit, the fees and the skills test.
- General Knowledge24 questions, required of every applicant
- Air Brakes20 questions, skip it and an L restriction applies
- Combination Vehicles18 questions, needed for Class A
- Hazardous Materials20 questions, endorsement H
- Tank Vehicles16 questions, endorsement N
Every knowledge area
The 145 questions are the same in every state. Start with general knowledge, then sit the areas Alabama will write onto the permit.
General Knowledge
Required of every applicant: inspection, control, space and speed management, hazard perception, emergencies and hours of service.
Air Brakes
Air brake knowledge and vehicle checks for applicants who may drive vehicles with air brakes.
Combination Vehicles
Coupling, the fifth wheel, off tracking and trailer swing. Needed for Class A.
Hazardous Materials
Placards, shipping papers, segregation and the security threat assessment.
Tank Vehicles
Liquid surge, baffles, outage and why a tanker rolls over so readily.
Doubles and Triples
Rearward amplification, converter dollies and coupling a second or third trailer.
Passenger Transport
Bus inspection, standee lines, passenger supervision and railroad crossings.
School Bus
Danger zones, loading and unloading, student crossing and evacuation.
What is different in Alabama
Alabama in particular
Alabama prices the CDL itself by class rather than charging one flat fee, so a Class A license runs nearly double a Class C, and because the permit expires at 360 days with no renewal allowed, anyone who misses that window has to restart the whole process, knowledge test included.
The written exams themselves are federal
Alabama decides the permit rules, the fees and who runs the skills test, but the knowledge you are tested on comes from 49 CFR Part 383 and is the same in every state, which is why the 145 questions here work wherever you apply.
What changes in this state
Commercial learner permit
An Alabama commercial learner's permit must be held at least 14 days before the CDL skills test can be taken, and the permit is valid for 360 days and cannot be renewed.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
Applicants pay a $25 testing fee plus $36.25 to purchase the commercial learner's permit, and a full CDL then costs $66.25 for Class A, $56.25 for Class B, or $36.25 for Class C.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Both the knowledge test and the skills test for an Alabama CDL are given at ALEA CDL testing offices located around the state.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, checked Aug 28, 2026Alabama CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Alabama's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.