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 →