CDL Requirements in District of Columbia
Verified against District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
DC DMV issues its CDL only to District residents — anyone operating on an out-of-state CDL in DC for more than 30 days must convert it — and, unlike most states, runs no third-party testing program: it administers all CDL paperwork and knowledge testing itself at a single office (the Deanwood Road Test/CDL Services Office). Because the District has no room for its own commercial driving range, the road skills test itself is not given in DC at all: DC DMV's own site describes it as still being conducted, on a 'temporary' basis dating to October 2017, at a WMATA Metro parking lot across the border in Landover, Maryland. DC also layers a District-specific Human Trafficking Awareness Training requirement (18 DCMR §1303) onto every new CLP applicant and out-of-state CDL conversion, and its CLP is valid for only 12 months, non-renewable, with a 30-day minimum holding period before the skills test can even be scheduled — more than double the federal 14-day floor.
District of Columbia's CDL requirements — including a $78 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (see DC DMV — Driver License Fees (includes Commercial Driver License Service fee table)), current as of 2026-07-25.
District of Columbia CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for District of Columbiaspecifically — for the full step-by-step process see how to get a CDL, and for what Class A, B, and C each permit see CDL classes.
| Commercial learner’s permit (CLP) | |
|---|---|
| CLP fee | $78 |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 30 days |
| CLP validity | 12 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | $117 |
| Renewal fee | $117 |
| Renewal period | 8 years |
| Knowledge test fee | $10 |
| Skills test fee | $10 |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | No |
| Retest waiting period | 3 days |
Other published fees
- Commercial Driver License Duplicate: $20
- Commercial Driver License Downgrade: $20
- Road Test Cancellation (less than 2 business days' notice): $30
Exceeds the federal 14-day floor: DC DMV requires a CDL learner permit be held at least 30 calendar days before a road skills test can be scheduled. The permit is valid for one year and is non-renewable — once it expires, the applicant must retest to get a new one. Before issuance, all new CLP applicants (and anyone converting an out-of-state CDL) must complete DC's District-specific Human Trafficking Awareness Training (18 DCMR §1303, effective July 12, 2021), a roughly 15-minute online video with a printed completion certificate. DC DMV's CDL Learner Permits and CMV Group/Endorsements pages state a CLP may carry only the School Bus (S) or Passenger (P) endorsement; see disclosures regarding a conflicting mention of Tank (N) on DC DMV's own Eligibility page.
DC DMV's CDL Eligibility page requires applicants be 'at least 21 years old' for a standard (interstate) DC DMV CDL. Its Intrastate CDL page sets an 18-year minimum, plus at least 2 years of driving experience and a good driving history — confirmed directly on DC DMV's own service pages, not inferred.
No third-party testing program was found; DC DMV administers all CDL knowledge tests in person only at the Deanwood Road Test/CDL Services Office (no virtual or proctoring-center option, unlike DC's non-commercial driver license testing). The road skills test itself is administered off-site: DC DMV's Commercial Driver License Road Test Lot page states it has been held, since October 3, 2017 on a 'temporary' basis, at a WMATA Metro station parking lot in Landover, Maryland — corroborated by the CDL Supplemental Form's indemnification clause referencing 'DC DMV's use of the WMATA CDL testing facility.' Knowledge-test retake: 3 calendar days after a failed attempt; after 6 failures within 12 months, the applicant must wait until 12 months after the first failure. Skills-test retake: 3 calendar days after a first failure, 90 calendar days after a second failure. Each knowledge test costs $10 'per test' (i.e., separately for the general test and each endorsement); each road test attempt costs $10. A scheduled road test canceled with less than 2 business days' notice incurs a $30 fee and counts as a failed test.
District of Columbia CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $20 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $20 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $20 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Addable to Class A, B, or C. Cannot be placed on a CLP and may not be obtained until the underlying CDL is issued. Can be combined with the Tank (N) endorsement into a single 'X' (Combination) endorsement. The $20 fee is DC DMV's flat per-endorsement fee, not itemized separately by endorsement type.
Tank vehicle: Addable to Class A or B only — not offered for Class C. Cannot be placed on a CLP (DC DMV's Learner Permits and CMV Group/Endorsements pages list only S and P as CLP-eligible) and may not be obtained until the underlying CDL is issued. Can be combined with Hazardous Materials (H) into a single 'X' (Combination) endorsement. The $20 fee is DC DMV's flat per-endorsement fee, not itemized separately by endorsement type.
