Tennessee CDL Practice Test

Everyone takes General Knowledge. Add Air Brakes for a vehicle with air brakes, Combination Vehicles for Class A, and a test for each endorsement: Hazardous Materials (H), Tank Vehicles (N), Doubles/Triples (T), Passenger (P) and School Bus (S). Tanker and hazmat together are shown as X. You take them at a full-service Driver Services Center to get your CLP.

Tennessee's CDL manual and Department of Safety pages don't print the test sizes or passing scores. Our practice General Knowledge test has 50 questions with 40 to pass (80%); Air Brakes has 25, Hazmat 30 and the others 20, each at 80%. Check the numbers at the Driver Services Center.

The Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual: licensing and testing in Tennessee, vehicle inspection, basic control, managing speed and space, night and winter driving, emergencies, alcohol and fatigue, and cargo, then the sections for air brakes, combination vehicles, doubles and triples, tank vehicles, hazardous materials, passenger buses and school buses. Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual p. 7

Plan at least an hour for General Knowledge and another 20 to 30 minutes for each extra test. A paper version, or one the computer reads aloud in English, may be available. If you fail, you may retest the next day. Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual p. 1-12 to 1-13

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 Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Why 80% in every state →

At least 18. Drivers under 21 may drive commercial vehicles only within Tennessee. You also need proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence, and you must not be under a suspension or revocation in any state.

365 days. Convert it to a CDL before then: if it runs out, every knowledge and skills test you passed with it no longer counts. You can schedule the skills test once you've held the CLP for 14 days and finished your required training. Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual p. 1-12

Yes, if you're getting a Class A or B CDL for the first time, upgrading from B to A, or adding a passenger, school bus or hazmat endorsement for the first time. The training must come from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, and hazmat training must be done before the hazmat knowledge test.

At a Driver Services Center by appointment, or with a certified third-party testing organization, which may charge its own fee. At a Driver Services Center you bring your own vehicle; missing a booked test there means a 45-day wait to rebook. The whole test takes about two hours.

One that matches the class and endorsements you want, with a clear VIN and GVWR. A tractor must pull a trailer rated at least 10,001 pounds, cargo tanks must be empty (hazmat tanks with proof of purging), and the class on your CDL follows the vehicle you test in. Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual p. 1-14

Class A: a combination with a GCWR of 26,001 pounds or more pulling a trailer over 10,000 pounds. Class B: a single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more, towing up to 10,000 pounds. Class C: a smaller vehicle built for more than 15 people including the driver, or one hauling placarded hazardous materials. A CDL also covers Class D vehicles.

Drivers of recreational vehicles such as motorhomes, military vehicles driven by service members, firefighting equipment, snowplows in emergency snow removal, and farm vehicles driven by a farm employee within Tennessee and within 150 miles of the farm.

Lawful permanent residents can; since January 1, 2026 their CDL is issued as a temporary CDL. Tennessee does not issue non-domiciled CDLs.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security lists the current fees for the commercial learner permit, the CDL tests and the license on its official fee page. County Clerk offices that issue licenses may add their own fee.

Yes. Every Tennessee CDL holder files a Self-Certification Affidavit when applying, moving up a class, adding an endorsement, transferring from another state or renewing. You choose one of four commerce types, and two of them need a current federal medical card. Government employees are exempt only without hazmat, passenger or school bus endorsements.

Interstate. Tennessee treats a trip as interstate when you cross a state line, pass through another state between two Tennessee points, or carry cargo whose journey began or will end outside the state. A driver who does both kinds of work must certify as interstate.

Get a new physical before the old one runs out; the examiner sends the result to the state electronically, and Tennessee wants your updated paperwork at least five business days before expiry. If the certificate lapses, all CDL privileges come off your license, and getting them back may mean retesting.

Yes. Tennessee law requires anyone holding a CDL to report every traffic citation, whether it came in a commercial vehicle or a personal one. Tennessee also sets a 5-day reporting deadline for commercial-vehicle convictions, tighter than the 10 days federal rules allow.

Originals only: proof of U.S. citizenship or a valid Permanent Resident Card, your Social Security number, your current license, a DOT medical card where required, and two proofs of Tennessee residence. Papers must be recent, generally from the past four months, and cell phone bills, bank statements and employer letters are refused.

Yes, if your spouse, parent, child, sibling or grandparent holds a valid Tennessee license or ID. Bring two residence documents in their name, proof of the relationship such as a marriage or birth certificate, and the relative in person. This also applies to out-of-state transfers and upgrades from a regular license.

Yes. Tennessee checks the federal Clearinghouse before it issues, renews, replaces, transfers or upgrades a CLP or CDL. If FMCSA reports that a driver has a prohibited status, the state must downgrade that driver's commercial permit or license.

Apply through the TSA's HAZPRINT program, get fingerprinted, and wait for the security threat assessment; TSA suggests applying at least 60 days ahead. Once cleared, take the vision and hazmat knowledge tests at a Driver Services Center. The endorsement lasts five years from TSA approval.

A CDL with the passenger and school bus endorsements, and a Certificate of Eligibility (Form 2C) completed by the school system whose students you'll carry. The school bus test vehicle must seat at least 16. Mechanics who only move empty buses need the P endorsement and a Class B license, not the S. Tennessee Commercial Driver License Manual p. 1-16

A restricted Class B or C CDL for farm-related service workers (agri-chemical businesses, custom harvesters, farm retail outlets and suppliers, livestock feeders) without the knowledge and skills tests. It is valid only in Tennessee within 150 miles of the employer or farm, for up to 180 days in a 12-month period, with tight limits on the hazardous materials carried.

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.

Yes, through Highways for Heroes. Tennessee residents on active duty, in the Guard or Reserve, or discharged within the past year can have the road skills test waived if their commanding officer certifies a military operator's permit and two years driving the same type of vehicle. The knowledge tests still apply.

Yes. Under Tennessee's Highways for Heroes program, service members with a missing or impaired limb can earn a CDL after passing a skills performance evaluation with a specially certified CDL examiner.

TSA's clearance comes first: your fingerprint background check must be finished within the last 90 days, and only then can you sit the vision test and the hazmat written test. Bring a valid DOT medical card, two proofs of Tennessee residence and proof of citizenship or permanent residency.

Doubles/Triples (T, for Class A only), Tank (N) and Hazardous Materials (H) need a knowledge test only; Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) need a knowledge and a skills test. Tennessee also requires the S for anyone driving students on activity trips in a school bus.