New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC)
New Jersey CDL practice tests
How New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey
New Jersey in particular
New Jersey has moved to license private third party vendors, one each for the state's northern, central, and southern regions, to administer CDL testing, with the MVC capping what those vendors can charge at its own cost of running the same test.
The written exams themselves are federal
New Jersey 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
New Jersey issues a Commercial Permit valid for 180 days, and unless the wait is waived a CLP holder must hold it for at least 14 days before sitting the CDL skills test.
NJ MVC - Commercial Learner Permits (CLP), checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
The Commercial Permit itself costs $125, and a four year CDL adds $42 plus $2 for each endorsement.
NJ MVC - License and Permit Fees, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
CDL knowledge tests are given by appointment at a specific list of MVC Driver Testing Centers spread across the state rather than at every motor vehicle agency.
NJ MVC - CDL Tests, checked Aug 28, 2026New Jersey CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are New Jersey's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.