Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
Vermont CDL practice tests
How Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont
Vermont in particular
Vermont turns away walk in CDL test takers outright, so every skills test, which covers a pre-trip inspection, backing, and an on-road drive, has to be booked ahead at one of the state's small number of CDL equipped DMV offices.
The written exams themselves are federal
Vermont 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
Vermont requires applicants to hold a commercial learner permit for 14 days before taking the CDL skills test, and the permit is valid for one year from its issue date with no renewals allowed.
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A one year commercial learner permit costs 18 dollars, a two year CDL costs 72 dollars, a four year CDL costs 108 dollars, and the road test itself is billed separately at 39 dollars plus a 29 dollar scheduling deposit.
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
CDL skills tests are by appointment only at a handful of Vermont DMV locations equipped for CDL testing, and walk in applicants are not permitted to take the test.
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Vermont CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Vermont's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.