Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles
Wisconsin CDL practice tests
How Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
Wisconsin in particular
Wisconsin treats its three skills tests as a single package tied to one permit cycle: if an applicant does not pass the pre-trip, backing, and driving portions within the 180 day window, the whole set has to be retaken from zero rather than banking the parts already passed.
The written exams themselves are federal
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin commercial learner's permit for Class A, B, or C must be held for 14 days before the road tests can be taken, and it remains valid for 180 days, with renewal allowed if testing is not finished in time.
Wisconsin DOT Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A Class A, B, or C commercial learner's permit costs $30, and a full original commercial driver license costs $74, prorated against any time left on an existing Wisconsin license.
Wisconsin DOT Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Knowledge tests are free and given without an appointment at any DMV customer service center, while the pre-trip, backing, and driving skills tests must be scheduled and passed with an approved third party tester in the applicant's county.
Wisconsin DOT Division of Motor Vehicles, checked Aug 28, 2026Wisconsin CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Wisconsin's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.