Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas CDL practice tests
How Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas
Texas in particular
Texas has rolled its AAMVA Skills Test Modernization program out to nearly every CDL testing site in the state, leaving only the Del Rio and Wichita Falls locations still running the exam under the older format.
The written exams themselves are federal
Texas 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
Texas requires applicants to hold a commercial learner permit for at least 14 days before taking CDL skills exams, and the permit is valid for 180 days or until the underlying Texas driver license expires, whichever comes first.
Texas Department of Public Safety, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
An original or renewed commercial learner permit costs 25 dollars, a standard CDL for someone age 18 to 84 costs 97 dollars, and a CDL paired with a hazmat endorsement costs 61 dollars.
Texas Department of Public Safety, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are given at DPS driver license offices, and skills tests are conducted at designated DPS testing locations or through DPS certified third party skills testing providers.
Texas Department of Public Safety, checked Aug 28, 2026Texas CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Texas's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.