Doubles/triples: Addable to Class A only (not offered for Class B or C). DC DMV's CDL Knowledge Tests page states the Double/Triple Trailers (T) endorsement does not require a road skills test; see disclosures for a conflicting listing on DC DMV's own Road Skills Tests page. Not CLP-eligible. The $20 fee is DC DMV's flat per-endorsement fee, not itemized separately by endorsement type.
Passenger: Addable to Class A, B, or C, and is one of only two endorsements (with School Bus) that may be tested for on a CLP. DC DMV's Road Skills Test Waiver page notes that Passenger applicants must also pass the air brakes knowledge and road-test components. The $20 fee is DC DMV's flat per-endorsement fee, not itemized separately by endorsement type.
School bus: Addable to Class A, B, or C. May be tested for on a CLP, but DC DMV's Road Skills Tests page notes the S endorsement will not actually be displayed on the CDL learner's permit itself. School Bus applicants must also pass the air brakes knowledge and road-test components. The $20 fee is DC DMV's flat per-endorsement fee, not itemized separately by endorsement type.
For what each endorsement permits, the federal knowledge/skills testing baseline behind it, and hazmat’s separate TSA security threat assessment, see CDL endorsements.
Federal requirements that apply in District of Columbia
These are set by federal regulators and are the same in every US jurisdiction. Full detail here.
- Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Since February 2022, first-time CDL applicants — and drivers upgrading to Class A or seeking a first-time school bus, passenger, or hazmat endorsement — must complete Entry-Level Driver Training with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before testing.
- DOT medical certificate. Most CDL holders who operate in interstate commerce must hold a valid DOT medical examiner's certificate, issued by an examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.
- Interstate minimum age. Federal rules set 21 as the minimum age to drive commercially across state lines; states set their own intrastate minimum, commonly 18.
- Hazmat security threat assessment. A hazardous materials endorsement additionally requires a TSA security threat assessment, which is a federal process separate from the state endorsement.
Self-certification in District of Columbia
District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Intrastate
DC DMV's own Commercial Driver License Supplemental Form (Rev. 09/20/2017) offers only three self-certification checkboxes, not the standard four-category FMCSA model: 'Interstate Driver' meeting Part 391 FMCSR qualifications (Non-Excepted Interstate), 'Interstate Driver' exempt from Part 391 (Excepted Interstate), and a single undifferentiated 'Intrastate Driver' box (DC Official Code §50-402 and 18 DCMR Chapter 13) that is not split into Excepted/Non-Excepted Intrastate. DC's Intrastate CDL is restricted to Class C vehicles only and bars all five endorsements (H, N, P, S, T) outright, per DC DMV's Obtain an Intrastate CDL page.
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- DC DMV's CDL road skills (driving) test is not administered in the District. Per DC DMV's own location page, it has been held since October 2017 — on what DC DMV still describes as a 'temporary' basis — at a WMATA Metro station parking lot in Landover, Maryland. Applicants should expect to travel to Maryland for this portion of testing even though all other CDL steps happen in DC.
- DC DMV's own pages disagree on whether a Tank (N) endorsement can be placed on a Commercial Learner Permit: its 'CDL Eligibility and Documentation' page lists N as CLP-eligible, while its 'CDL Learner Permits' and 'CMV Group and CDL Class and Endorsements' pages list only School Bus (S) and Passenger (P). We've followed the latter two (more specific, mutually consistent) pages.
- DC DMV's 'CDL Road Skills Tests' page appears to contain an internal labeling error: its endorsement-by-class table lists the Double/Triple Trailers (T) endorsement as requiring a skills test, while that same page's footnote and DC DMV's separate 'CDL Knowledge Tests' page both state Double/Triple Trailers (T) does not require a skills test. We've followed the latter, internally consistent statement.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- DC DMV — Driver License Fees (includes Commercial Driver License Service fee table)
- DC DMV — CDL Eligibility and Documentation
- DC DMV — CDL Learner Permits
- DC DMV — CDL Knowledge Tests
- DC DMV — CDL Road Skills Tests
- DC DMV — Commercial Driver License Road Test Lot (Landover, MD testing site)
- DC DMV — CMV Group and CDL Class and Endorsements
- DC DMV — Renew a CDL
- DC DMV — Convert a CDL from Another State
- DC DMV — Obtain an Intrastate CDL
- DC DMV — CDL Road Skills Test Waiver for Military Personnel
- DC DMV — Duplicate CDL
- DC DMV — Commercial Driver License Supplemental Form (Rev. 09/20/2017, self-certification categories)
- DC DMV — Commercial Driver License Application (Rev. 6/27/2017)
- DCMR Title 18, Chapter 13 rule list (Commercial Driver Licenses; §1303 Human Trafficking Awareness Training citation)
- DC DMV — Commercial Driver License (program overview)
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles