Problematic issues of the current state and prospects of development of the standard, unified and special laboratory, bench and full-scale tests are considered to substantiate complex characteristics of the durability, survivability, cold resistance, reliability and safety of the elements of pipeline transport of oil and oil products are considered. These tests are linked to the stages of the pipeline life and improvement of the basic and verification methods of calculation and experimental determination of the criterial characteristics of the pipe steels, pipes and main pipelines with allowance for domestic and foreign experience. In the field of standard tests for static stretching, the experimentally obtained characteristics of the basic mechanical properties (yield strength and strength, elastic moduli) are included in the basic calculations of the static strength of newly designed and functioning pipelines. Standard tests for hardness and toughness are used to control the quality of pipe steels. The results of standard tensile tests are used to provide additional computational information regarding the estimates of ductility and degree of steel hardening upon elastoplastic deformation to get reliable verification estimates of the static strength. Unified laboratory tests are intended to refine determination of the pipeline strength taking into account the effects of 3D character of the stress state, absolute sizes of the pipeline cross section, deformation rate, anisotropy, cold resistance, corrosion and existence of welded connections. Assessment of the crack resistance of the pipe steel and pipes by criteria of linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics with allowance for technological and operational defects takes a special place in laboratory and bench tests. An emphasis is made on the domestic experience gained in the Russian system of testing the main pipelines for transportation of oil and oil products.