Free Vermont DMV CDL — General Knowledge Practice Test 2026
The Vermont CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Vermont 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 Vermont written test
The Vermont CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions; you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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.
Vermont CDL — General Knowledge test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Vermont CDL — General Knowledge test?
The Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Vermont practice tests
Take the CDL — General Knowledge test in another state
Every Vermont question is written from the official Vermont 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
Vermont CDL — General Knowledge questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Vermont 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. By the manual's class-of-fire chart, which pairing of fire class and method is NOT correct?
Correct answer: Class D (combustible metals): plain water
Class D fires, in combustible metals, are put out with specialized extinguishing powders. The other three pairings match the chart.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.21.3, Fire Fighting
2. Which of these does the cargo section list among proper tie-down equipment?
Correct answer: Tensioning devices such as winches and ratchets
Proper tie-down equipment includes ropes, straps, chains and tensioning devices such as winches, ratchets and clinching components.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 3.3.2, Cargo Tie-down
3. Vermont offers a two-year and a four-year CDL. Which driver cannot choose the two-year option?
Correct answer: A driver who holds a valid School Bus Endorsement
The manual says the two-year option is not available to anyone holding a valid School Bus Endorsement.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Commercial Driver's License Expiration and Renewal
4. A Vermont driver holding a Class C CDL applies to upgrade to Class B. Does entry-level driver training (ELDT) apply?
Correct answer: Yes; an upgrade to a higher class is one of the cases ELDT covers
ELDT covers a first Class A or Class B CDL, moving an existing CDL up to a higher class (C to B or A, or B to A), and a first school bus, passenger or hazardous materials endorsement. It must be completed before the skills exam.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Entry-Level Driver Training
5. What is the one difference between the manual's two offset backing exercises?
Correct answer: The space is to the right rear in one and to the left rear in the other
One exercise puts the space behind you and to the right; the other puts it behind you and to the left. Otherwise the two are described the same way.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 12.2.2, Offset Back/Right
6. Which federal regulation does Vermont's manual cite as the home of the DOT drug and alcohol testing rules?
Correct answer: Title 49, Section 382 of the federal regulations (CFR)
The manual points drivers to Title 49, Section 382 of the CFR, and to the FMCSA website for more information.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Drug and Alcohol Testing Requirements
7. A turn on the road test requires you to wait at a stop line first. Which of these is NOT what the manual expects during that wait?
Correct answer: Front wheels already turned toward the new road
The front wheels stay aimed straight ahead while you wait. You also make a full stop at the line, crosswalk or sign, keep a gap that lets you see the rear tires ahead, and do not let the vehicle roll.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 13.1.1, Turns
8. Which of these is NOT part of the manual's guidance on speed in roadway work zones?
Correct answer: Return to highway speed whenever no workers are in sight
Posted limits apply at all times in a work zone, speed should come down for adverse weather or road conditions, and it should drop again when a worker is near the roadway.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.6.7, Roadway Work Zones
9. A Vermont driver hauls hazardous materials that require placards, but only inside the state and in a truck under 26,000 pounds. Does the manual say a medical certificate is needed?
Correct answer: Yes; placarded hazmat puts the driver among those who must have one
Drivers of vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials are one of the groups the manual lists as Non-Excepted Intrastate, and those drivers must get a medical certificate.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Commercial Driver's License Medical Self-Certification
10. Where the pavement drops off sharply at the road's edge, what steering problem does the manual mention?
Correct answer: The vehicle can be hard to steer as it crosses the drop-off
Besides tilting the vehicle toward the roadside, a drop-off can make the vehicle hard to steer while it crosses the edge, whether leaving the pavement or returning to it.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.8.2, Hazardous Roads
11. Which converter dollies does the manual say must have an ABS malfunction lamp on the left side?
Correct answer: Those made March 1, 1998, or later
The lamp requirement covers dollies made on March 1, 1998, or later.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.18.3, How to Know If Your Vehicle Is Equipped with ABS
12. The hand-held phone restriction has an emergency exception. Does the manual give a similar exception for texting?
Correct answer: Yes; texting is allowed when needed to reach police or other emergency services
The texting rule has its own emergency exception: a driver may text if it is necessary in order to reach police or other emergency services.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.9.5, Texting
13. Before starting out in winter, what does the manual say to use for clearing ice and snow from the windshield, windows and mirrors?
Correct answer: A windshield scraper, a snow brush and the defroster as needed
Any ice or snow comes off the windshield, windows and mirrors before you start, using a scraper, a snow brush and the defroster as necessary.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.13.1, Vehicle Checks
14. How does Vermont set the date on which a CDL expires?
Correct answer: On the holder's birthday, four years (or two years) after the license was issued
A Vermont CDL runs to the holder's birthday anniversary, the fourth one after issue or the second if the two-year license was chosen.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Commercial Driver's License Expiration and Renewal
15. For a Vermont skills test appointment, which proof must you bring for the vehicle, and for the trailer if there is one?
Correct answer: A valid registration certificate and proof of liability insurance
Along with your license, permit and any required DOT Medical Card, you must bring the registration certificate and proof that the test vehicle carries liability insurance. Without them, none of the skills tests will be given.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Commercial Driver's License Appointments
16. Which set of warning devices would NOT meet the manual's requirement for a parked vehicle?
Correct answer: Two reflective triangles and one fusee
The requirement is met by 3 reflective triangles, by 6 or more fusees, or by 3 liquid burning flares. A partial mix does not match any of the three.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.1.3, What to Look For
17. Under the federal DOT rules summarized in Vermont's manual, who directs a commercial driver's drug and alcohol testing?
Correct answer: The driver's employer
The manual puts the driver's employer in charge of directing the testing, in line with the DOT regulations.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Drug and Alcohol Testing Requirements
18. The manual lists four mirror checks for a lane change. Which one comes last?
Correct answer: A check after the lane change is complete
The checks are: before changing lanes, after signaling, right after starting the lane change, and finally after the lane change is complete.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.4.2, Seeing to the Sides and Rear
19. Besides taking longer to stop, what else does the manual say a slippery road makes harder?
Correct answer: Turning without skidding
On a slippery road stopping takes longer and turning without a skid becomes harder, which is why such surfaces call for lower speeds.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 2.6.2, Matching Speed to the Road Surface
20. According to the manual's weight definitions, where is a power unit manufacturer's Gross Combination Weight Rating value displayed?
Correct answer: On the FMVSS certification label
The definition refers to the value the power unit's manufacturer specifies, when that value appears on the FMVSS certification label, the label required under the federal vehicle safety standards.
Source: Vermont Commercial Driver's Manual — Section 3.2.1, Definitions You Should Know