West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
West Virginia CDL practice tests
How West 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 West 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 West Virginia
West Virginia in particular
West Virginia caps its commercial learner's permit at one year and flatly refuses to renew it, so an applicant who has not finished the road skills test by the permit's expiration date has to start the entire CLP process over from scratch rather than simply extending the paperwork.
The written exams themselves are federal
West 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
A West Virginia commercial learner's permit must be held for at least 14 days before the applicant can take the road skills test, and the permit is valid for up to one year with no option to renew it.
WV Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
The DMV charges $25 to take the general knowledge, air brakes, and combination vehicle knowledge tests, while the separate road skills test costs $100 paid directly to the third party examiner who administers it.
WV Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are given at DMV exam centers and regional offices, but the road skills test is not a DMV function at all and must be scheduled directly with one of the third party examiners the agency lists by county.
WV Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026West Virginia CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are West Virginia's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.