Montana Truck Driving School | Truck Driver Training

DO I HAVE TO PASS ANY EXAMS TO GET A MONTANA CDL?

Yes . . . You will have to pass written exams and skills exams. Just how many exams you will have to take and pass will depend upon the type(s) of commercial vehicles you will be driving and what type of "cargo" you will be transporting.

WHAT ARE THE MONTANA CDL WRITTEN EXAMS?

The "written" exams consist of the knowledge portion of your Montana CDL exams. There are seven different written exams. Which ones you will be required to take and pass depends upon the type of commercial vehicle that you will be driving. A description of these written exams follows . . .

General Knowledge Test . . . Must be taken and passed by ALL CDL applicants no matter what Class of CDL or Type of Endorsement(s) are needed. You WILL take this written test. You WILL pass this written test if you are to obtain a CDL.
Air Brakes Test . . . Must be taken and passed if any vehicle you drive has air brakes.
Combination Vehicles Test . . . Must be taken and passed if you drive combination vehicles requiring a Class "A" CDL.
Passenger Transport (P) Test . . . Must be taken and passed by all bus driver applicants. An additional written test may be required if transporting children to and from school.
Hazardous Materials (H) Test . . . Must be taken and passed if you transport hazardous materials requiring "placarding".
Tank Vehicles (N) Test . . . Must be taken and passed if you drive a "tank" with a capacity of more than 1000 gallons.
Doubles & Triples (T) Test . . . Must be taken and passed if you pull double or triple trailers.

WHAT ARE THE MONTANA CDL SKILLS EXAMS?

The "skills" exams consist of the practical portion of your Montana CDL exams. They consist of three parts as follows . . .

Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection Test . . . You will be tested to see if you know whether your vehicle is safe to drive. The examiner will score each item that you correctly inspect and explain.
Basic Vehicle Control Test . . . You will be tested on your basic skills in controlling the vehicle . . . including moving your vehicle forward, backward, and turning within a defined area. You will be scored on how well you stay within the exercise boundaries and how many pull-ups you make.
On-Road Test . . . You will be tested on your skill to safely drive your vehicle in a variety of traffic situations.

The skills exams are taken in the same "type" vehicle that you will be licensed in.

AFTER I PASS ALL OF MY CDL EXAMS . . . THEN WHAT?

You can apply for your CDL. You must provide proof that you possess a valid DOT medical certificate (you will need to get a physical in accordance with MCSR 49 CFR 391.41. . . . the medical forms are included with the CDL Course package), fill out the forms, provide documentation, and pay the appropriate fees.

HOW DO I FIND SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR Montana?

We are including the following links to information that is specific to Montana. We try to include all available official links, however the State of Montana often change their webpages and/or the addressing of those webpages. We constantly update these links, but from time to time they are not available due to recent changes. If you are having problems with any of these links, try typing "Montana Official Website" into your Google, Bing or Yahoo search engine and you should be able to find your "starting point" on their website. You should be able to find the Commercial Drivers License information by typing in "CDL" into their internal search (if available) or by following the Drivers License Services links within their website. This is a great source of Montana regulations, forms, locations, contacts, etc.

Quickly Access Official Montana CDL Information

Access to official web pages maintained
by the State of Montana

Montana CDL Pre-Trip, Skills, and Road Test Requirements

You must hold your Montana Commercial License Permit {CLP) for a minimum of 14 days before testing.

The Montana CDL skills tests must be completed in the following order:

Pre-trip vehicle inspection
Basic vehicle control skills
On-road driving

You must successfully complete each step before moving on to the next. The test will be ended if a step is failed. You will be required to reschedule.

Study section 11, 12, and 13 of the Montana Commercial Driver License (CDL) Manual

Those testing for a school bus endorsement must also study section 10

NOTE:

The Montana CDL pre-trip vehicle inspection includes the complete in-cab air brake test . The in-cab air brake test must be done correctly; if failed, it will result in failure of the pre-trip vehicle inspection and testing will be ended.

Schedule an appointment

Online at: https://dojmt.gov/driving/appointment-scheduling/
By phone at 866 450-8034

You must test in a vehicle representative of the license and type you are applying for

Montana CDL Class A drivers testing in vehicles with non-fifth wheel connections (such as pintle hook) will receive a "no tractor trailer" restriction
Those using automatic transmission vehicles will receive an "automatic transmission only" restriction
To be valid for air brakes, you must test in an air brake equipped vehicle

When arriving for your Montana CDL test, you must present the following:

Valid vehicle registration
Valid vehicle registration for trailer (Class A only)
Valid vehicle insurance card
Your valid commercial license permit
Your valid class D license

If you cannot keep your appointment, you must cancel prior to the appointment. Failure to do so will result in a $20 cancellation fee.

Your Montana CDL permit is valid for 180 days . If your permit is about to expire, you may renew it one time before it expires . There is no cost to renew your Montana commercial license permit. Montana CDL Pre-trip and/or skill tests passed during the first 180 days are forfeited if the Montana CDL permit is renewed.

Please arrive 15 minutes early and have your document s ready for verification.

Applicants arriving late or without all the required documentation may be required to reschedule.

Montana CDL Written Knowledge Tests
You will need to pass the Montana Knowledge Tests that are required for the class of license, restriction, and endorsements you wish to possess. A general knowledge test for the Class A or Class B and C license must be successfully completed by all CDL applicants. The information needed to pass these tests is contained in the FREE Montana CDL Handbook. Please read and study this manual carefully.

