Passenger Endorsement Practice Test 2026
Free passenger endorsement practice test for 2026: 20 questions with answers on loading, exits and grade crossings, plus how to add the P (and S) to your CDL.
What's on the Passenger CDL test
Answering from memory beats re-reading — retrieval practice roughly doubles what you remember a week later. These free questions are modeled on the official Passenger CDL knowledge test.
- Official test
- 20
- Practice questions here
- 20
- To pass
- 16/20 correct (80%)
- Updated
- September 2026
- 100% free
Passenger (P) endorsement at a glance
- Endorsement code
- P — passenger vehicles (S is the separate school bus endorsement)
- Test type
- Knowledge test plus a skills (driving) test in a passenger vehicle
- Allowed on a learner’s permit
- Yes — but no passengers on board except examiners, trainers and other trainees
- Entry-level driver training
- Required before a first P skills test if your permit was issued on or after February 7, 2022
- Where to study
- The “Transporting Passengers Safely” section of your state CDL manual (Section 4 in the model manual)
- Official test
- 20 questions under the AAMVA model most states use — your state may differ
- Pass mark
- 80% — 16 of 20 correct (federal, 49 CFR 383.135)
- This practice set
- 20 questions with explanations, free, no sign-up
Show all 20 practice questions with answers
Which statement below about a bus’s interior is NOT true?
- It is acceptable to drive with an emergency exit door slightly open as long as it is secured.
- A red emergency-door light may be nonfunctional as long as the door itself works.
- Seats do not need to be securely fastened if riders can hold on to handrails.
- If you turn on your headlights, you don't need to turn on the red emergency door light.
Correct answer: If you turn on your headlights, you don't need to turn on the red emergency door light.
If a bus has a red emergency-exit light above an emergency door, that light must be in proper working order. You are required to switch it on only when visibility is poor enough that you have turned on your headlights (for example, at night or during bad weather).
Before beginning a trip, be sure to check:
- each handhold and railing.
- all of the above.
- each signaling device.
- the emergency exit handles.
Correct answer: all of the above.
As part of your pre-trip inspection, inspect the bus interior to verify that all handholds and railings are secure, all emergency exits are accessible and properly marked, and all signaling devices are functioning correctly. This includes the restroom emergency buzzer if the bus has a restroom.
When you change from high-beam headlights to low beams, what should you do?
- maintain your speed because low beams provide the same visibility as high beams.
- speed up to 20 mph.
- slow down.
- increase your speed to make up for reduced visibility.
Correct answer: slow down.
After dimming your high beams to low beams, reduce your speed because low beams don’t illuminate as far ahead.
Which statement about looking ahead while driving is correct?
- At highway speeds, you should keep your eyes only 1–2 seconds ahead.
- Shift your attention back and forth, near and far.
- Look only at the road directly in front of your vehicle and ignore distant hazards.
Correct answer: Shift your attention back and forth, near and far.
When driving, look ahead about 12–15 seconds. Stay aware of what is happening around your vehicle, both near and far. Continually move your focus between near and far areas and from left to right so you are always scanning.
At the end of each shift, you should:
- Report any defects.
- Both.
- Inspect your bus.
Correct answer: Both.
Inspect your bust at the end of each shift. Riders sometimes damage safety-related parts such as handholds, seats, and windows. If you report this damage at the end of a shift, mechanics can make repairs before the bus goes out again.
In a pressurized cooling system, coolant level should be checked:
- Only by a mechanic.
- Every 90 days.
- Neither
Correct answer: Neither
Before starting out, make sure the engine cooling system has enough water and antifreeze according to the engine manufacturer\'s directions. Visually check level of coolant and add more coolant if necessary.
Which statement below about hazardous materials is NOT true?
- Shippers do not need to label hazardous-material packages if the material is only being shipped in small quantities.
- All hazardous materials are allowed on buses if the driver agrees to carry them.
- Buses are never allowed to carry small-arms ammunition, even if it is labeled "ORM-D."
- You can carry any hazardous materials on your bus as long as they are properly labeled.
Correct answer: You can carry any hazardous materials on your bus as long as they are properly labeled.
