Under federal regulations, to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), you must pass the CDL General Knowledge Exam and the CDL Pre-Trip Inspection Test. Without a CDL, you cannot drive commercially unsupervised, thus limiting your career as an independent commercial driver. These tests ensure that commercial drivers can evaluate critical vehicle components to prevent mechanical failures while driving. Failing the knowledge exam means waiting at least one day before retesting and paying an additional fee. Our Minnesota CDL Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Tests are designed to cover all necessary topics to ensure you can pass your General Knowledge exam on the first attempt. Under federal law (49 CFR § 392.7 and 49 CFR § 396.13), the pre-trip inspection is required as part of the CDL skills exam, which also includes the basic control skills test and road test.
The General Knowledge Exam must be passed for a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP). Then you must pass each of the three parts of the Skills Test for a CDL within the 180-day period that your CLP is valid. According to the Minnesota Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Manual, if an applicant fails any portion of the skills test, they are required to retake only the failed section. If an applicant fails the road/skills test twice, a fee is charged for any additional attempts. The Minnesota CDL Pre-Trip Inspection Test requires you to demonstrate your knowledge and hands-on inspection skills by identifying and explaining essential vehicle parts.