Class B CDL practice test

Real numbers

What the rules say

Sources: FMCSA (49 CFR 383, official CDL manual) + O*NET OnLine / U.S. BLS OEWS — verified 2026-09-21. State-specific numbers per the state DMV's published guidance.

Class B covers single vehicles over 26,001 lb GVWR — straight trucks, dump trucks and many buses — plus any trailer under 10,001 lb. It is a common entry point for local delivery and passenger routes. Many Class B trucks have air brakes, so check whether the vehicle you train on needs the Air Brakes endorsement before you book the written tests.

Class B covers single vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more — straight trucks, dump trucks, box trucks and many buses — plus combinations where the trailer is 10,000 pounds or less.

Class B is a frequent entry point for local delivery, waste management, transit and school bus work. Because many of these vehicles are air-braked, most Class B applicants also take the Air Brakes knowledge test as an endorsement.

The written exam for Class B shares the General Knowledge core with every other class. Passing General Knowledge plus the air-brake and other endorsement tests you need is what unlocks the Class B permit, ahead of the three-part skills test.

Class B is not a 'smaller' licence — the vehicle weights involved are still well beyond a standard passenger vehicle, and the inspection and control standards in the test reflect that. Practise the inspection questions carefully; they mirror what you will be asked to demonstrate in the skills test.

A practical study order for Class B: master General Knowledge first, then add Air Brakes if your vehicle has them, then any other endorsements you plan to hold. Taking the tests in that order means each new test builds on material you already know, instead of layering unfamiliar topics together.

A quiet detail that helps on test day: read every option before choosing. Class B questions are frequently built so that two answers look plausible, and the exam rewards the driver who reads the full set of options instead of grabbing the first familiar phrase.

Class B is often the fastest route to a commercial driving job, and here is why. The licence covers straight trucks and buses over 26,001 pounds, plus trailers under 10,001 pounds — the vehicles used by local delivery, waste hauling, transit agencies and most construction fleets. Because the vehicle is a single unit rather than a combination, the skills test is simpler in one important way: you are not coupling and uncoupling a trailer. That does not make it easy, but it does make it quicker to train for, which is why many people start here and decide later whether to upgrade. Most Class B vehicles you will encounter have air brakes, so plan on the Air Brakes endorsement as part of the standard package. The written work divides neatly: General Knowledge for the base rules, Air Brakes for the brake system, and any specialist endorsements — passenger, school bus, tanker — for the kind of work you want. Practice the base first, add the endorsements you need, and the Class B written exam becomes a sequence of familiar topics rather than a wall of unfamiliar questions.

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