Free Ireland Truck and Bus Theory Test Practice 2026
200 original questions for the category C and D Driver Theory Test: drivers' hours, tachographs, air brakes, loads, passengers and heavy vehicle rules on Irish roads. Four 50-question tests at the real pace, 74% to pass. Tuned for mobile. No account needed.
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The Truck & Bus Theory (IE) exam at a glance
The truck and bus Driver Theory Test is the computer test you must pass in Ireland before you can get a learner permit for a truck (category C or C1) or a bus (category D or D1). The truck test and the bus test are each 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, and you need 74 correct to pass; the combined truck and bus test is 140 questions in 180 minutes with 104 to pass. You need a full car licence first, the certificate is valid for two years, and the full bus or truck test also counts as the first step of the Driver CPC.
Tigertest has 200 Truck & Bus Theory (IE) practice questions with explanations, all free with no account required.
- Questions
- 100 multiple choice (C or D); 140 for the combined CD test
- Time
- 120 minutes (C or D); 180 minutes (CD)
- Pass mark
- 74 of 100 (C or D); 104 of 140 (CD)
- Languages
- English or Irish (C, D); English only (CD and module tests)
- Module test
- 40 questions, 45 minutes, 30 to pass, to add the other category
- You need first
- A full category B (car) licence
- Certificate valid
- 2 years
- Run by
- Road Safety Authority (RSA), booked at theorytest.ie
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow theorytest.ie FAQs and booking pages, checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with Official RSA Driver Theory Test.
How It Works
Train, Then Test
Four training sets, one per practice test: Set 1 holds exactly the 50 questions of Test 1, and so on. Master Set 1, take Test 1, then move on. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Practice Tests
Four 50-question tests, half the length of the real 100-question test at the same pace, with the same 74 percent pass line and an explanation of the right answer and the common wrong pick on every question.
Built on Irish and EU Rules for Professional Drivers
The RSA does not publish how many questions come from each topic, so the weights below are Tigertest's, centred on what a truck or bus driver must know beyond the car test. Every rule is Irish or EU law as in force in 2026: the Irish speed limits for trucks and buses, Regulation 561/2006 drivers' hours with the 2020 Mobility Package, 56 days of tachograph records since 31 December 2024, the 20 mg limit for professional drivers, Driver CPC, CVRT and the Dublin Port Tunnel for five-axle trucks. Signs, junctions and roundabouts are in our Ireland car theory test.
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Share FeedbackHow to Pass the Truck and Bus Theory Test
1. Aim well above 74 percent
The real test is 100 questions and you can drop only 26. Treat 42 or more out of 50 on a practice test as your target, and keep retaking a test until you reach it before you book.
2. Make one drivers' hours table
Most lost marks are numbers. Write out 4.5 hours then a 45-minute break (or 15 then 30), 9 hours a day (10 twice a week), 56 a week, 90 a fortnight, 11 hours daily rest (9 reduced, three times), 45 hours weekly rest (24 reduced), and the working time limits of 48 on average, 60 in a week and 10 a day with night work. Then practise questions that make you do the sums.
3. Know your vehicle
Learn how air brakes, spring brakes and endurance brakes work, what the red and yellow trailer lines do, the 2.55 m width and 16.5 m articulated length, why part-unloading can overload the front axle, and the speed limits: trucks 90 km/h on motorways and 80 elsewhere, coaches 100 on motorways and dual carriageways and 80 elsewhere, buses with standing passengers 65.
4. Fix your misses, then retest
Tigertest tracks your accuracy by topic. Master each training set, take its practice test, then drill the questions you missed and retrain that set. Finish by taking two tests back to back, 100 questions in two hours, before your test date.
Truck and Bus Theory Test Frequently Asked Questions
What score do I need to pass the truck or bus theory test?
The category C (truck) and category D (bus) Driver Theory Tests are each 100 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, and you need 74 correct to pass. The combined truck and bus test is 140 questions in 180 minutes with 104 to pass. The practice tests here are 50 questions at the same pace and the same 74 percent line.
Who needs the truck and bus theory test?
Anyone in Ireland who wants a learner permit to drive a truck (categories C1 and C) or a bus (categories D1 and D). You must already hold a full category B car licence. The certificate is valid for two years from the test date, and the bus or truck test also covers the first step of the Driver CPC for professional drivers.
Can I take the test in Irish, and is there a module test?
The separate truck and bus tests are offered in English and Irish; the combined test is in English only for now. If you passed a full truck or bus test on or after 30 September 2014, you can add the other category within two years with a 40-question module test (45 minutes, 30 to pass).
What does the truck and bus test cover?
Everything in the car theory test plus the rules a professional driver lives by: EU drivers' hours and working time, tachographs, air brakes and coupling, weights, dimensions and load security, carrying passengers, heavy vehicle speed limits (90 km/h for trucks on motorways, 80 elsewhere; 100 for coaches on motorways and dual carriageways), blind spots, fatigue and the 20 mg drink-driving limit for professional drivers.
Are these the real theory test questions?
No. The RSA's official question bank is copyrighted and sold separately. Every question here is original, written from EU and Irish rules for truck and bus drivers. Tigertest is not affiliated with the Road Safety Authority. The Driver CPC case study test (step 2) is separate and is not modelled here. It is a study tool, not a licence.
Truck & Bus Theory (IE) sample questions and answers
6 of the 200 practice questions, one from each topic, with the answer explained.
1. An empty truck brakes hard on a wet road. What is the main risk?
- A.The trailer lifting
- B.The wheels locking
- C.The engine stalling
- D.The load shifting
Answer: B. With little weight on the axles there is less grip, so an empty or lightly loaded truck can lock its wheels and skid more easily. Brake gently and early.
2. The engine temperature gauge rises into the red. You should:
- A.Drive faster for more airflow
- B.Add cold water at once
- C.Keep going to your depot
- D.Stop safely and let it cool
Answer: D. An overheating engine can be badly damaged. Stop safely, switch off and let it cool before checking coolant, and never open a hot radiator cap.
3. A driver who also works for a second employer must:
- A.Tell the employer in writing
- B.Keep it to themselves
- C.Only tell the Gardaí
- D.Use a second driver card
Answer: A. Working time for every employer counts towards the limits, so a mobile worker must inform the employer in writing of hours worked elsewhere.
4. A business wants to carry other people's goods for payment using its trucks. It must first hold:
- A.A taxi and hackney licence
- B.A Driver CPC for each truck
- C.A road haulage operator licence
- D.A tachograph workshop card
Answer: C. Carrying goods for hire or reward needs a road haulage operator licence from the Department of Transport. Driver CPC is for the drivers, not the business, and is not issued per vehicle.
5. Where on a truck can you find its plated weights?
- A.On the driver card
- B.On the tachograph printout
- C.On the maker's plate
- D.On the tax disc
Answer: C. The manufacturer's plate, usually in the cab or on the chassis, shows the gross and axle weights the vehicle must not exceed.
6. Your bus has a stop on a busy road with a cycle lane. Before opening the doors you should:
- A.Check for cyclists on the left
- B.Switch off the engine
- C.Use your horn twice
- D.Turn on all the interior lights
Answer: A. Passengers may step off into the path of a cyclist. Check the nearside mirror for cyclists before opening the doors.
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