Class A - 70 Questions (50 GK + 20 Combination Vehicles) - Skills test required.
Class B - 50 Questions - Skills test required.
Class C - 50 Questions - Skills test required for bus, school bus and air brakes vehicles.
Passenger Endorsement - 20 questions - Skills test required in bus.
School Bus Endorsement - 25 questions - Skills test required in school bus.
Doubles/Triples Endorsement - 20 questions - No additional skills tests.
Tank Vehicle Endorsement - 20 questions - No additional skills tests.
Hazardous Materials Endorsement - 30 questions - No additional skills tests.
Air Brake Restriction Removal - 25 questions - Additional skills test in vehicle with Air Brakes.

Classes of Montana CDL and Required Tests

CDL Class

Tests Required

Possible Endorsements and Required Tests

Class A
(Combination
vehicle endorsement required)

General Knowledge Written Exam

Combination Endorsement Written Exam

Road Exam

H - Hazardous Materials	Written Exam
N - Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
P - Passenger Transport	Written and Road Exam
T - Doubles/Triples	Written Exam
X - HazMat and Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
L - Air Brakes	Written and Road Exam
S - School Bus	Written and Road Exam

Class B

General Knowledge Written Exam

Road Exam

H - Hazardous Materials	Written Exam
N - Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
P - Passenger Transport	Written and Road Exam
X - HazMat and Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
L - Air Brakes	Written and Road Exam
S - School Bus	Written and Road Exam

Class C

General Knowledge Written Exam

Road Exam

Note: If upgrading to a Class C from a Class D, no road test is required UNLESS the endorsement requires one.

H - Hazardous Materials	Written Exam
N - Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
P - Passenger Transport	Written and Road Exam
X - HazMat and Tank Vehicles	Written Exam
L - Air Brakes	Written and Road Exam
S - School Bus	Written and Road Exam

Montana CDL Endorsements

Exam	Time Allowed (Minutes)	# of Questions on Exam	# of Correct Answers Needed to Pass
General Knowledge	60	50	40
Air Brakes	25	25	20
HazMat	30	30	24
Tank	20	20	16
Passenger	20	20	16
Doubles/Triples	20	20	16
Combination Vehicles	20	20	16
School Bus	20	20	16

Access Official Federal CDL General Information

WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS ARE ASKED ON THE CDL WRITTEN EXAMS?

A tiny sampling of questions from each of the written CDL exams follows . . .

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE EXAM (Required for ALL CDL's)

Steering tires must have a tread depth of at least . . .
A. 2/32 inch.
B. 3/32 inch.
C. 4/32 inch.
D. 5/32 inch.

When driving on wet roads, you should reduce your speed by . . .
A. half the distance from the vehicle in front of you.
B. 1/3.
C. 1/2.
D. 2/3.

You're performing your pre-trip inspection for your CDL test. Where should your ignition key be?
A. In the ignition.
B. In your pocket.
C. With your logbook.
D. In the cab.

TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS, (P) ENDORSEMENT

You must stop at least how far from a drawbridge, if there is no traffic light or attendant?
A. 10 feet.
B. 20 feet.
C. 50 feet.
D. 100 feet.

When stopping for railroad tracks, you must stop no closer than 15 feet before the nearest track.
A. True.
B. False.

AIR BRAKES ENDORSEMENT

The air leakage rate for a combination vehicle with the engine off and the brakes applied should be no more than . . .
A. 1 psi in 15 seconds.
B. 3 psi in one minute.
C. 4 psi in one minute.
D. allowed at lower altitudes.

You "put on the brakes" by . . .
A. pushing down on the brake pedal.
B. pushing down on the foot valve.
C. pushing down on the treadle valve.
D. all of the above.

COMBINATION VEHICLES (Req'd by ALL Class A's)

Every combination vehicle with air brakes has two air lines, the service line and the return line.
A. True.
B. False.

How much visible space should be between the upper and lower fifth wheel plates?
A. None.
B. At least 1/4 inch.
C. No more than 1/2 inch.
D. Approximately 1 inch.

DOUBLES AND TRIPLES, (T) ENDORSEMENT

Driving conditions are good. A 100 foot long combination vehicle traveling at 35 MPH would need how much safe following distance?
A. 8/10 of a minute.
B. 10 seconds.
C. 11 seconds.
D. Two vehicle lengths.

Triple trailers are legal in your State of Residence.
A. True.
B. False.

TANK VEHICLES, (N) ENDORSEMENT

Because liquids expand and contract under different temperatures . . .
A. you must be familiar with the difference between bulkheads and baffles.
B. you must know the outage requirements.
C. you must be prepared for possible surge.
D. you must have a HAZ MAT placard in place.

Bulkheads in a tank and baffles in a tank are the same.
A. True.
B. False.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, (H) ENDORSEMENT

The driver may keep hazardous materials shipping papers . . .
A. behind the left side HAZ MAT placard.
B. in a pouch on the drivers door or on the driver's seat when out of the vehicle.
C. with the shipper until acceptance at the destination.
D. in a secure place that is locked.

What is the minimum distance from a Class 3 (flammable liquids) or Division 2.1 (gases) placarded cargo tank that you may smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe?
A. 10 meters.
B. 25 feet.
C. 100 feet
D. 300 feet.

There is a total of 670 questions on the actual Montana CDL Course tests, which covers the entire POOL of questions used on the actual CDL examinations. Questions on your ACTUAL TESTS will come from this POOL of questions. Each "CLASS" of CDL and each "ENDORSEMENT" is covered in a separate section. You are required to take only those exams that apply to your driving requirements. The Montana CDL Course includes complete "self testing" practice tests and "self scoring" BLANK and CORRECT answer sheets.

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