Air Brake Test Procedure and Air Brake Checklist for Practice

Unofficial practice sheet from federal text; your state's CDL manual sets the test-day order and words, and it wins.

Air Brake Test Practice Sheet (unofficial)

Combination vehicle

Combination vehicle: a column for each run. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
Run 4
Run 5
Run 6
Low air warning comes onNot below 50 psi; 60 if built to FMVSS 121
Pressure build-up time45 seconds at most; 30 if built before March 1, 1975
Governor cut-out and cut-inCut-out 135 psi at most, cut-in 80 at least, or the maker's values
Leak, brakes released: 3 psiMost it may drop in 1 minute, engine stopped
Leak, brakes applied: 4 psiMost it may drop in 1 minute, engine stopped, tanks fully charged
Reserve after one applicationReservoir pressure falls 20 percent at most
Compressor drive beltNot badly worn or frayed; tight enough not to slip
Names controls and gauges
Adjustment and connections
Warning device inspected
Air supply, engine running
Build-up and alarm shut-off
Working check of the brakes
Done right, combination

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Not an official script
Written from federal text. No state, examiner or carrier issued it, and no state's spoken sequence is in it.
1 and 0
1: the driver did and said that row right on that run. 0: missed.
Test-day order and words
Not in the federal sections read. A state gives and scores the test solely from its own driver and examiner manuals (49 CFR 383.133(c)(1)), so your state's manual wins on test day. This sheet copies no state's.
What Part 570 is
A federal standard for state inspections of vehicles in use. By itself it binds no one: 49 CFR 570.53.
Tractor protection valve 20 to 45 psi
Works automatically when the towing vehicle's air pressure is between 20 and 45 psi: 49 CFR 393.43(a).
Gauge and warning signal
49 CFR 393.51(c) requires both on an air braked commercial vehicle. FMVSS No. 121 S5.1.5: the signal warns below 60 psi.

How each row scores

Low air warning comes on
Not below 50 psi; 60 if built to FMVSS 121
Pressure build-up time
45 seconds at most; 30 if built before March 1, 1975
Governor cut-out and cut-in
Cut-out 135 psi at most, cut-in 80 at least, or the maker's values
Leak, brakes released: 3 psi
Most it may drop in 1 minute, engine stopped
Leak, brakes applied: 4 psi
Most it may drop in 1 minute, engine stopped, tanks fully charged
Reserve after one application
Reservoir pressure falls 20 percent at most
Compressor drive belt
Not badly worn or frayed; tight enough not to slip

Marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.

Next step Practice questions on air brakes

All 24 lines

Limits of 49 CFR 570.57(a) 9

  • Compressor drive belt Not badly worn or frayed, and with enough tension that it does not slip: 570.57(a)(7).
  • Governor cut-out and cut-in Cut-out not higher than 135 psi and cut-in not lower than 80 psi, unless the vehicle manufacturer recommends other values: 570.57(a)(4). FMVSS No. 121 sets the cut-in of a truck built to it at 100 psi or more, of a bus at 85: S5.1.1.1.
  • Leak, brakes applied: 3 psi Tanks at full charge, engine off, pedal held all the way down. A single vehicle may lose 3 psi over the minute: 570.57(a)(6).
  • Leak, brakes applied: 4 psi Tanks at full charge, engine off, pedal held all the way down. A combination may lose 4 psi over the minute, and 1 psi more for each further towed unit: 570.57(a)(6).
  • Leak, brakes released: 2 psi Read off the gauge once the engine is off and the brake pedal is left alone. A single vehicle may lose 2 psi over the minute: 570.57(a)(5).
Show all 24 lines (19 more)

Limits of 49 CFR 570.57(a), continued

  • Leak, brakes released: 3 psi Read off the gauge once the engine is off and the brake pedal is left alone. A combination may lose 3 psi over the minute, and 1 psi more for each further towed unit: 570.57(a)(5).
  • Low air warning comes on The procedure opens the reservoir drain cocks with the system charged and notes the pressure at which the warning starts: not less than 50 psi, or not less than 60 psi on a vehicle built to FMVSS No. 121. 49 CFR 570.57(a)(3).
  • Pressure build-up time The procedure times the rise from 85 to 100 psi with the drain cocks closed. After one full brake application the compressor brings the pressure back to its first reading in 45 seconds or less, 30 on a vehicle built before March 1, 1975. 570.57(a)(2).
  • Reserve after one application Vehicle stationary, system fully charged, engine stopped: one full service brake application lowers the reservoir pressure by no more than 20 percent of the first reading. 570.57(a)(1).

Air brake skills of 49 CFR 383.113(a)(2) 9

  • Adjustment and connections Determines the brake system's condition for proper adjustments, and that the air system connections between the vehicles have been properly made and secured: 383.113(a)(2)(ii).
  • Air supply, engine running With the engine running, makes sure that the system maintains an adequate supply of compressed air: 383.113(a)(2)(iv).
  • Brake adjustment judged Determines the brake system's condition for proper adjustments: 383.113(a)(2)(ii). The paragraph's second half, air connections between vehicles, is a row of the Combination vehicle sheet.
  • Build-up and alarm shut-off Determines that the minimum air pressure build-up time is within acceptable limits, and that the required alarms and emergency devices switch off by themselves at the proper pressure level: 383.113(a)(2)(v).
  • Done right, combination Counts the rows marked 1 on this sheet, run by run. There are thirteen.
  • Done right, single vehicle Counts the rows marked 1 on the Single vehicle sheet, run by run. There are thirteen.
  • Names controls and gauges Locates and names aloud the air brake operating controls and monitoring devices: 49 CFR 383.113(a)(2)(i).
  • Warning device inspected Inspects the low pressure warning device or devices to make sure they will activate in emergency situations: 383.113(a)(2)(iii).
  • Working check of the brakes Operationally checks the brake system for proper performance: 383.113(a)(2)(vi).

