All your missed questions are saved
automatically for extra practice.
It's a practice test that's automatically made up of all your missed questions. Once you finish this test, you’ll be able to revisit your Challenge Bank™ to practice and sharpen your skills.
View All PlansAdding difficult questions to Challenge Bank™ is an exclusive Premium feature. Unlock access to 650+ exam-like questions, a Pass Guarantee, personalized study plans, and more.
View All PlansFree California CDL Air Brakes Test 2025
- Perfect for first-time and renewal CDL/CLP applicants, and those adding endorsements
- Based on 2025 CA commercial driver's license manual
- Triple-checked for accuracy
- Updated for July 2025
Planning to drive commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) equipped with air brakes? Our practice materials prepare you for the California CDL Air Brake DMV test so you can pass on the first attempt. Without passing, your CDL will include an “L” restriction, banning you from operating CMVs with air brakes. Since most semi-trucks and tractor-trailers use air brakes, the air brakes qualification is essential for employment. In California, steep grades (Sierra Nevada) and tight curves (I-80 and I-50, especially) make the air brakes qualification a practical necessity. The coastal cliffs and hills along Highway 1 feature narrow, winding roads and steep cliffs, and even urban traffic congestion requires air brakes for larger rigs. Not having this certification severely limits you as a CMV driver.
Industries across the Golden State rely on drivers with the air brake qualification: technology (Silicon Valley), entertainment (Hollywood, Los Angeles), agriculture (fruits, vegetables, wine), manufacturing (electronics, aerospace, construction), and tourism (beaches, national parks, and cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco). Key companies include trucking outfits like XPO Logistics (San Bernardino) and Swift Transportation (Los Angeles). Charter bus companies, including Greyhound Lines (Los Angeles, San Francisco) and Coach USA (San Francisco), require air brake certification. Buses used in California’s school districts use air brakes. Agricultural companies like California Fresh (Salinas) and Produce Express (Sacramento) rely on qualified drivers. Construction and heavy equipment companies, like Bechtel and Turner Construction, do likewise. Simply put, the “L” restriction makes operating CMVs equipped with air brakes illegal, thus limiting your job prospects.
There are two parts to the DMV test, which covers parts of an air brake system, effective operation, and air-brake inspection procedures. The skills test requires you to physically inspect an air brake system, identify its components, and operate a vehicle equipped with air brakes. This test includes checking air pressure, testing the brakes for leaks, and more. The multiple-choice written knowledge test requires a score of at least 80% (20 out of 25) to pass and features questions directly from material found in the state’s official CDL manual (California CDL Handbook 2025).
Our CDL Air Brakes Practice Tests mimic the content and format you will face on the official DMV written test. Additionally, our practice test questions and answers provide responses in real time, which has been scientifically proven to speed the learning process and increase your confidence in passing the official exam.
- Perfect for first-time and renewal CDL/CLP applicants, and those adding endorsements
- Triple-checked for accuracy
What you need to know
What to expect on the actual CA DMV exam
questions
correct answers to pass
passing score
Are you in another state?
- Alabama: Test 1 / Test 2
- Alaska: Test 1 / Test 2
- Arizona: Test 1 / Test 2
- Arkansas: Test 1 / Test 2
- California: Test 1 / Test 2
- Colorado: Test 1 / Test 2
- Connecticut: Test 1 / Test 2
- Delaware: Test 1 / Test 2
- District of Columbia: Test 1 / Test 2
- Florida: Test 1 / Test 2
- Georgia: Test 1 / Test 2
- Hawaii: Test 1 / Test 2
- Idaho: Test 1 / Test 2
- Illinois: Test 1 / Test 2
- Indiana: Test 1 / Test 2
- Iowa: Test 1 / Test 2
- Kansas: Test 1 / Test 2
- Kentucky: Test 1 / Test 2
- Louisiana: Test 1 / Test 2
- Maine: Test 1 / Test 2
- Maryland: Test 1 / Test 2
- Massachusetts: Test 1 / Test 2
- Michigan: Test 1 / Test 2
- Minnesota: Test 1 / Test 2
- Mississippi: Test 1 / Test 2
- Missouri: Test 1 / Test 2
- Montana: Test 1 / Test 2
- Nebraska: Test 1 / Test 2
- Nevada: Test 1 / Test 2
- New Hampshire: Test 1 / Test 2
- New Jersey: Test 1 / Test 2
- New Mexico: Test 1 / Test 2
- New York: Test 1 / Test 2
- North Carolina: Test 1 / Test 2
- North Dakota: Test 1 / Test 2
- Ohio: Test 1 / Test 2
- Oklahoma: Test 1 / Test 2
- Oregon: Test 1 / Test 2
- Pennsylvania: Test 1 / Test 2
- Rhode Island: Test 1 / Test 2
- South Carolina: Test 1 / Test 2
- South Dakota: Test 1 / Test 2
- Tennessee: Test 1 / Test 2
- Texas: Test 1 / Test 2
- Utah: Test 1 / Test 2
- Vermont: Test 1 / Test 2
- Virginia: Test 1 / Test 2
- Washington: Test 1 / Test 2
- West Virginia: Test 1 / Test 2
- Wisconsin: Test 1 / Test 2
- Wyoming: Test 1 / Test 2
Your go-to, trusted source
Experience the Driving-Tests differenceList of questions (classic view)
- How would you check your truck's slack adjusters?
- How do brakes work on a long, steep downgrade?
- Why must you study air brakes in the state of California?
- The purpose of a supply pressure gauge is
- Why must air tanks be drained?
- Which of the following is NOT part of the drum brake?
- Which conditions are ideal for front wheel brakes?
- Which of the following is NOT part of the braking process when driving a tractor-trailer combination vehicle with an anti-lock braking system (ABS)?
- How can you tell if your vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS)?
- Which vehicles must have low air pressure warning signals?
- What is the best way to test if your vehicle's spring brakes come on automatically?
- Spring brakes are
- Which of the following is true about a dual air brake system?
- Slack adjusters are
- An anti-lock braking system (ABS)
- Which of the following is NOT part of the air brake system?
- Which of the following will be true about your brake function if your ABS fails?
- The tractor protection valve
- When should you use the parking brake?
- At what measurement is the safety valve USUALLY set to open?
- What is the best way to test your vehicle's low air pressure warning signal?
- When should you drain your air tanks?
- Which of the following can cause brakes to fail or fade?
- The maximum leakage rates per minute after the initial pressure drop are
- Which of the following should you do before leaving your vehicle unattended?
- The low air pressure warning signal will come on before the pressure in the air tanks falls below
- A low pressure warning signal is required on
- All vehicles equipped with air brakes have
- With air brake-equipped vehicles, the parking brakes should be used
- The use of air brakes on a downgrade is only a supplement to the