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Class A · The written tests

How the CDL written test works

You pass written knowledge tests first, then the skills tests in a truck. This guide covers the knowledge tests a Class A applicant takes. Every fact on it comes from the California, Texas or Florida CDL handbook, and names the section.

Who needs a Class A license

Class A is for combination vehicles: a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle or vehicles you tow are rated over 10,000 pounds. Most Class A vehicles are tractor-trailers or a truck pulling a trailer. With a Class A license you may also drive Class B and Class C vehicles. (Texas and Florida CDL Handbooks, Section 1, CDL Classifications)

Which written tests you take

All three handbooks list the knowledge tests in Section 1.1.1. A Class A applicant usually takes three of them:

TestWho takes itManual section
General KnowledgeEvery applicant2 and 3
Air BrakesDrivers of vehicles with air brakes, including air over hydraulic brakes5
Combination VehiclesAnyone who wants to drive combination vehicles6

If you skip the air brakes test or fail it, or take the skills test in a vehicle without air brakes, your license carries restriction L: no vehicles with air brakes. (California, Texas and Florida CDL Handbooks, Section 1, Restrictions)

Endorsements have tests of their own: hazardous materials, tank vehicles, doubles and triples, passenger and school bus. The hazardous materials endorsement also needs a Transportation Security Administration background check. (Section 1.1.1 in all three)

What to study

Figure 1.2 in each handbook, "What to Study", marks the sections for each license class. For Class A it marks Sections 1, 2 and 3, Section 5 if you plan to drive vehicles with air brakes, Section 6, and Sections 11 to 13, which cover the skills tests. (California, Texas and Florida CDL Handbooks, Figure 1.2)

  • Section 2, Driving Safely. California's handbook says you must pass a test on this section to get a CDL. (California CDL Handbook, Section 2)
  • Section 3, Transporting Cargo Safely. You need its cargo safety rules to get a CDL. (California CDL Handbook, Section 3)
  • Section 5, Air Brakes. Read it if you will drive a truck or bus with air brakes or pull a trailer with them. If you pull a trailer with air brakes, read Section 6 too. (California CDL Handbook, Section 5)
  • Section 6, Combination Vehicles. The knowledge for the combination vehicles test: tractor-trailers, doubles, triples and a straight truck with a trailer. (California CDL Handbook, Section 6)

In Big Rig Pass, General Knowledge questions come from Sections 2 and 3, Air Brakes from Section 5 and Combination Vehicles from Section 6. The three handbooks use the same section numbers.

How the test is given

The rules differ by state, and each handbook describes its own.

  • Texas. The knowledge exams use multiple choice and matching questions, and you need a score of 80% or higher on each section. The exams come in a set order: Texas Commercial Rules, General Knowledge, then Combination, Air Brakes and the endorsement tests you need. After a failed test on the first day, the application stays open for 90 days; it ends after three failed attempts or at the end of those 90 days, whichever comes first. (Texas CDL Handbook, Knowledge Exams, before Section 1)
  • California. You take the knowledge tests on the DMV's automated testing equipment, in English, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi, Russian or Spanish. Allow 2 to 3 hours if you take all the tests. (California CDL Handbook, Section 1.1.1) You get 3 attempts to pass the knowledge tests on one application, with no waiting period before a retake. (California CDL Handbook, Section 1, page 1-4)
  • No testing aids. California bans the handbook, notes, phones and watches during the knowledge test, and marks the test as failed if you use one. (California CDL Handbook, Section 1.1.1)
  • Florida. The Florida handbook lists the tests but does not describe the format or the passing score.

None of the three handbooks prints how many questions each test has. Ask your state's licensing office. The exam mode in Big Rig Pass uses 50 for General Knowledge, 25 for Air Brakes and 20 for Combination Vehicles, with 80% to pass.

How to study

  • Get your own state's handbook from its licensing agency. States add their own rules: Texas, for one, has a Section 14 on special requirements for Texas commercial vehicles, and its first knowledge exam covers Texas commercial rules. (Texas CDL Handbook, Knowledge Exams)
  • Use the Test Your Knowledge questions. Many subsections end with them. California's handbook says these questions may be on your test, and to reread the subsection if you cannot answer them all. (California CDL Handbook, Section 2.1 and later subsections)
  • Learn the numbers exactly: pressures, distances, times and weights. On a multiple choice question, a close guess is still a wrong answer.
  • Practice with the source in view. Every Big Rig Pass question names its manual section, so a wrong answer sends you to the right page. Try General Knowledge, Air Brakes or Combination Vehicles.
  • Plan for the skills tests too. The handbooks say they do not replace a training course; formal training is the most reliable way to learn the driving skills. (Texas and Florida CDL Handbooks, Section 1, To Get a CDL)

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