Scoring key 6

  • 1 and 0 1: the driver did and said that row right on that run. 0: missed.
  • Gauge and warning signal 49 CFR 393.51(c) requires both on an air braked commercial vehicle. FMVSS No. 121 S5.1.5: the signal warns below 60 psi.
  • Not an official script Written from federal text. No state, examiner or carrier issued it, and no state's spoken sequence is in it.
  • Test-day order and words Not in the federal sections read. A state gives and scores the test solely from its own driver and examiner manuals (49 CFR 383.133(c)(1)), so your state's manual wins on test day. This sheet copies no state's.
  • Tractor protection valve Works automatically when the towing vehicle's air pressure is between 20 and 45 psi: 49 CFR 393.43(a).
  • What Part 570 is A federal standard for state inspections of vehicles in use. By itself it binds no one: 49 CFR 570.53.

How this list was compiled: From Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, read on 2026-10-05 in the eCFR text current as of 2026-10-01 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49). The first seven rows of each sheet are the seven requirements of section 570.57(a), Air brake system integrity (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-570.57), with the limit each one sets printed as a short line under the row's name (on a narrow screen, in a list under the sheet). Five of them stand in the order of the inspection procedure printed under that paragraph (low pressure warning, pressure build-up, governor cut-out and cut-in, leakage with the brakes released, leakage with the brakes applied); the paragraph's procedure does not place the other two (the reserve after one full brake application, and the compressor drive belt), so they come last. The two sheets differ in the leakage rows, because 570.57(a)(5) and (a)(6) set one limit for single vehicles and another for combination vehicles. Section 570.53 was read for what Part 570 is: a standard for state inspections of vehicles in use that by itself imposes no requirement on any person. The last six rows are the six air brake skills that section 383.113(a)(2) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-383.113) says an applicant demonstrates in an air brake equipped test vehicle. Section 383.133(c)(1) was read for the rule that a state scores the skills tests solely from its driver and examiner manuals, section 383.131(a)(1)(v) for the details of testing procedures that a state's driver manual holds, section 393.43(a) for the pressures at which a tractor protection valve works, section 393.51(c) for the pressure gauge and warning signal, and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 121 (section 571.121, S5.1.1.1 and S5.1.5) for the governor cut-in pressure and warning signal of vehicles built to that standard. Nothing is taken from a state CDL manual, an examiner manual or a spoken test script, and no step is on a sheet that the sections read do not name. Our own work: the wording of every line and what a 1 means. These are unofficial practice sheets, not a state's, an examiner's or an employer's form and not an inspection record. Licence: own work

How it works

This unofficial CDL air brake test procedure sheet lists the limits of 49 CFR 570.57(a) and the skills of 383.113(a)(2), read October 5, 2026. A state scores the real test from its own manuals, not from this sheet.

Read the full guide

CDL air brake test steps on this sheet

1. Pick Combination vehicle or Single vehicle.

2. Press Print blank sheet, or keep the page open on a phone.

3. A partner follows the rows while the driver talks through the in cab air brake test. Type 1 for a row done and said right, 0 for one missed.

4. The first seven rows are the limits of 49 CFR 570.57(a), listed under How each row scores on a phone; the last six are the skills of 383.113(a)(2).

5. The last line adds up the run of the air brake check test. The + beside the column opens the next one.

  • For an air brake test on a tractor trailer, stay on Combination vehicle: 3 psi a minute with brakes released, 4 with brakes applied.
  • For 7 step air brake test class B practice, open Single vehicle, where the two leak rows read 2 and 3 psi.
  • This sheet is the brake part of an in cab inspection and brake test; the other cab checks are not on it.

Questions and answers

Is there a 7 step air brake test PDF?

Press Print blank sheet and choose Save as PDF. The first seven rows are the seven requirements of 49 CFR 570.57(a), and each limit prints under its row. They are not any state's seven step air brake test script.

Are these the DOT air brake test steps?

They are federal text from two Department of Transportation agencies. Part 570 is a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standard for state inspections of vehicles in use; Part 383 is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CDL rule. Neither prints a spoken script.

Air leak test CDL limits: how much pressure may drop?

49 CFR 570.57(a)(5) and (6), engine stopped: with service brakes released, 2 psi in a minute for a single vehicle and 3 for a combination; with brakes fully applied, 3 and 4. Each additional towed vehicle adds 1 psi.

Which sheet has the class B air brake test steps?

Single vehicle. Federal rule describes Group B as a heavy straight vehicle, a single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more: 49 CFR 383.91(a)(2). Its rows differ from the combination sheet in the two leak limits and the row on connections between vehicles.

Does the pre trip air brake test come before the air brake road test?

Yes. 49 CFR 383.133(c)(6) puts pre-trip inspection first, then basic control, then on-road skills. The air brake skills of 383.113(a)(2) are listed under pre-trip inspection, so the pre trip air brake inspection comes before any driving.

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