GetCDLLicense

How to Get a CDL: The Step-by-Step Path

Getting a commercial driver’s license mixes a fixed federal sequence — age, medical certification, and training — with steps your state administers and prices on its own. Below is that path in order; each step links to the sourced detail behind it, whether that’s the federal rule on /eldt-requirements or your own state’s page.

  1. Meet the age requirement. 21 for interstate driving; states set their own intrastate minimum, commonly 18. Anyone under 21 can hold and use a CDL, but only to drive within their own state. Details →
  2. Hold a valid non-commercial driver's license in good standing. Every state requires this as the baseline before you can apply for a commercial learner's permit (CLP) — a suspended or revoked license blocks a CDL application.
  3. Meet the DOT medical certification requirement. Most CDL holders operating in interstate commerce need a valid medical examiner's certificate from an examiner on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners; drivers who qualify as intrastate-only under their state's rules may follow a different standard. Details →
  4. Decide which CDL class and endorsements you need. Class A, B, or C is set by the weight of the vehicle (and any trailer) you plan to drive; endorsements like hazmat, tanker, or passenger cover specific cargo or vehicle types on top of the base class. Details →
  5. Complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT), if it applies to you. First-time CDL applicants, and anyone adding a school bus, passenger, or hazmat endorsement for the first time, must train with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before testing. Details →
  6. Pass the CDL knowledge test to get your commercial learner's permit (CLP). The CLP fee among the 34 of 51 jurisdictions that publish one runs $2.50–$106; some states bundle it into a single class-based application fee instead of itemizing it.
  7. Hold your CLP for the required minimum waiting period. Federal law sets a 14-day floor before a CLP holder is eligible for the skills test (49 CFR §383.25(e)); states may hold to that floor or set it higher. Among the jurisdictions verified so far, the required period is 14–30 days.
  8. Pass the CDL skills test. A vehicle inspection, basic vehicle controls, and an on-road driving test, administered by your state's licensing agency or an approved third-party tester where the state runs that program.
  9. Pay your state's CDL fees and receive your license. Among the 28 of 51 jurisdictions that publish a flat first-time CDL fee, it runs $25–$141.50.
  10. Add any endorsements before you need them. Hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, passenger, and school bus each carry their own knowledge and/or skills test; hazmat additionally requires a separate federal TSA security threat assessment. Details →

Look up your state’s exact requirements

Every figure above is a range across the 51 of 51US jurisdictions on record so far — your state’s own page has its exact fees, testing rules, and endorsement details, sourced to its own licensing agency (its DMV, DPS, BMV or equivalent) or its statutes and administrative code.

Browse CDL requirements by state →

Current and former military drivers may be able to skip part of the testing above. Military & veteran CDL pathways →