Free Virginia CDL Permit Practice Test: General Knowledge 2025

Virginia is a major eastern hub for commercial transport because of its proximity to North Carolina, the Mid-Atlantic states, and Washington, DC. In particular, the Port of Virginia receives a great deal of intermodal containerized shipping from Asia. Three interstate highways are key routes for commercial transport. Interstate 95 passes through Richmond, but it’s frequently heavily congested. Interstate 81 goes through the Shenandoah Valley, which can give truckers some beautiful panoramic views of the Valley area. Interstate 61 connects key cities like Richmond and Charlottesville. However, the section of this highway through the Blue Ridge Mountains is marked by steep grades and winding turns, which can be treacherous for large commercial vehicles in winter.

To drive commercially on any of these roads, you must have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). There are three classes of CDLs: Class A (typically for operating large combination vehicles like semi-trucks and tractor-trailers); Class B (typically for large single vehicles, such as large buses and straight trucks); and Class C (for smaller trucks carrying hazardous materials and smaller buses carrying 16 or more occupants, including the driver). No matter which class of CDL you plan to obtain, you must first become proficient at commercial driving. To achieve this, you must obtain a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), which will allow you to practice supervised commercial driving.

Two of the most important requirements for a CLP are to submit to a medical examination and pass an official knowledge test on the theory of commercial driving. The standard reference work for commercial driving theory is the Virginia Commercial Driver License Manual (Virginia CDL Handbook 2025). However, you may find – as many other aspiring commercial drivers have – that it’s not all that easy to pass the knowledge test just by reading the manual a couple of times. So, you may wish you could get additional help to pass the official test. That’s what we do.

This free Virginia CDL permit practice test is based on the official CDL manual, just like the official knowledge test. It’s up to date as of March, 2025. It contains 50 multiple-choice questions on such topics as cargo management, emergency preparedness, pre-trip inspections, and vehicle components. Unlike the official knowledge test, however, each question on this practice test comes with an available hint and an explanation of the correct answer. If you miss a question, read the explanation of the correct answer carefully so you won’t make that same mistake again. With us, there’s no time limit; take all the time you need to learn and master the material covered by this practice test.