Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)
Massachusetts CDL practice tests
How Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts in particular
Massachusetts splits the job between two agencies, the RMV issues the permit and runs the written exam, but it is the State Police, reached on their own phone line, who actually ride along for the road test at one of nine fixed sites around the state.
The written exams themselves are federal
Massachusetts 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
A Massachusetts commercial learner permit is good for 180 days from issuance and can be renewed once for another 180 days at no charge before a new knowledge test would be required.
Massachusetts RMV, Apply for a Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP), checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
The learner's permit application itself costs $30, and the CDL road test carries its own separate $35 fee payable online before test day.
Massachusetts RMV, Commercial road tests, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are taken at an RMV Service Center, but the road test itself is conducted by the Massachusetts State Police at a short list of designated statewide sites, booked by calling the State Police testing line rather than the RMV.
Massachusetts RMV, Commercial road tests, checked Aug 28, 2026Massachusetts CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Massachusetts's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.