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Idaho · Permit test

Idaho CDL tests and how to practice

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) posts practice tests for the Class D car test and bicycle safety only. For an Idaho CDL practice test, ITD points you to the Idaho Commercial Driver’s License Manual (July 2026), whose chart near the front shows which chapters to study for each class and endorsement. To apply for a commercial driver’s license (CDL), you need a valid Idaho Class D license, or to pass its tests, and one year of licensed driving experience.

  • 18Youngest age to apply for a CDL
  • 1 yearLicensed driving you need first
  • About 2 hoursUsual length of the CDL skills test
Download the CDL manual (PDF)

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

Which Idaho CDL tests do you take?

Every new applicant takes the General Knowledge test. The rest depend on your vehicle:

  • Class A, combination vehicles of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds: add the Combination Vehicles test
  • Class B, single vehicles of 26,001 pounds or more
  • Class C, smaller vehicles built for 16 or more people or carrying placarded hazardous materials
  • Air brakes: a knowledge test, and a skills test in a vehicle with air brakes, or your CDL carries a restriction
  • Endorsements: a written test for doubles and triples (T), tank (N) and hazardous materials (H), and written and skills tests for passenger (P) and school bus (S). Hazmat also needs a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) background check

ITD doesn’t publish a passing score for the CDL knowledge tests.

Is there an Idaho CDL practice test?

Not from ITD. Its Ten Steps to getting an Idaho CDL guide starts with the CDL manual and says older editions are fine for study if you review the first chapter of the latest one. It suggests taking the General Knowledge test before the others and not trying several tests on the same day. Apps and websites from other companies sell or offer their own CDL practice.

Study options compared →

Steps to an Idaho CDL

  1. Get a Department of Transportation (DOT) medical exam from a provider on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, if your driving needs one. The provider sends the results to the registry.
  2. At a county office, start your CDL application and declare your driving category. First-time applicants show proof of lawful presence and current Idaho residency.
  3. Pass the written tests at $5 each. Results stay valid for one year, and if you fail, you can retest after three days for another $5.
  4. Buy your commercial learner’s permit (CLP). You practice only with a CDL holder licensed for that vehicle beside you.
  5. Finish Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) with a provider on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry, required since February 7, 2022.
  6. Hold the CLP for at least 14 days, then book a CDL skills test examiner well ahead. Examiners must notify ITD at least 48 hours before a test.
  7. Pass the skills test: the pre-trip inspection, a backing maneuver (alley dock or parallel park) and the road test. Then return to the county office for your CDL.

Testing in a vehicle with an automatic transmission, without air brakes or in a Class A combination that isn’t a fifth-wheel tractor-trailer puts a restriction on your CDL. Drivers 18 to 20 get the K restriction, for driving in Idaho only.

Idaho CDL fees

ItemFee
Knowledge or endorsement test, each$5
Commercial learner’s permit, 1 year$29
Skills testUp to $200
CDL, 1 year, age 20$15
CDL, 3 years, ages 18 to 21$30
CDL, 4 years, age 21 and older$40
CDL, 8 years, ages 21 to 62$60
Endorsement added after issue$20
License upgrade$30

The skills test fee is in two parts: $10 to the county office and up to $190 to the examiner, who sets their own fee within that cap. ITD’s guide says most examiners take cash only. Idaho Code §49‑306 also lets an examiner charge extra for the use of their own vehicle. Idaho Code §49‑319 allows the 8-year CDL from 21 through 62; ITD’s fee table labels it “age 21 and over.”

Military drivers and the 2026 changes

ITD offers two testing waivers for current or recently separated military personnel with verifiable heavy truck experience: a skills test waiver (form ITD 3141) and a knowledge and skills test waiver (form ITD 3143). On August 20, 2026, ITD announced that the skills test waiver now runs to two years after separation, up from one.

Since July 1, 2026, House Bill 667 has ended Idaho’s nondomiciled CDL program, so Idaho no longer issues nondomiciled CDLs or commercial learner’s permits.

Sources: Idaho Transportation Department · Idaho Legislature and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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