Most hazardous materials are not allowed on buses. Some limited types (for example, small-arms ammunition marked "ORM-D") may be permitted if the packages are correctly labeled. Do not permit any hazardous material on the bus until you have confirmed the rules allow it.
To reduce the risk of theft and vandalism on a charter bus, drivers should:
- allow passengers to board early and wait on the bus.
- do not allow riders on the bus until departure time.
- leave the bus unlocked and unattended before departure.
- ask passengers to store their valuables in plain view on their seats.
Correct answer: do not allow riders on the bus until departure time.
To help prevent theft or vandalism, charter bus drivers should not let passengers board the bus until it is time to depart.
Where on a bus is the standee line located?
- On the floor in front of the driver’s seat
- On the floor at the middle of the bus between the axles
- Behind the driver's seat
- On the ceiling above the driver’s seat
Correct answer: Behind the driver's seat
Some buses are built to let passengers stand. They must indicate that standing is not allowed in front of the driver’s seat. One method is a standee line: a two-inch-wide line on the floor positioned just behind the driver’s seat.
When should you remind passengers to take their belongings with them?
- After passengers have already stepped off the bus
- Only after you have left the stop and are back in traffic
- Before you bring the bus to a complete stop
Correct answer: Before you bring the bus to a complete stop
Before the bus comes to a complete stop, remind passengers who are exiting to take their belongings. If the aisle is lower than the seats, also warn them about the step down.
The interlock system for the brake and accelerator on a transit coach may be used:
- As a safety feature when the exit door is open.
- To replace the rear door emergency buzzer.
- To replace the parking brake.
Correct answer: As a safety feature when the exit door is open.
Urban mass transit coaches may have a brake and accelerator interlock system. The interlock applies the brakes and holds the throttle in idle position when the rear door is open. The interlock releases when you close the rear door. Do not use this safety feature in place of the parking brake.
You need to evacuate your bus in an emergency; passengers should be directed to a safe place no less than ____ feet from the bus.
- 100
- 75
- 150
Correct answer: 100
Some tips to determine a safe place: A safe place will be at least 100 feet off the road in the direction of oncoming traffic.
__________ must be shut while the bus is moving.
- The windshield
- The passenger door
- The side mirrors
- The emergency window
Correct answer: The emergency window
Emergency exit windows and doors are required to be closed whenever the bus is being driven.
Which seats are required to have a seat belt installed?
- Neither of the above
- Both of the above
- The driver's seat
- Side seats
Correct answer: The driver's seat
Every bus must have a properly functioning seat belt at the driver’s seat. You should wear it any time the bus is moving. In a crash, the belt helps prevent serious injury or being thrown from the seat, which could cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
While operating the bus, is it allowed to have an emergency exit window open?
- Yes, if it is latched and not swinging.
- Yes, if a supervisor or dispatcher authorizes it.
- Yes, as long as it’s opened for ventilation.
- No.
Correct answer: No.
Do not drive the bus if any emergency exit door or window is open. During your interior pre-trip inspection, verify that all emergency exit doors and windows are firmly and securely closed.
When you’re driving, what does the term “hazard” mean?
- A guaranteed crash that cannot be avoided even with vigilance
- A medical emergency that requires you to stop immediately
- Anyone or anything that may cause an unsafe condition
Correct answer: Anyone or anything that may cause an unsafe condition
A hazard is any road user or road condition that could potentially be dangerous. It’s something that might go wrong, but shouldn’t if you stay alert.
Your bus is disabled. The bus, with riders aboard, may be towed or pushed to a safe place only:
- If getting off the bus would be riskier for the riders.
- If the distance is less than 1 mile.
- By another bus with its 4-way flashers on.
Correct answer: If getting off the bus would be riskier for the riders.
Do not tow or push a disabled bus with riders aboard the vehicle, unless getting off would be unsafe. Only tow or push the bus to the nearest safe spot to discharge passengers.
If your bus has an emergency exit door, it must:
- Be secured when operating the bus.
- both
- Have a red electric door light turned on at all times.
Correct answer: Be secured when operating the bus.
Never drive with an open emergency exit door or window.
When are you required to complete a vehicle inspection report?
- Only after the carrier reviews and approves your notes
- At the start of the workday, before driving any vehicle
- At the end of your shift
- Only when you discover a defect during a pre-trip inspection
Correct answer: At the end of your shift
If you drive for an interstate carrier, you must complete a post-trip vehicle inspection report for every vehicle you operated during your shift, documenting any safety-related issues found and repairs you think are needed. This informs the next driver and the carrier about needed safety repairs. Federal rules require the report to be completed by the end of that day’s use of the vehicle. As of September 2020, if you find no defects and know of none, federal regulations no longer require you to submit a report. (49 CFR 396.11)
When approaching a drawbridge with no signal light or traffic control attendant, you must stop at least _______ from the bridge’s draw span.
- 100 feet
- 5 feet
- 50 feet
- 10 feet
Correct answer: 50 feet
If a drawbridge has no signal light or traffic control attendant, you are required to stop at least 50 feet before the draw span so you can confirm the bridge is closed and safe to cross.
What the passenger endorsement is — and who needs it
The passenger endorsement — code P — is required to drive a commercial motor vehicle that carries passengers: transit and intercity buses, motorcoaches, shuttle buses and paratransit vehicles. Federally, a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver is a commercial motor vehicle even when it weighs less than 26,001 pounds — that is the Class C bus case — so the endorsement sits on top of whichever license class matches the size of bus you drive.
P is an endorsement, not a license class. A motorcoach or transit bus rated 26,001 pounds or more needs a Class B plus P; a 16-passenger shuttle needs at least a Class C plus P; an articulated combination over the Class A thresholds needs Class A plus P. The skills test must be taken in a passenger vehicle of the class you want the endorsement for — take it in a smaller vehicle and your license is restricted to that group.
School buses are a separate endorsement. The S endorsement requires you to qualify for P first, then pass an additional school-bus knowledge test and a skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle group. CDL Help has no separate school-bus page: the passenger practice set is the foundation for both, and the school-bus specifics — loading and unloading children, stop-signal devices, evacuation — come from your state manual’s school bus section.
49 CFR 383.5 (commercial motor vehicle), 383.93(b)(2), 383.117(b), 383.95(e)–(f), 383.123(a)
Drivers who need the P endorsement
Plan on the passenger test if you will drive any of these for hire or for an employer:
- Transit, intercity and charter or motorcoach buses.
- Airport, hotel, campus and employee shuttles designed for 16 or more people including the driver.
- Paratransit and medical-transport vehicles above the 16-seat design threshold.
- School buses — you must qualify for P before adding the S endorsement.
- Church, tour and activity buses: it is the seat design capacity that triggers the federal definition, not how many people are on board on a given trip. Your state may require the endorsement in additional cases under state law — confirm on your state page.
49 CFR 383.5, 383.123(a)(1)
What is on the passenger knowledge test
Federal rule fixes the subject matter of the passenger knowledge test, and every state’s test must cover it. Expect questions on:
- Proper procedures for loading and unloading passengers.
- Proper use of emergency exits, including push-out windows.
- Responses to emergencies such as fires and unruly passengers.
- Procedures at railroad-highway grade crossings and drawbridges.
- Proper braking procedures.
- Other operating practices and procedures for passenger vehicles.
49 CFR 383.117(a)
How to add the passenger endorsement to your CDL
Get a commercial learner’s permit in the right class, with P on it
Passenger is one of only three endorsements allowed on a learner’s permit, and it must be class specific. To carry it on the CLP you pass the P knowledge test up front. Until you hold the full endorsement you may not carry passengers other than auditors, inspectors, examiners, other trainees and the CDL holder supervising you. Most buses are Class B vehicles, so start with the Class B knowledge tests.
CDL Class B practice test49 CFR 383.93(a)(2), 383.25(a)(5)(i)
Study the passenger section of your state’s CDL manual
In the AAMVA model manual most states publish, “Transporting Passengers Safely” is Section 4 (school buses are Section 10). The federal knowledge areas above are what the questions are built from; drill the practice set on this page until you are consistently above 80%.
