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Canada · Air brake test

Air brake manual for each province

Each province covered here publishes the manual its test is based on, so study the one from the province that issues your licence. Ontario publishes its Official Air Brake Handbook online, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick post PDF manuals, British Columbia covers air brakes in a commercial driving guide, and Alberta gives its manual to course students.

  • $10Alberta’s student manual from King’s Printer
  • 3Manuals with review or study questions
  • Online, in 12 chaptersOntario’s handbook
Read Ontario’s handbook online

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What the air brake manuals cover

The manuals cover the same ground: brakes and braking, the air supply, service brakes, spring parking brakes, trailer brakes, foundation brakes, brake adjustment and the pre-trip air brake inspection. Ontario adds a chapter on the law and ends with checklists, adjustment charts and circuit diagrams.

How air brakes on trucks work →Air brake system parts and diagrams →Trailer air brakes →

Which air brake manual does your province use?

ProvinceManualHow to get it
AlbertaAir Brake Manual: A Guide for Students (March 2023)Given in the course; $10 from Alberta King’s Printer
British ColumbiaDriving Commercial Vehicles, chapters 1, 2 and 8 to 10PDF from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC)
SaskatchewanAir Brake Manual 2025‑26PDF from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI)
ManitobaAir Brake ManualPDF from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI)
OntarioThe Official Air Brake HandbookOnline at ontario.ca; hard copy sold at DriveTest centres
New BrunswickAir Brake Manual (May 2023)PDF from the Government of New Brunswick
Nova ScotiaAir Brake ManualPDF from the Registry of Motor Vehicles
Alberta King’s Printer: Air Brake Manual ↗ICBC: Driving Commercial Vehicles (PDF) ↗SGI: Air Brake Manual (PDF) ↗MPI: Air Brake Manual (PDF) ↗New Brunswick: Air Brake Manual (PDF) ↗Nova Scotia: Air Brake Manual (PDF) ↗

Air brake practice test questions in the manuals

  • Nova Scotia’s manual ends each section with summary questions, and its online test lets you try a sample first to learn how the online testing works.
  • New Brunswick’s manual includes study questions at the end of each section.
  • ICBC’s Driving Commercial Vehicles has review questions at the end of most chapters.
  • Ontario’s handbook ends each chapter with key points to remember.

Practise with the review questions, then check each answer against the chapter it comes from.

US CDL air brake manuals

Manuals for a US commercial driver’s licence (CDL) are written for US state tests. Canadian tests are written from the province’s own manual, so use that one.

Sources: Alberta King’s Printer · Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors · ICBC and 7 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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