Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)
Minnesota CDL practice tests
How Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Minnesota in particular
Minnesota prices its commercial learner's permit as a plain statutory line item, $8.50 plus a small tech surcharge, far below what neighboring states charge, but it balances that with a hard rule that the permit cannot be renewed, so letting it lapse past 12 months forces a full knowledge test do over.
The written exams themselves are federal
Minnesota 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 Minnesota commercial learner's permit is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued and cannot be renewed once it expires, so a lapsed permit means starting the knowledge tests over.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Commercial learner's permit (CLP), checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
State law sets the commercial learner's permit fee at $8.50, plus a $2.25 technology surcharge added to every credential fee, for $10.75 total.
Minnesota Statutes, Section 171.06, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests must be taken in person at a DVS exam station, and the skills exam, covering pre-trip inspection, basic control and the road test, is booked through DVS's own online scheduling system or by phone.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Commercial learner's permit (CLP), checked Aug 28, 2026Minnesota CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Minnesota's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.