Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Virginia CDL practice tests
How Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia
Virginia in particular
Virginia also certifies businesses that run their own commercial fleets, government entities such as school systems and military bases, and Class A driver training schools to act as third party testers for the CDL skills exam.
The written exams themselves are federal
Virginia 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
Virginia requires applicants to hold a commercial learner permit for at least 14 days before taking CDL skills exams, and the permit is valid for one year and cannot be renewed.
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A commercial learner permit costs 3 dollars, a standard 8 year CDL with no endorsements costs 64 dollars, and each endorsement adds 1 dollar per year.
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
A DMV representative administers the roughly 90 minute skills test, covering a pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, and an on-road drive, in a vehicle the applicant provides at a designated CDL testing location.
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Virginia CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Virginia's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.