CDL Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: A

You must hold the CLP at least 14 days first: Correct. Under 49 CFR 383.25, a CLP holder may not take the CDL skills test until the CLP has been held for at least 14 days; by tomorrow (day 11) you are still short.

You may test now since you passed the knowledge test: Passing General Knowledge earns the CLP; it does not waive the 14-day holding period.

You must first hold the CLP for at least 30 days: Wrong number: the federal waiting period is 14 days, not 30.

A CLP must be held at least 14 days before the skills test; it is valid for no more than one year.

Answer: A

Steer into the open lane without braking: Correct. Manual 2.17.1: you can almost always turn to miss an obstacle more quickly than you can stop, and you should not brake while turning.

Brake hard while steering into the open lane: Braking while turning can easily lock the wheels and cause a skid.

Brake hard and keep the truck in a straight line: You have already been told there is no room to stop, so this ends in a crash.

Stopping is not always safest. Steer around the hazard, do not brake during the turn, and be ready to counter-steer.

Answer: B

1. 1. Let speed rise to the safe speed: 45 mph.
2. 2. Brake for a definite slowdown to about 5 mph below: 45 − 5 = 40 mph (about 3 s).
3. 3. Release the brakes.
4. 4. When speed is back to 45 mph, repeat.

Hold light, steady pressure to stay at 45 mph: Riding the brakes keeps them working the whole way down, so they overheat and fade.

At 45 mph, brake to about 40 mph, then release: Correct. Manual 2.16.4: when you reach your safe speed, brake just hard enough to feel a definite slowdown to about 5 mph below it (about 3 seconds), release, and repeat.

At 45 mph, brake to about 30 mph, then release: Wrong number: the manual brakes only about 5 mph below safe speed, not 15.

Downgrade technique: in the right low gear, brake to about 5 mph below safe speed, release, and repeat.

Answer: A

1. 1. Low beams show about 250 ft ahead.
2. 2. Stopping distance at 55 mph is about 419 ft.
3. 3. 419 ft > 250 ft, so you would see a hazard too late to stop.
4. 4. Slow down until your stopping distance fits inside the distance you can see.

Slow down until you can stop within your sight distance: Correct. Manual 2.11.4: you must keep your stopping distance within your sight distance. About 419 ft of stopping distance is far more than the roughly 250 ft low beams show, so you must slow down.

Hold 55 mph and watch for the taillights ahead: Incomplete: taillights do not reveal unlit hazards, and you would still be overdriving your headlights.

Keep 55 mph but add an extra second of following distance: More following distance does not help you stop for a hazard you cannot see until it is under 250 ft away.

Never overdrive your headlights: go slowly enough to stop within the range of your lights.

Answer: B

Send it now, while the truck is not moving: Wrong: the ban covers momentary stops in traffic; only parking off the road where you can safely stay lifts it.

Wait until you can park safely off the road: Correct. Manual 2.9; 49 CFR 392.80 and 390.5: driving includes being temporarily stopped for traffic or a signal, so the text must wait until you are parked safely off the road.

Send it now, because it is for work purposes: Wrong: there is no work-message exception; texting while driving is banned and is a serious violation.

Texting is banned while driving, including at lights and in traffic jams; pull off safely first.

Answer: A

10 ft from the corner, plus 100 ft behind and 100 ft ahead: Correct. Manual 2.5: on a two-way or undivided road, one within 10 ft of the front or rear corner, one 100 ft behind and one 100 ft ahead.

At 10 ft, 100 ft and 200 ft, all behind the truck: That is the one-way or divided-highway pattern, where all traffic comes from behind.

Within 10 ft of the corner, plus 50 ft behind and 50 ft ahead: Wrong number: the outer triangles go 100 ft away, not 50 ft.

Two-way road: 10 ft at the corner, 100 ft behind, 100 ft ahead; divided road: 10, 100 and 200 ft back.

Answer: C

Use it in place of the service brakes: Unsafe: retarder braking on drive wheels with poor traction can cause a skid.

Set it to its highest setting: Unsafe: maximum retarding on a slick road is the most likely to lock the drive wheels.

Turn it off: Correct. Manual 2.3.4: on wet, icy or snow-covered roads the retarder may make the drive wheels skid, so turn it off.

