CDL Requirements in Indiana
Verified against Indiana Bureau 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 →
Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) tests CDL knowledge at branches but routes virtually all CDL skills testing exclusively through BMV-authorized 3rd Party CDL Skills Test sites, and it charges a single flat $19 fee to add or remove any CDL endorsement (H, N, P, S, T, or X) rather than itemizing by endorsement type. Indiana's CDL is valid for four years and expires on the holder's birthday, and the CDL skills test may be attempted only once per business day if a retest is needed.
Indiana's CDL requirements — including a $17 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (see Indiana BMV — Fee Chart (Commercial Learner's Permit, Commercial Driver's License, endorsement fees)), current as of 2026-07-25.
Indiana CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Indianaspecifically — 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 | $17 |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 14 days |
| CLP validity | 12 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | $35 |
| Renewal fee | $35 |
| Renewal period | 4 years |
| Knowledge test fee | — |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | Yes |
| Retest waiting period | 1 day |
Other published fees
- Add or remove a CDL endorsement (H, N, P, S, T, or X): $19
Applicant must be at least 18 years old to transport property intrastate, or at least 21 to obtain a CLP intended for school bus operation. Requires a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate (MEC) on file with the BMV. The knowledge exam results and the CLP itself are each valid for one year from issuance.
Indiana separately requires a CLP applicant to be at least 21 to obtain a permit intended for school bus operation, regardless of interstate/intrastate status — exceeding the general 18-year intrastate floor for that specific use.
The CDL skills exam (pre-trip inspection, basic control skills, and road test) must be taken at a BMV-authorized 3rd Party CDL Skills Test site, with appointments booked at least two days in advance. Indiana's own CDL manual states the CDL skills test 'may only be taken once a business day,' and the applicant is responsible for all costs each time it must be retaken. Knowledge/written test results are valid for one year. If a CDL has been expired, disqualified, canceled, revoked, surrendered, or invalidated for more than three years, the holder must re-apply as a first-time applicant, including all knowledge and skills tests.
Indiana CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $19 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $19 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $19 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $19 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $19 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Endorsement code H (X covers the combined tank-vehicle-and-hazmat endorsement). The required fingerprint-based threat assessment approval is valid for five years and must be completed again at any CDL renewal that carries the endorsement; a driver moving to Indiana with an out-of-state hazmat endorsement may need a new threat assessment plus Indiana's hazardous-materials written test.
Tank vehicle: Endorsement code N — tank vehicles with an individual rated capacity over 119 gallons and an aggregate capacity of 1,000 gallons or more.
Doubles/triples: Endorsement code T, for operating a commercial motor vehicle with two or three separate trailers attached.
Passenger: Endorsement code P, for vehicles designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver. A 3rd Party CDL Skills Test site verifies training completion before scheduling the CDL skills test for this endorsement.
School bus: Endorsement code S, for vehicles transporting students to/from school or school-sponsored events. Requires holding or simultaneously obtaining the Passenger (P) endorsement; a CLP intended for school bus operation requires the applicant to be at least 21.
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 Indiana
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 Indiana
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
Categories and their self-certification statements are documented in Section 1.2 of Indiana's official CDL Manual. Indiana's BMV web pages describe the underlying interstate/intrastate and medical-certificate rules but do not use this exact FMCSA terminology online — the manual is the primary source for the category labels.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Indiana BMV — Fee Chart (Commercial Learner's Permit, Commercial Driver's License, endorsement fees)
- Indiana BMV — Commercial Driver's License Overview
- Indiana BMV — Obtaining a Commercial Learner's Permit
- Indiana BMV — Obtaining a Commercial Driver's License
- Indiana BMV — Renewing or Replacing a CDL
- Indiana BMV — Re-Testing or Re-Applying For a CDL
- Indiana BMV — Commercial Driver's License Endorsements and Restrictions
- Indiana BMV — Driver's License Fees
- Indiana Specific Commercial Driver's License Applicant Information (SP 283, current revision R-5 7/26)
- Indiana Commercial Driver's License Manual (self-certification chapter, Section 1.2)
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles