Vermont Combination Vehicles Test
You'll couple and uncouple on gravel lots in mud season and brake for moose on I-89 — this test gets you ready for Vermont roads.
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20 questions, 25 minutes, 80% to pass. Vermont's Combination Vehicles test covers coupling, trailer stability, and handling on our hilly, icy roads.
Key Topics
- •Coupling and uncoupling step-by-step
- •Trailer stability on Vermont hills and curves
- •Jackknife prevention on icy roads
About the Vermont Combination Vehicles Test
Topics Covered
- ✓Coupling and uncoupling procedures — Vermont examiners want the full sequence, especially how to handle frozen fifth wheel plates in winter.
- ✓Trailer stability and rollover prevention — critical on winding mountain roads like VT-100 where a loaded log trailer can tip if you take a curve too fast.
- ✓Jackknife causes and prevention — you'll learn why braking wrong on an icy downgrade near Killington can fold you up fast.
- + 3 more topics
📘 Study Tips & State Info
Vermont DMV examiners are sticklers for the coupling sequence. They've seen too many drivers skip the tug test and lose a trailer on I-89. Memorize every step: back under slowly, check the locking jaws, connect the glad hands, then pull forward gently to test. Don't forget to chock the wheels on a slope — that's a common trick question.
They also emphasize trailer stability in wind. Vermont gets gusty conditions, especially in the Champlain Valley. The manual says reduce speed in high winds, but Vermont examiners want you to know the exact speed reduction for an empty trailer vs. a loaded one. That's in the book. Learn it.
Practice with our simulator. It's timed the same as the real test — 25 minutes. The questions are pulled straight from the Vermont CDL manual. Focus on the diagrams of fifth wheel coupling and the section on 'driving combination vehicles in winter conditions.' If you can answer those, you'll pass.
Vermont DMV administers the Combination Vehicles test at all CDL testing locations: Montpelier (main office), South Burlington, Rutland, and St. Johnsbury. You need an appointment for CDL written tests — walk-ins aren't guaranteed. Call ahead or book online at dmv.vermont.gov. The test fee is included in your CDL permit application fee ($35 as of 2025).
You must pass the General Knowledge test before or at the same time as the Combination Vehicles test. Bring your valid Vermont driver's license, Social Security card, and a Medical Examiner's Certificate (DOT physical). No exceptions. The test is computer-based, multiple choice. Results show immediately. If you fail, you must wait one business day to retake.
Vermont also requires a separate Air Brakes endorsement if your combination vehicle has air brakes — most do. You can take that test the same day. The Combination Vehicles test itself doesn't include air brake questions, but the manual assumes you know them. Study both sections together.
About the Vermont Combination Vehicles Test
If you're going for a Class A CDL in Vermont, you need the Combination Vehicles endorsement. This test covers everything about hooking up a tractor to a trailer and keeping it stable — especially important when you're climbing the Winooski valley or descending into Rutland on Route 7. You don't want your trailer pushing you through a stop sign at the bottom of a hill.
The test follows federal standards, but Vermont examiners ask questions that matter here. Like how to couple on uneven ground — because half the truck stops in this state have gravel lots that freeze and thaw. They also hit on trailer stability in crosswinds, something you'll feel on I-89 near Burlington. And they'll test you on off-tracking, which is critical when you're squeezing a 53-foot trailer through Stowe's narrow village streets during foliage season.
You need to know the exact coupling sequence: back under, check the fifth wheel, connect air and electrical lines, do the tug test. Vermont's DMV offices — Montpelier, South Burlington, Rutland — all use the same scoring. Miss more than 4 questions and you're out. No retake same day.
The manual is free online from Vermont DMV. Study the coupling diagrams, the air brake section (even though it's a separate test), and the part about winter driving with trailers. Black ice doesn't care about your schedule. Get this endorsement right and you'll be ready to haul milk, logs, or maple syrup across the Green Mountains.
Topics Covered
Study Tips
Vermont DMV examiners are sticklers for the coupling sequence. They've seen too many drivers skip the tug test and lose a trailer on I-89. Memorize every step: back under slowly, check the locking jaws, connect the glad hands, then pull forward gently to test. Don't forget to chock the wheels on a slope — that's a common trick question.
They also emphasize trailer stability in wind. Vermont gets gusty conditions, especially in the Champlain Valley. The manual says reduce speed in high winds, but Vermont examiners want you to know the exact speed reduction for an empty trailer vs. a loaded one. That's in the book. Learn it.
Practice with our simulator. It's timed the same as the real test — 25 minutes. The questions are pulled straight from the Vermont CDL manual. Focus on the diagrams of fifth wheel coupling and the section on 'driving combination vehicles in winter conditions.' If you can answer those, you'll pass.
Vermont Specific Information
Vermont DMV administers the Combination Vehicles test at all CDL testing locations: Montpelier (main office), South Burlington, Rutland, and St. Johnsbury. You need an appointment for CDL written tests — walk-ins aren't guaranteed. Call ahead or book online at dmv.vermont.gov. The test fee is included in your CDL permit application fee ($35 as of 2025).
You must pass the General Knowledge test before or at the same time as the Combination Vehicles test. Bring your valid Vermont driver's license, Social Security card, and a Medical Examiner's Certificate (DOT physical). No exceptions. The test is computer-based, multiple choice. Results show immediately. If you fail, you must wait one business day to retake.
Vermont also requires a separate Air Brakes endorsement if your combination vehicle has air brakes — most do. You can take that test the same day. The Combination Vehicles test itself doesn't include air brake questions, but the manual assumes you know them. Study both sections together.