North Carolina (NC) 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 North Carolina does its own way.
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- 1
Introduction
Everyone
Class A: GCWR 26,001+ lbs with towed vehicle GVWR in excess of 10,000 lbs.
This chapter has 26 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.How long do you lose your CDL for three or more serious traffic violations in three years?
The third serious violation inside a three-year window takes the disqualification from 60 days to at least 120.
Manual section 1.3.3
How far above the posted limit counts as excessive speeding for a serious traffic violation?
Fifteen over is the line. Below it the ticket is an ordinary speeding offense rather than one of the serious violations that stack toward disqualification.
Manual section 1.3.3
- 2
Driving Safely
Everyone
At 55 mph: perception ~142 ft, reaction ~61 ft, braking ~216 ft, total ~419 ft.
This chapter has 290 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.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
What is the minimum tread depth required in every major groove on a front (steering) tire?
Front tires carry the steering load and must have at least 4/32 inch of tread in every major groove. Other tires need at least 2/32 inch.
Manual section 2.2
- 3
Transporting Cargo Safely
Everyone
Stopping distance increases with overloading, and brakes can fail when forced to work too hard.
This chapter has 26 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What does axle weight measure?
Axle weight is what reaches the road through that axle or axle set, which is what bridge formulas and scales are concerned with.
Manual section 3.2.1
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
- 4
Transporting Passengers
P endorsement (bus)
The after-trip inspection includes walking through the bus to find damage such as broken seats or handholds and any items riders left behind.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.During your pre-trip inspection of a bus interior, which of these items must be in safe working condition before you drive?
Before driving, the interior must be checked so that handholds, railings, floor covering, signaling devices, and emergency exit handles all work safely. These items directly protect riders who are moving about or requesting stops.
Manual section 4.1
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
Wedge type brakes may be self-adjusting or may require manual adjustment.
This chapter has 147 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.How is a manually operated air tank drain valve worked?
Manual drains are built either as a quarter-turn valve at the bottom of the tank or as a valve operated by a cable the driver can reach.
Manual section 5.1.4
How is supply pressure displayed on a vehicle with a dual air brake system?
Each half of a dual system has to be readable on its own, so the vehicle carries either two gauges or a single gauge with two needles.
Manual section 5.1.9
- 6
Combination Vehicles
Class A
When the full weight of the trailer is resting on the tractor, check that there is enough clearance between the top of the tractor tires and the nose of 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
Your combination vehicle is equipped with ABS. How should you apply the brakes in a normal stop?
ABS only takes over when wheels are about to lock, so the driver should brake normally and let the system work in the background.
Manual section 6.3
- 7
Doubles and Triples
T endorsement
If a spare tire is carried on the converter gear, make sure it is secured.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.How does the walkaround inspection of a set of doubles differ from inspecting a tractor with one trailer?
Doubles add a second trailer and a converter dolly, multiplying the tires, lamps, and connection points the driver must examine.
Manual section 7.3
A converter dolly has no spring brakes. How do you release its brakes so it can be moved into position?
On a dolly without spring brakes, the brakes are held on by air stored in its tank. Opening the tank petcock bleeds that air off and frees the wheels.
Manual section 7.2.1
- 8
Tank Vehicles
N endorsement
Food-grade tanks are smooth bore because sanitation regulations make baffled interiors too hard to clean.
This chapter has 62 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.What must you verify about the manhole covers themselves during a tank inspection?
A cover only seals if its gasket is present and it closes properly. Either fault turns the cover into a leak path once the load starts moving.
Manual section 8.1.1
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
Table 2 lists 8 Corrosives with the placard name Corrosive.
This chapter has 234 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.Which division number covers explosives with a mass explosion hazard?
Division 1.1 is the mass explosion hazard, with dynamite as the example. The higher division numbers describe progressively less severe explosive hazards.
Manual section 9.3.1
On a portable tank holding less than 1,000 gallons, how tall must the shipping name letters be?
Below 1,000 gallons the letters may be one inch tall, half the height required on the larger portable tanks.
Manual section 9.5.1
- 10
School Buses
S endorsement
At a railroad crossing the driver silences the bus interior, opens the window, and looks and listens both ways for a train.
This chapter has 98 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.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
What should be switched on while loading students in the dark?
The dome light lets students see the steps and the aisle, and lets you see them as they come aboard.
Manual section 10.2.2
- 11
Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection
Everyone (skills test)
Inspect that the drawbar ring or eye is not bent or twisted, is secured to the trailer tongue with no loose or missing bolts, broken welds, or cracks, and is not worn.
This chapter has 200 more questions. Practice them in the app and see your pass chance.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
Which lights should you turn on before starting the exterior walk-around portion of your inspection?
Before the walk-around, turn on the low beam headlights and four-way emergency flashers so you can confirm those lamps work as you circle the vehicle.
Manual section 11.2.7
What’s different in North Carolina
Most of every state manual is the same federal material. These are the parts that are not.
- Skills test: the older (2005) skills test.
- Low air warning in the air brakes chapter (written test): before pressure drops below 60 psi.
- Low air warning in the pre-trip inspection (skills test): before pressure drops below 60 psi.
- A warning signal you can see must come on before the air pressure in the tanks falls below 60 psi.
The official North Carolina CDL manual
Commercial Driver License Manual - 2005 CDL Testing System
Published by North Carolina DMV · July 2014 (2005 testing system)