Washington CDL Practice Test

Everyone takes General Knowledge. Add Combination Vehicles for Class A, Air Brakes to drive with air brakes (including air over hydraulic), Passenger for buses, and a test for each endorsement you want: School Bus, Tank Vehicle, Doubles/Triples and Hazardous Materials. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-8

General Knowledge has 50 questions with 40 to pass, Air Brakes 25 with 20, Hazardous Materials 30 with 24, and Combination, Passenger, School Bus, Doubles/Triples and Tank Vehicle 20 each with 16 to pass. Our practice tests use the same sizes and pass marks.

Sections 1 to 10 of the Washington Commercial Driver Guide (CDL 520-408): Washington's licensing rules and laws, vehicle inspection, safe driving, cargo, passengers, air brakes, combination vehicles, doubles and triples, tank vehicles, hazardous materials and school buses. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-1

Book an appointment at a licensing office that offers testing. The tests come in English, Spanish, Russian and Serbo-Croatian, with no interpreters. The test fee covers one try at each knowledge test within 90 days.

180 days from the day you pass, and another 180 if you renew your CLP within 30 days of it expiring. Doubles/Triples and Hazardous Materials results don't renew with the CLP and end after 180 days.

Washington uses AAMVA's modernized skills test: the vehicle inspection and basic control parts changed, so Sections 11 and 12 of the guide are replaced by a supplemental guide. Study it for the skills test; these practice tests cover the knowledge tests only.

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 Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Why 80% in every state →

18, with a valid Washington driver license. You must be 21 to drive commercial vehicles from state to state, so younger drivers are limited to driving within Washington.

The CLP lasts 180 days and can be renewed once. Hold it at least 14 days before a skills test. Your supervisor must hold a CDL for the vehicle, have 2 years in that type and 5 years of driving, and sit beside you. No hazmat loads, hazmat-residue tanks or ordinary passengers.

Yes, for a first CDL or if you haven't held a commercial license in the past year: a course from a DOL-approved training school or registered employer. A first hazmat endorsement also needs hazmat training on record before the hazmat test.

Three parts taken in order (vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control and an on-road drive) in a vehicle that fits your class, with a valid CLP. It is given in English only. Book at least three days ahead; the CDL is issued no sooner than 24 hours after you pass. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-8

Farmers moving their own farm equipment, supplies or products within 150 air miles of the farm, firefighters and police driving emergency equipment with an EVAP or EVIP card, people driving RVs for non-commercial use, and service members driving military vehicles on a military license. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-1

Not at present. DOL has stopped all non-domiciled CLP and CDL transactions, including originals, renewals, upgrades and replacements, and all knowledge and skills testing for non-domiciled drivers.

Yes. Washington doesn't exempt any commercial driver from a current medical certificate, issued by an examiner on the National Registry, who uploads it. Drivers who don't meet federal standards may apply for a Washington intrastate medical waiver. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-12

Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) lists the current fees for the commercial learner permit, the CDL tests and the license on its official fee page. The knowledge and driving tests are paid to the testing location, and the cost varies by location.

Yes, whatever its size: Washington requires a CDL for every school bus, and for any vehicle built for 16 or more people, private and church buses included. The school bus endorsement covers buses that regularly carry children to school or school activities and meet the state school superintendent's specifications.

At least 160 hours for Class A, including 40 in the classroom, and 80 for Class B or C, with set minimums for street driving, backing and range work. Upgrades take 40 to 80 hours, passenger 14, school bus 30 and hazmat 16. Only a registered Washington training provider can certify your training.

Wait three days before retesting, unless the test stopped because of an equipment failure, which means no wait and no new payment. Parts you passed count for 180 days from the first one, but switching to a different examiner means retaking all three parts.

If you're unsure, non-excepted interstate is the most flexible: with your medical certificate on the National Registry you can take jobs across state lines. A holder who isn't driving commercially can certify excepted intrastate and keep the CDL without a medical card. Letting required medical documents lapse gets the CDL downgraded.

Yes, inside Washington, with an intrastate medical waiver and a 'Special', a drive test for your condition. Once approved you get a 2-month temporary waiver, then the full waiver after you pass. The Special doesn't replace the federal Skills Performance Evaluation needed to drive between states, and a passed SPE skips the Special.

Possibly. Washington residents on active duty or within 12 months of an honorable discharge, with at least 2 years driving commercial vehicles in their military job, can apply for a waiver of the training requirements and possibly the knowledge and skills tests, with the application signed by their commanding officer.

Complete TSA's hazmat threat assessment with fingerprints at a TSA center (a TWIC check doesn't count; allow up to 45 days), finish hazmat training if it's your first, and pass the hazmat knowledge test. Your CDL is then set to expire with the TSA clearance.

0.04% BAC in a commercial vehicle, and any detectable alcohol below that puts you out of service for 24 hours. A first offense such as driving at 0.04% or refusing a test costs the CDL for at least a year. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-13

Federal rules (49 CFR 383.51) disqualify you for at least 180 days and up to 1 year for a first violation, 2 to 5 years for a second within 10 years and 3 to 5 years for a third; carrying placarded hazmat or 16 or more passengers raises the first penalty to up to 2 years. Washington's guide still prints older, lower minimums, so these practice tests don't ask the figures.

In general: 80,000 pounds for a combination, 20,000 on a single axle, 14 feet high and 102 inches wide, with 53 feet for one trailer in a combination and 61 feet for both trailers of a double. Oversize or overweight loads need a permit. Washington Commercial Driver Guide p. 1-18 to 1-19

No. Washington doesn't allow triple trailers on its roads, and it doesn't recognize Class A passenger vehicles, so bus drivers hold a Class B or C CDL with the passenger endorsement.

Most come from your test: L if you skipped air brakes or the air brake test, Z for air-over-hydraulic brakes, E for an automatic, O for a pintle hook, M for a Class B bus and N for a Class C bus (these replaced the old P1 and P2). K means intrastate only; V, a medical waiver.

You can surrender it by mail and keep a regular Washington license, then reinstate the CDL within 2 years with no new training or tests, apart from the hazmat knowledge test. An expired CDL can be renewed for up to 8 years after it ran out; after that you start over.