Passed the CDL Knowledge Test? Next Steps to the Skills Test

Under 49 CFR 383.71, you must pass a general knowledge test before a state can give you a CLP. You also have to be at least 18 and prove your age, show proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency, show that the state is your state of residence (domicile), and list every state where you held any driver license in the last 10 years. The CLP is a separate document from your regular license.

Your knowledge test results can change what the permit says:

• Air brakes: if you score under 80% on the air brake knowledge test and still get a CLP, it will carry an air brake restriction.
• Combination vehicles: if you score under 80% on the combination vehicle test, you cannot get a Group A (Class A) CLP at all.
• Retakes: when you retake a test you failed, the state must give you a different version of that test.

So before you leave the testing office, check which class and endorsements are printed on your permit. That is what you are allowed to practice in.

49 CFR 383.25 lists the conditions that make a CLP count as a license for behind-the-wheel training on public roads:

1. A person with a valid CDL for that vehicle (right class and endorsements) must be with you the whole time and watching you.
2. That person sits in the front seat next to you. On a passenger vehicle, they sit directly behind you or in the first row behind you.
3. Your regular driver license must be from the same state that issued the CLP.
4. You may not haul hazardous materials.

Only three endorsements can go on a CLP: passenger (P), school bus (S), and tank vehicle (N). Each needs its own knowledge test first. With P or S, you cannot carry passengers other than examiners, inspectors, other trainees, and the CDL holder riding with you. With N, you can drive only an empty tank vehicle, and never one that held hazardous materials and has not been purged. All other endorsements, including hazardous materials (H), cannot be put on a CLP.

Two time limits from 49 CFR 383.25 shape your plan:

• The 14-day wait: you cannot take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after your CLP is first issued. Use those two weeks for practice and training. Do not book a skills test date inside that window.
• The one-year limit: a CLP can be valid for no more than one year from the date it was first issued. If your state issues it for a shorter period, it can be renewed, but the total still cannot go past one year from the first issue date. After that, you must take the general and endorsement knowledge tests again.

The one-year clock also affects the skills test. Under 49 CFR 383.133, if you pass some parts of the skills test and fail another, the parts you passed count only while your first CLP is still in effect. If the CLP is renewed, you must take all three parts again. A simple rule: aim to finish training and the full skills test well before the first CLP expires.

Since February 7, 2022, federal rules (49 CFR 380.609 and 383.71) require entry-level driver training (ELDT) from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry before you can take:

• the skills test for a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, or when upgrading to Class A or B,
• the skills test for a passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement for the first time, or
• the knowledge test for a hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.

The training has a theory part and a behind-the-wheel part (range and public road). Except for the H endorsement, you must finish both parts within one year of completing the first part. Drivers who got their CLP before February 7, 2022, and get the CDL before that CLP or its renewal expires, are not covered.

If your training school is not on the Training Provider Registry, that training does not meet this rule. Check the school's listing before you pay.

49 CFR 383.133 says the skills test must be given and passed in this order:

1. Pre-trip inspection: you point to each safety part and explain what you check. 49 CFR 383.113 lists the areas, including the engine compartment, cab and engine start, steering, suspension, brakes, wheels, and the sides and rear of the vehicle. If the vehicle has air brakes, you also show the air brake checks, such as the low pressure warning and the air pressure build-up.
2. Basic vehicle control: starting, stopping, backing in a straight line, backing along a curve, and turning, with path and clearance checks.
3. On-road driving: searching ahead, signaling, safe gaps, following distance, and adjusting speed for road, weather, and traffic.

If you fail one part, you cannot go on to the next part. Under 49 CFR 383.135, breaking a traffic law or causing a crash during the test is an automatic failure. The skills test is given in English with no interpreter, so practice saying the inspection items out loud in English.

On this site, Vehicle Inspection is one of the two largest chapters in the CDL General Knowledge practice set (about 14% of a mock test). Its tread depth, steering play, and emergency equipment numbers are the same items you will point to and explain in the pre-trip part.

You must take the skills test in a vehicle that represents the class you want. The state judges this by the vehicle's weight rating (GVWR or GCWR), not by how much it weighs that day.

The vehicle you test in can also add restrictions to your CDL (49 CFR 383.135):

• No air brakes on the test vehicle: air brake restriction.
• Air-over-hydraulic brakes: full air brake restriction.
• Automatic transmission: manual transmission restriction.
• A Class A combination with a connection other than a fifth wheel: tractor-trailer restriction.

The first three can be removed later with a shorter, modified skills test. To remove an air brake restriction, you must also pass the air brake knowledge test and the air brake part of the pre-trip inspection. The tractor-trailer restriction is different: you must retake all three parts of the skills test in a tractor-trailer. If you know what kind of truck you will drive for work, test in that kind of vehicle.

1. Look at your CLP. Write down the class, any endorsements, any restrictions, and the issue and expiration dates.
2. Put two dates on your calendar: the first day you can take the skills test (14 days after the first issue date) and the CLP expiration date.
3. If you want Class A or B, or a P or S endorsement for the first time, confirm that your school is on the Training Provider Registry, then finish both the theory and behind-the-wheel parts.
4. If your permit shows an air brake restriction and your training truck has air brakes, ask your state driver licensing agency what you must retake. The CDL Air Brakes practice set on this site uses the same 80% passing score.
5. Practice the pre-trip inspection out loud, in order, until you can do it without notes. Then practice backing and on-road driving with your supervising CDL holder.
6. Book the skills test in the same kind of vehicle you plan to drive for work. Check your state driver licensing agency for fees, appointment rules, and what to bring.