North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)
North Dakota CDL practice tests
How North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota
North Dakota in particular
North Dakota's CDL skills test is handled by a small roster of state monitored third party programs, including tribal and technical colleges such as United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck and Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, rather than by state examiners testing drivers directly.
The written exams themselves are federal
North Dakota 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
North Dakota requires a first time commercial learner permit holder to hold the permit for at least 14 days before scheduling the CDL skills test, matching the federal minimum waiting period.
NDDOT - Commercial Driver License (CDL), checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A North Dakota commercial learner permit costs $15 for a domiciled applicant or $20 if non-domiciled, with a separate $5 fee for the knowledge test, $5 for the road test, and $3 per endorsement.
NDDOT - Commercial Driver License (CDL), checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
The CDL skills test is administered through a network of state monitored third party programs and certified third party testers rather than by NDDOT examiners directly.
NDDOT - CDL Third Party Testing, checked Aug 28, 2026North Dakota CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are North Dakota's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.