Montana Motor Vehicle Division
Montana CDL practice tests
How Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana
Montana in particular
Montana prices the same CDL card two ways depending on where a driver plans to work, cheaper for intrastate only hauling and more for interstate authority, and it lets Helena College run skills tests alongside the state's own exam stations.
The written exams themselves are federal
Montana 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
Montana requires an applicant to hold the commercial learner permit at least 14 days before the skills test, and the permit is valid for one year, with all testing required to finish before it expires.
Montana Motor Vehicle Division, Commercial Pre-Trip, Skills, and Road Test Requirements, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A standard intrastate CDL or learner permit for a driver aged 21 to 67 costs $35.54 for a four year card, while the interstate version of the same card costs $41.72.
Montana Motor Vehicle Division, Licensing Fees, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge and skills tests are given at driver license exam stations statewide by appointment, booked online through the state's system or by phone, and Helena College also offers CDL skills testing as an alternate site.
Montana Motor Vehicle Division, Getting a New CDL in Montana, checked Aug 28, 2026Montana CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Montana's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.