Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho CDL practice tests
How Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho
Idaho in particular
Idaho does not run a single statewide skills testing service. ITD instead publishes six separate district rosters of individually authorized examiners, and an applicant has to look up and contact the examiner covering their own part of the state directly to book a test.
The written exams themselves are federal
Idaho 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
Idaho requires a commercial learner permit to be held for at least 14 days before the skills test can be taken, and the permit stays valid for one year from the date it is issued.
Idaho Transportation Department, Ten Steps to Getting an Idaho CDL, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A commercial learner permit costs $29, each knowledge test is $5, and a CDL costs $40 for a four year card or $60 for an eight year card.
Idaho Transportation Department, Ten Steps to Getting an Idaho CDL, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are given at local DMV county offices, while skills tests are booked directly with an ITD authorized examiner assigned to the applicant's region, with the examiner's fee capped at $190 per Idaho Code.
Idaho Transportation Department, Ten Steps to Getting an Idaho CDL, checked Aug 28, 2026Idaho CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Idaho's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.