Retarders reduce brake wear, but turn them off when the road is wet, icy or snow-covered.

Answer: B

It is normal play for a heavy truck with power steering: Unsafe assumption: power steering does not excuse excess free play.

It is too much; the limit is about 2 inches: Correct. Manual 2.1.3: more than 10 degrees of play, about 2 inches at the rim of a 20-inch wheel, makes steering hard; 3 inches is a defect.

It is within limits; up to about 4 inches is allowed: Wrong number: the manual sets the limit at about 2 inches (10 degrees), not 4.

Steering play of more than 10 degrees (about 2 inches on a 20-inch wheel) is a defect.

Answer: C

Set the parking brakes right away: Unsafe here: applying the parking brakes on very hot brakes can damage them.

Leave it in gear with no brakes or chocks: Never leave a vehicle unattended without applying the parking brakes or chocking the wheels.

Chock the wheels and let the brakes cool: Correct. Manual 5.4.8: do not set the parking brakes when the brakes are very hot, since heat can damage them; use wheel chocks on level ground and let the brakes cool first.

Very hot brakes: chock the wheels instead of setting the parking brakes, and let the brakes cool before applying them.

Answer: A

Brake to about 35 mph, then release: Correct. Manual 5.4.6: once you reach the safe speed, brake hard enough for a definite slowdown to about 5 mph below it (about 3 seconds), release, and repeat when you are back at 40 mph.

Use light, steady pressure all the way down: Car-driver habit: constant light braking builds heat and causes brake fade.

Brake to about 25 mph, then release: Wrong number: the manual says about 5 mph below safe speed; longer applications build more heat.

Downgrade: in the right low gear, brake from safe speed to about 5 mph below it, release, and repeat.

Answer: A

Stop safely now while the brakes still work: Correct. Manual 5.1.11 and 5.1.14: the warning means air is low; stop safely as soon as possible while you can still control the brakes, rather than waiting for the spring brakes.

Keep driving until the spring brakes stop you: Unsafe: spring brakes come on suddenly at 20–45 psi, and the manual says not to wait for them.

Fan the brake pedal to bring pressure back up: Reversed effect: pumping the pedal uses up air and lowers pressure further.

Low-air warning: get off the road and stop safely while the service brakes still work.

Answer: A

Slow down and use a lower gear: Correct. Manual 5.1.10: needing more application pressure to hold the same speed means the brakes are fading; slow down and use a lower gear.

Set the front-brake valve to "slippery": Wrong control: the limiting valve reduces front braking power and does not stop fade.

Press harder on the pedal to keep speed: Unsafe car-driver habit: rising application pressure means the brakes are fading, and more braking makes it worse.

Rising application pressure at the same speed means brake fade: slow down and downshift.

Answer: B

The fifth wheel just needs more grease: Grease does not close a gap; a gap means the coupling is not right.

The kingpin may be resting on top of the jaws: Correct. Manual 6.4: there should be no space; a gap means something is wrong, such as the kingpin on top of closed jaws, and the trailer could come loose.

That gap is normal under a loaded trailer: There should be no visible space between the upper and lower fifth wheel.

No gap between fifth wheels; jaws closed around the kingpin shank, locking lever locked, safety catch in place.

Answer: B

Whether the landing gear is fully raised: Landing-gear position has nothing to do with releasing the trailer's spring brakes.

Whether the air lines are crossed: Correct. Manual 6.2: with crossed lines, supply air goes into the service line instead of charging the trailer tanks, so there is no air to release the spring brakes.

Whether the fifth-wheel jaws are locked: The jaws hold the kingpin; they do not affect air to the trailer brakes.

Trailer spring brakes will not release after you push in the supply knob? Check for crossed air lines.

Answer: A

Release the brakes so the wheels can roll: Correct. Manual 6.1: a trailer skid is caused by locked trailer wheels; release the brakes to get traction back and the trailer will follow the tractor again.

Brake harder to stop before it swings farther: Car-driver instinct: more braking keeps the wheels locked and lets the trailer swing around.

Apply the trailer hand valve to straighten it: Trailer brakes caused the skid; using the hand valve adds more trailer braking and makes it worse.

Trailer skid: check mirrors when braking hard, release the brakes, and never use the trailer hand brake to straighten the rig.