Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State)
Michigan CDL practice tests
How Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan
Michigan in particular
Michigan splits the exam cleanly down the middle, the Secretary of State keeps the written knowledge test in house at its own offices but has no state run skills test at all, that half of the exam is outsourced completely to approved private testing businesses.
The written exams themselves are federal
Michigan 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
Once a Michigan commercial learner permit is issued, the holder must practice under a CDL holder's supervision for at least 14 days before a skills test can be scheduled.
Michigan Department of State, Applying for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
The commercial learner permit costs $25, the standard chauffeur CDL license itself is $35, and each added endorsement is a further $5.
Michigan Department of State, CDL FAQs, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Written knowledge tests are given at a Secretary of State office computer testing station, while the on-road skills test is scheduled separately with an approved private driver testing business, Michigan does not offer the skills test itself.
Michigan Department of State, Applying for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), checked Aug 28, 2026Michigan CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Michigan's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.