Pass the passenger knowledge test at your state licensing agency
You need at least 80%, the federal pass mark for every CDL knowledge test. Testing and endorsement fees, appointment rules and retake waits vary by state — the state pages below name the agency that issues your license.
Find your state’s passenger practice test and agency49 CFR 383.135(a)(1)
Complete entry-level driver training before your first P skills test
If your learner’s permit was issued on or after February 7, 2022, you must complete the passenger endorsement curriculum — theory instruction plus behind-the-wheel training, with no federal minimum hours but every topic covered — from a provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry before you can take the skills test for the P endorsement for the first time. Drivers who already held P before that date are exempt for that endorsement.
49 CFR 383.71(a)(10), 380.603, Appendix C to Part 380
Pass the skills test in a passenger vehicle of the class you want
Unlike tanker, hazmat and doubles/triples, the passenger endorsement requires a skills (driving) test, and it must be taken in a passenger vehicle that meets the vehicle group you are applying for. A permit holder is not eligible for the skills test in the first 14 days after the CLP is issued. Testing in a Group B bus restricts you from Group A passenger vehicles; testing in a Group C vehicle restricts you from Groups A and B.
49 CFR 383.93(c)(2), 383.117(b), 383.25(e), 383.95(e)–(f)
Going to drive a school bus? Add the S endorsement next
The S endorsement is built on P: you must qualify for the passenger endorsement, then pass a school-bus knowledge test (loading and unloading children, stop-signal devices, mirror systems, emergency exits, railroad crossings) and a skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle group. Entry-level driver training also applies before a first S skills test.
49 CFR 383.123(a), 383.71(a)(10)
Passenger endorsement — questions and answers
Is there a driving test for the passenger endorsement?
Yes. Federal rule requires both a knowledge test and a skills test for the passenger endorsement — the same as school bus, and unlike tanker, hazmat and doubles/triples, which are knowledge-only. The skills test is taken in a passenger vehicle of the vehicle group you want the endorsement for.
49 CFR 383.93(c)(2), 383.117(b)
What is the difference between the P and S endorsements?
P covers passenger vehicles generally; S is the school bus endorsement. To get S you must first qualify for P, then pass an extra school-bus knowledge test and a skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle group. There is no separate school-bus practice page here — start with this passenger set, then study your state manual’s school bus section.
49 CFR 383.123(a)
Do I need entry-level driver training (ELDT) for the passenger endorsement?
Yes, if you are adding P for the first time on a learner’s permit issued on or after February 7, 2022: ELDT from a registered provider must be completed before your first P skills test. Drivers issued a P endorsement before that date are not required to complete ELDT for it.
49 CFR 383.71(a)(10), 380.603(b)–(c)
Can I carry passengers on a learner’s permit with the P endorsement?
No. A permit holder with P may only carry federal or state auditors and inspectors, test examiners, other trainees and the CDL holder who is supervising the drive. Paying passengers wait until the endorsement is on your CDL.
49 CFR 383.25(a)(5)(i)
How many questions are on the passenger test, and what score do I need?
Under the AAMVA model most states use, the passenger knowledge test has 20 questions; your state can use a different count, so confirm it in the state CDL manual. The pass mark is federal: at least 80%, which is 16 of 20. The practice set on this page plays 20 questions with explanations.
49 CFR 383.135(a)(1)
Which license class do I need to drive a bus?
It depends on the bus. A single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more is Class B; a vehicle under that rating designed for 16 or more people including the driver is Class C; an articulated combination over the Class A thresholds is Class A. The passenger endorsement is added to whichever class you hold, and your skills-test vehicle sets the largest passenger vehicle you may drive.
CDL Class B practice test49 CFR 383.5, 383.95(e)–(f)
Official sources
- 49 CFR 383.117 — Requirements for passenger endorsement
- 49 CFR 383.123 — Requirements for a school bus endorsement
- 49 CFR 383.93 — Endorsements
- 49 CFR part 380, subpart F — Entry-level driver training
- FMCSA Training Provider Registry
Fees, the licensing agency and appointment rules vary by state — pick your state below for the agency that issues your license.
Federal rules on this page last reviewed against the eCFR on .
Practice the Passenger test by state
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