Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau
Mississippi CDL practice tests
How Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi
Mississippi in particular
Mississippi still books every CDL road test the old fashioned way, by a single phone call to the help desk, with no online appointment system, and it hands applicants a permit that expires in half the time many neighboring states allow.
The written exams themselves are federal
Mississippi 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
Mississippi requires an applicant to hold the commercial learner permit for at least 14 days before taking the CDL skills test, and the permit itself is issued for a six month term.
Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau, Frequently Asked Questions and Driver Service Fees, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
The CDL learner's permit, good for six months, costs $16, while a full five year commercial license costs $55.
Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau, Driver Service Fees, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Road tests are given at DPS driver license stations across the state and must be booked by calling the CDL help desk directly, since the department does not offer online scheduling for the skills test.
Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau, Ready to Schedule Your CDL Road Test, checked Aug 28, 2026Mississippi CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Mississippi's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.