As an effort toward developing a simple and practical laboratory cracking test method that can be used routinely, on a daily basis, to optimize Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) designs, various monotonic loading "single shot" cracking tests were comparatively evaluated in the laboratory alongside the repeated (dynamic) loading Overlay Tester (OT_R) test. These monotonic crack tests included the Indirect Tension (IDT) test, Semi-Circular Bending (SCB), Overlay Tester in a monotonic loading mode (OT_M), and Disc-Shaped Compact Tension Test (DSCTT). The research methodology entailed characterizing the cracking resistance potential of various commonly used Texas HMA mixes of known field cracking performance, with different mix-design variables. The corresponding findings indicated that while the monotonic loading tests, particularly the OT_M and IDT are much simpler, more practical and more repeatable with lower variability in the test results, the dynamic loading OT_R test, where both crack initiation and propagation phases are sufficiently accounted for, exhibited superior screening capabilities in terms of the HMA cracking resistance potential and sensitivity to mix-design variables such as the asphalt-binder content and temperature variations. Overall, the results indicated that both the IDT and OT_M could potentially serve as routine surrogate and/or supplementary crack tests to the OTR, subject to field validation.