Kentucky (KY) CDL manual 2026
Reading the manual is not the same as passing the test on it. Practice it instead: every chapter below has real test questions you can answer right here, plus what Kentucky does its own way.
Practice the manual, chapter by chapter
State manuals are built on the same national model, chapter for chapter. One thing to know from each chapter, then real questions from it to answer — tap an option to check yourself.
- 1
Introduction
Everyone
You will lose your CDL for at least one year for your third railroad-highway grade crossing violation within a three-year period.
This chapter has 26 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.Your personal vehicle license is revoked for an alcohol violation. How long do you lose your CDL?
Alcohol, controlled substance, or felony violations in your own car cost you the CDL for a year. A second such violation, in either vehicle, is a lifetime loss.
Manual section 1.3.7
What is the disqualification for a first railroad-highway grade crossing violation?
A single crossing violation costs at least 60 days, rising to 120 for a second within three years and a year for a third.
Manual section 1.3.5
- 2
Driving Safely
Everyone
People working on or near the roadway are a hazard clue; the work creates a distraction for other drivers and the workers themselves may not see you.
This chapter has 290 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.You are the first driver to stop at a crash scene on a busy highway. After parking your vehicle safely, what should you do first?
The first duty at a crash scene is preventing a second collision, so the area must be protected with warning devices before anything else is attempted.
Manual section 2.20
You cannot avoid driving through a stretch of dense fog. Which headlight setting should you use?
Fog reflects light back toward the driver, so low beams provide better visibility than high beams, which bounce off the water droplets and create glare.
Manual section 2.12
- 3
Transporting Cargo Safely
Everyone
Suspension systems have a manufacturer's weight capacity rating.
This chapter has 26 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What happens when there is too little weight on the driving axles?
The drive wheels need weight on them to grip. Without it they spin, and in bad weather the truck may not be able to keep moving at all.
Manual section 3.2.4
What can happen to brakes that are forced to work too hard by an overload?
Overloading lengthens stopping distance and works the brakes beyond what they were designed for, and brakes worked that hard can fail outright.
Manual section 3.2.2
- 4
Transporting Passengers
P endorsement (bus)
Hazardous materials are identified by diamond-shaped hazard labels on the package or container.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.Which sections of the manual does the knowledge test for the passenger endorsement cover?
The passenger endorsement test draws on Section 2, driving safely, together with Section 4, transporting passengers. A bus with air brakes adds a test on Section 5.
Manual section 4
You are driving a bus toward a railroad crossing where a stop is required. Within what distance range before the nearest rail must you stop?
Buses must stop between 15 and 50 feet before the nearest rail at railroad crossings where a stop is required. From there the driver looks and listens in both directions for a train.
Manual section 4.3
- 5
Air Brakes
Any vehicle with air brakes
When parking a vehicle with a modulating control valve, move the lever as far as it will go and hold it in place with the locking device.
This chapter has 148 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What are the two halves of a dual air brake system called?
One half is called primary and the other secondary, and each has its own tanks, lines, and gauge reading.
Manual section 5.2
How is the cab control for a front brake limiting valve normally marked?
The two positions are labeled normal and slippery, reflecting the mistaken belief that cutting front brake pressure helped on poor surfaces.
Manual section 5.1.13
- 6
Combination Vehicles
Class A
Make sure air lines are safely supported where they will not be crushed or caught while the tractor is backing under the trailer.
This chapter has 118 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.Whenever you back with a trailer, how should you try to position the vehicle first?
A straight-line back is the one that needs the fewest corrections. When the path has to curve, it should curve toward the driver's side so you can see it.
Manual section 6.1.7
What happens when you push in the trailer air supply knob before starting a trip?
Pushing the knob in charges the trailer's air system through the emergency line, which releases the trailer's emergency brakes so the rig can move.
Manual section 6.2.3
- 7
Doubles and Triples
T endorsement
Charge the air system to normal pressure before checking air flow to the rear trailers.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.As you fan down the pressure during a tractor protection valve test, in what pressure range should the trailer air supply control normally pop out?
Manufacturers set the trip point inside roughly a 20 to 45 psi window, low enough to stay out of the way of normal braking but high enough to act before the brakes are gone.
Manual section 7.4.1
Your tractor has a sliding fifth wheel. What must be true of its locking pins during inspection?
Every locking pin has to be there and engaged. A slide that can move under braking shifts weight and changes how the rig handles without warning.
Manual section 7.3.1
- 8
Tank Vehicles
N endorsement
The X endorsement is the combination of the tank vehicle (N) and hazardous materials (H) endorsements.
This chapter has 62 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What is the best overall driving style for keeping liquid surge under control in a loaded tank vehicle?
Every abrupt change in speed or direction sets the liquid in motion. Smooth, gradual inputs on the brakes, throttle, and steering keep the wave small and the vehicle stable.
Manual section 8.3
A tanker driver wants to avoid skids, which are especially dangerous when a liquid load is pushing on the tank. What causes most skids?
Most skids happen when a driver is going too fast for conditions and then brakes, steers, or accelerates harder than the available traction allows.
Manual section 8.3
- 9
Hazardous Materials
H endorsement
A carrier must give each driver transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives a copy of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Part 397.
This chapter has 234 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.When your vehicle must be placarded, where on the vehicle do the placards belong?
Placards must appear on all four sides of the vehicle so the hazard is visible from any direction of approach.
Manual section 9.3
How do you make hazardous materials shipping papers stand out from the rest?
Someone entering the cab after a crash has to find them immediately, so they are tabbed or placed on top of the other papers.
Manual section 9.6.10
- 10
School Buses
S endorsement
In strong winds a bus driver should slow down, grip the wheel firmly, and pull off the road to wait out severe conditions.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.During an emergency on the route, who is primarily responsible for deciding whether students evacuate the bus or stay on board?
The driver is in charge of the bus and its passengers and must weigh the hazards and decide whether staying aboard or evacuating is safer.
Manual section 10.3
What does a sign mounted below the cross-buck tell you?
Where the road crosses more than one set of tracks, a sign under the cross-buck gives the count, so you know how much rail you must clear.
Manual section 10.4.2
- 11
Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection
Everyone (skills test)
Inspect the fifth wheel skid plate for cracks, breaks or excessive wear.
This chapter has 200 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What must be true of the light lenses on the front of the vehicle?
A cracked, dirty, missing, or wrong-colored lens keeps the light from doing its job even when the bulb works perfectly.
Manual section 11.5.1
What must be true of the lug nuts on every wheel?
Every nut must be there and tight. Rust trails or shiny threads around a nut are the signs that it has been working loose.
Manual section 11.5.2
What’s different in Kentucky
Most of every state manual is the same federal material. These are the parts that are not.
- Skills test: the modernized skills test.
- Checklist on the pre-trip: Yes. You may use a blank checklist as a memory aid during the vehicle inspection.
- Low air warning in the pre-trip inspection (skills test): before pressure drops below 55 psi.
- Used within the Commonwealth of Kentucky or one-hundred-fifty (150) highway miles of the point of origin if crossing state lines.
- The above information must be uploaded to the KYTC Division of Driver Licensing myCDL portal and posted to the driver's CDLIS record prior to applying for issuance of a CDL/CLP at the KYTC Regional office.
The official Kentucky CDL manual
Kentucky Commercial Driver's License Manual
Published by Kentucky State Police · 2025 edition