Free Tennessee DMV CDL — General Knowledge Practice Test 2026
The Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Tennessee driver handbook — every one has a clear explanation, and you can retake as often as you like with no sign-up.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
What's on the Tennessee written test
The Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions; you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Tennessee exam format — always confirm current details with your state DMV.
Practice by topic
Focus on one area at a time — each topic has its own set of Tennessee practice questions.
Learn the shapes, colors, and meanings of regulatory, warning, and guide signs — from stop and yield to construction and school-zone signs.
Speed limits, turning and signaling rules, headlight and seat-belt requirements, and the everyday laws every driver must follow.
How to read traffic signals, lane lines, and pavement markings — including yellow and white lines, arrows, and flashing lights.
Who goes first at intersections, four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks, and how to yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
How to pass the first time
- Read the official Tennessee driver handbook at least once before test day.
- Practice by topic to find your weak spots, then fix them.
- Take full-length practice tests until you pass comfortably every time.
- Read every explanation — understanding beats memorizing.
Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge test?
The Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge test?
You can miss up to ~10 of the ~50 questions and still pass — you need ~40 correct, which is 80%.
Can I retake the practice test?
Yes — practice as often as you like, completely free. The questions and answer choices are shuffled each time.
Can I take the Tennessee practice test in Spanish?
Yes. Every question here is available in English and Spanish — switch languages anytime. Many states also offer the real knowledge test in languages other than English; confirm what Tennessee offers with your DMV.
Can I practice on my phone?
Yes. The practice tests work in any mobile or desktop browser — no app or sign-up needed — so you can study anywhere.
Are these the real DMV test questions?
No. Our questions are original, written from the current official Tennessee driver handbook to match the real test's topics and style. We are not affiliated with any DMV or government agency.
What's the best way to study?
Read the Tennessee driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Tennessee practice tests
Take the CDL — General Knowledge test in another state
Every Tennessee question is written from the official Tennessee driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free
Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Tennessee CDL — General Knowledge question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
Show all 20 questions with answers
1. What should a driver do who becomes too ill to operate the vehicle safely?
Correct answer: Not drive, except to reach the nearest safe stop in an emergency
If you are too ill to drive safely, you must not drive, except in an emergency you may go only to the nearest safe stopping place.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Driving)
2. What does federal rule allow regarding a hand-held mobile phone while driving a CMV?
Correct answer: Only a hands-free phone that can be used with a single button press
Holding a phone to talk or pressing more than a single button to dial is prohibited; only a properly located hands-free phone operated with a single touch is permitted.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Cell/Mobile Phones)
3. A four-digit identification number shown on an orange panel or placard is used mainly by whom?
Correct answer: First responders, to identify the material involved
The four-digit identification number lets first responders quickly identify the material being hauled after a spill or crash.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Hazardous Materials Rules)
4. What does an antilock braking system (ABS) actually do for you?
Correct answer: Keeps the wheels from locking so you keep control
ABS keeps the wheels from locking during hard braking so you can keep control and steer, but it does not necessarily shorten stopping distance.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Antilock Braking Systems)
5. When should you turn a retarder off?
Correct answer: When the surface is wet, icy, or covered with snow
Switch the retarder off on any wet, icy, or snow-packed surface, since it can send the drive wheels into a skid.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Shifting Gears)
6. If two turning lanes are available for a left turn, which one should a truck or bus use?
Correct answer: The right-hand turning lane
Use the right-hand turning lane; starting from the inside lane may force you to swing right and endanger vehicles beside you.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)
7. When your speed goes from 20 up to 40 mph, what happens to braking distance?
Correct answer: It becomes about four times longer
Doubling speed makes the braking distance about four times longer, and the impact about four times greater.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Controlling Speed)
8. How long will you lose your CDL for two serious traffic violations within three years?
Correct answer: At least 60 days
Two serious traffic violations in a three-year period cost you your CDL for at least 60 days.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Serious Traffic Violations)
9. Why should you not use your vehicle's lights to signal other drivers that it is safe to pass?
Correct answer: You could misjudge conditions and cause a crash you would be blamed for
You should never wave or signal other traffic to pass, because you could misjudge the situation and be blamed for causing a crash.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Communicating)
10. Why shouldn't you rely on your taillights to warn traffic that you are parked at the roadside?
Correct answer: Drivers may think the taillights mean the vehicle is still moving
Drivers have crashed into parked vehicles because taillights made them think the vehicle was still moving, so use the flashers and warning devices.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Communicating)
11. If you are being tailgated, what is one safe thing you can do?
Correct answer: Increase the space ahead of you
Open up more room in front of you so you can slow gradually and give the tailgater space to get around you.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)
12. For a first offense of driving a CMV with a BAC of .04 percent or higher, how long will you lose your CDL?
Correct answer: At least one year
A first alcohol offense costs you your CDL for at least one year.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol and Disqualifications)
13. Which combination of vehicles falls under Class A?
Correct answer: A combination rated 26,001 pounds or more with a towed unit over 10,000 pounds
Class A covers combinations with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more when the towed unit is rated over 10,000 pounds.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (CDL Classifications)
14. Under the hazard-class system, which class number is assigned to explosives such as dynamite and fireworks?
Correct answer: Class 1
Explosives, including ammunition, dynamite, and fireworks, fall under hazard Class 1.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Hazardous Materials Rules)
15. If the ABS malfunction lamp stays on while you drive, what is still true of your brakes?
Correct answer: You still have your normal brakes
Even if ABS fails, you still have your normal brakes; drive normally and get the system serviced soon.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Antilock Braking Systems)
16. What is the only real cure for driver fatigue?
Correct answer: Getting sleep
The only genuine cure for fatigue is sleep; coffee or fresh air cannot replace rest.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Driving at Night)
17. Before you start across a road, what must you make sure of?
Correct answer: That you can clear the whole road before traffic reaches you
Confirm you can clear the entire roadway before oncoming traffic arrives, because a large vehicle crosses slowly.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)
18. In a 60-foot rig traveling above 40 mph, how much following distance in seconds should you maintain?
Correct answer: 7 seconds
A 60-foot vehicle needs 6 seconds below 40 mph, and you add 1 second above 40 mph for a total of 7 seconds.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Managing Space)
19. What is the general minimum age to apply for a CDL or CLP in Tennessee?
Correct answer: 21
CLP and CDL applicants must generally be at least 21 years of age, with limited intrastate exceptions for 18-to-20-year-olds.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Eligibility / Applying)
20. If your stopped vehicle is hidden by a hill or curve, what should you do with the rear warning device?
Correct answer: Move it back beyond the obstruction so drivers are warned within 500 feet
When a hill or curve blocks the view, move the rear device back down the road so approaching drivers get warning within 500 feet.
Source: Tennessee CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Communicating)