Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Driver Services Division
Tennessee CDL practice tests
How Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Tennessee in particular
Tennessee runs its own state administered CDL road skills test through a dedicated scheduling phone line at Full-Service Driver Services Centers, while also certifying separate third party testing organizations spread across multiple counties, so applicants can choose between two distinct testing paths.
The written exams themselves are federal
Tennessee 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
Tennessee CDL learner permit holders must wait at least 14 days before they are eligible to take the CDL skills test.
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
Tennessee charges CDL and permit fees by year of validity: a Class A commercial learner permit runs 8 dollars per year and a Class B or C permit runs 7 dollars per year, plus a 6 dollar application fee and a 4 dollar county clerk administrative fee, and a full 8 year CDL costs 64 dollars for Class A or 56 dollars for Class B or C before those same add on fees.
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are given at Full-Service Driver Services Centers, and the road skills test can be scheduled with the state through a dedicated phone line or taken through one of Tennessee's certified CDL third party testing organizations.
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, checked Aug 28, 2026Tennessee CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Tennessee's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.