Ohio CDL Practice Test

Ohio asks for a knowledge test for each class of vehicle, for each endorsement, and to remove the air brake restriction. Everyone takes General Knowledge; Class A adds Combination Vehicles, and the endorsement tests match what you'll drive: Hazmat (H), Doubles/Triples (T), Passenger (P), Tank Vehicles (N) and School Bus (S). Tanker plus hazmat together is X.

50 questions, and you pass with 40 right (80 percent). The endorsement tests are shorter: 25 for Air Brakes, 30 for Hazmat and 20 for the others. Ohio's CDL manual and BMV pages don't print these numbers, so check them at the driver exam station.

The Ohio Commercial Driver License Manual (HSY 7605): inspecting the vehicle, basic control, managing space, driving in bad weather and at night, emergencies and skids, alcohol and fatigue, securing cargo, then the sections for air brakes, combination vehicles, doubles and triples, tank vehicles, hazardous materials, passenger buses and school buses. Ohio Commercial Driver License Manual p. 1-1

At any Ohio BMV driver exam station. Endorsements added after your CDL is issued are also tested in person there.

80% on each of the 8 tests, each graded on its own (General Knowledge: 40 of 50). Every test's numbers are in the table on this page. Always confirm the current tests with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Why 80% in every state →

At least 18. Drivers under 21 are limited to driving commercial vehicles within Ohio only (intrastate). You also need a valid Ohio driver license and proof of your Social Security number and U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence.

12 months. With a CLP you may drive a commercial vehicle on the road only alongside a CDL holder who is properly licensed and endorsed for that vehicle. Buy your CDL at a deputy registrar license agency after passing the skills test and before the CLP runs out.

Yes, where federal rules require it. Ohio needs electronic proof that you finished Entry-Level Driver Training before your skills test; your training school reports it to FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.

Three parts: a pre-trip inspection (30 minutes allowed), a basic control test (40 minutes allowed) and a road test. You bring a vehicle that fits the class you want, a bus for the passenger endorsement. If you fail any part, wait two days before you retest.

Class A: a combination weighing 26,001 pounds or more where the towing vehicle is rated over 10,000 pounds. Class B: one vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, towing no more than 10,000 pounds. Class C: a smaller vehicle built for 16 or more people including the driver, one carrying placarded hazardous materials, or a school bus that isn't Class A or B.

Ohio exempts farm trucks a farmer drives within 150 miles of the farm, fire equipment, public safety and emergency medical vehicles, recreational vehicles used only for personal purposes, military vehicles driven by service members, and some snowplows run by small local governments.

E: no manual transmission. K: intrastate only. L: no air brakes. Z: no full air brakes. M: no Class A passenger vehicles. N: no Class A or B passenger vehicles. O: no tractor-trailers. V: a medical variance on your record. W: farm waiver. A CLP can also carry P (no passengers in a bus) and X (no cargo in a tank).

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) lists the current fees for the commercial learner permit, the CDL tests and the license on its official fee page.

A restricted Class B CDL for seasonal farm-related service work, issued without written or skills tests. Each season covered runs 30 to 210 days, with no more than 210 days in any 12 months. You must be 18 or older, apply no more than 90 days before the season starts, and not hold another CDL.

Yes, if you bring your current out-of-state CLP and there's electronic proof of entry-level training from an Ohio-registered site matching its class and endorsements, or proof you're exempt. A non-domiciled permit also needs recent word from the issuing state that it's valid and will accept Ohio's test scores.

You must pass it within three hours. At a state-run test site you first buy a CDL test receipt at a deputy registrar; third-party test sites set their own fees and may have suitable vehicles to rent.

Only three: Tanker (N), Passenger (P) and School Bus (S). Hazmat (H), Doubles/Triples (T) and the combined X aren't offered on a CLP, so they're added once your CDL has been issued.

Take the knowledge tests in person at a driver exam station, buy a CLP if needed, finish any required entry-level training, and pass the skills test for the new class or endorsement by appointment. Then get the updated CDL at a deputy registrar before the CLP expires. Hazmat also needs the TSA threat assessment first.

Every CLP and CDL applicant self-certifies one of four types: non-excepted interstate (you meet the federal medical rules and your medical examiner reports your certificate electronically through FMCSA’s National Registry), excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate (Ohio's medical rules), or excepted intrastate (no business use). You can do it online, by mail or email, or at a deputy registrar.

Yes. Drivers who can't meet the federal vision or hearing standards can apply for an FMCSA exemption, and Ohio offers a provisional medical certification for some intrastate drivers. A hearing exemption must be in hand before your CLP, and you must carry it whenever you drive a commercial vehicle.

Pass the Hazardous Materials knowledge test and the Transportation Security Administration's threat assessment (a background check with fingerprints). You redo the threat assessment to keep the endorsement when you renew.

An OVI conviction in any vehicle, including your personal car, takes away your commercial driving for one year the first time and for life the second time. Refusing an alcohol or drug test counts the same way, and most one-year disqualifications become three years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials.

Ohio verifies your record in FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, including when you renew a CDL. If your status there is 'prohibited', you may not drive a commercial vehicle.

Bring your unexpired out-of-state CDL and your documents to a driver exam station for a vision screening; if you carry a hazmat or school bus endorsement, you also retake that knowledge test. Then complete the self-certification form (BMV 2159) and get the Ohio CDL at a deputy registrar. A hazmat threat assessment must have at least a year left.

Yes, a few federal rules. A first violation of an out-of-service order now costs your CDL for at least 180 days (the manual still says 90). If your license is suspended, revoked or canceled, or you are disqualified, tell your employer by the end of the next business day (the manual says within two business days). And for exams since June 23, 2025, FMCSA sends your medical examiner’s certificate to the state electronically, so you no longer hand in a paper copy.

Two things before the renewal: a completed TSA threat assessment and a passing score on the Hazardous Materials knowledge test taken within the last 60 days. Time the test close to your renewal, because an older pass won't count.

Online renewal is for up to four years if you're under 65; at a deputy registrar you can choose four to eight years. Your CDL must be unexpired or expired for six months at most. After that, or once you've surrendered or downgraded it, you start again as a first-time applicant with the tests.

Ohio's table lists 0.04 on a breath test, 0.048 on a blood test or 0.056 on a urine test: one year off commercial driving for a first offense and life for a second. Any detectable amount means 24 hours out of service.

They can. Ohio treats a serious violation in a non-commercial vehicle, such as speeding 15 mph over or following too close, as if it happened in a commercial one when it led to a license suspension. Two or more within three years bring a disqualification starting at 60 days.

Yes. Paying a fine and signing a waiver without going to court, or pleading no contest, is reported as a conviction for the offense charged. If that offense is a disqualifying one, your CDL can be disqualified.

Ask the BMV for an administrative hearing within 30 days of the date the notice was mailed; local courts can't hear these appeals. The disqualification is put on hold until a final decision. You get 10 days to object to the hearing examiner's report, then can appeal the final order to your county's Court of Common Pleas.

Within 30 days of making Ohio your home. That deadline covers your out-of-state driver license, a CDL included, along with your vehicle title and registration.