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  • Updated for March 2025
  • Based on 2025 TN commercial driver's license manual

Free Tennessee CDL Air Brakes Test 2025

Passing the Tennessee DMV CDL Air Brakes Knowledge Test is key to avoiding restrictions on your license, waiting periods, and retest fees. Failure to pass the Tennessee DMV CDL Air Brakes Knowledge Test means your CDL will include the restriction “L,” prohibiting you from operating heavy commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) with air brakes. This restriction will significantly impact your marketability in commercial driving. Our Tennessee DMV CDL Air Brakes Practice Tests will prepare you for passing your knowledge exam on the first attempt.

The flat plains, rolling hills, steep inclines, winding roads, and high-altitude areas of the Appalachian Mountains present significant driving hazards in Tennessee. The stop-and-go traffic of its urban areas also demands air brakes for safe operation. The summers bring high heat and heavy thunderstorms, and the winters bring ice and snow, making air brakes essential for maintaining control. Key transportation routes include I-40 (running east-west from Arkansas to North Carolina), I-75 (running north-south, connecting Kentucky and Georgia), I-24 (linking Chattanooga to Nashville), and I-65 (connecting with Alabama and the Midwest). Because most semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, and commercial buses rely on air brakes for safe navigation, removing the air brake restriction from your CDL is vital for expanded job opportunities.

The Volunteer State relies on air brake-qualified drivers in key industries, including automotive manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and tourism. Major companies requiring the air brake qualification include Nissan, General Motors, and FedEx in the manufacturing sector and Tyson Foods and Cargill in the agricultural industry. FedEx Freight, XPO Logistics, and UPS have air brake-equipped fleets in the logistics and freight sector. In the tourism industry (especially Nashville, Memphis, and Gatlinburg), companies in the charter bus service industry that rely on air brake-qualified drivers include Greyhound Lines and Tennessee Motorcoach. Additionally, most full-size school buses in Tennessee’s school districts have air brakes, requiring their drivers to hold this qualification.

The written Air Brakes knowledge test features multiple-choice questions based on the state’s CDL manual (Tennessee CDL Handbook 2025) and requires a score of at least 80% to pass. Our CDL Air Brakes Practice Tests cover everything needed to pass the official DMV Air Brakes Knowledge Test.

In addition to mimicking the official knowledge test, our Practice Tests provide instant feedback on all your Practice Test responses, so you’ll learn faster and pass the knowledge test on your first attempt!

  • Perfect for first-time and renewal CDL/CLP applicants, and those adding endorsements

What you need to know

4.64 out of 5 • 28 votes
9 min to complete
Available in EN and ES
Verified by Steven Litvintchouk, M.S., Chief Educational Researcher, Member of ACES. See our detailed commitment to accuracy and quality in our practice tests.

What to expect on the actual TN DMV exam

25

questions

20

correct answers to pass

80%

passing score

List of questions (classic view)

  1. How can you tell if your vehicle is equipped with an antilock braking system (ABS)?
  2. Which of the following is NOT part of the braking process when you're driving a tractor-trailer combination vehicle with an antilock braking system (ABS)?
  3. Which of the following can cause brakes to fade or fail?
  4. Which of the following should you do before leaving your vehicle unattended?
  5. If the air tanks are not drained,
  6. Why must you pass a knowledge test on air brakes?
  7. When should you drain your air tanks?
  8. Under which conditions are front wheel brakes good?
  9. Spring brakes are
  10. The tractor protection valve
  11. Which of the following will be true about your brake function if your antilock braking system (ABS) fails?
  12. How would you check your truck's slack adjusters?
  13. After the initial drop, the maximum acceptable leakage rates per minute are
  14. Which vehicles must have low air pressure warning signals?
  15. An antilock braking system (ABS)
  16. Slack adjusters are
  17. At what measurement is the safety valve USUALLY set to open?
  18. The purpose of a supply pressure gauge is
  19. What is the best way to test your vehicle's low air pressure warning signal?
  20. What is the best way to test if your vehicle's spring brakes come on automatically?
  21. How do brakes work on a long, steep downgrade?
  22. When should you use the parking brake?
  23. Which of the following is NOT part of the drum brake?
  24. Which of the following is NOT part of the air brake system?
  25. Which of the following are true about a dual air brake system?
  26. The low air pressure warning signal will come on before the pressure in the air tanks falls below
  27. A low pressure warning signal is required on
  28. All vehicles equipped with air brakes have
  29. With air brake-equipped vehicles, the parking brakes should be used
  30. The use of air brakes on a downgrade is only a supplement to the
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