CDL Requirements in Massachusetts
Verified against Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Massachusetts licenses commercial drivers through the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), which delegates every Class A, B, and C road (skills) test to the Massachusetts State Police rather than RMV examiners or a private third-party program — tests are scheduled through a dedicated State Police phone line, not the RMV's online booking tool. CLPs are valid for 180 days and can be renewed once for an additional 180 days at no charge before a new knowledge test is required, and the Hazmat (H) endorsement is the one endorsement the RMV will not transfer when converting an out-of-state CDL — it must be re-tested and re-cleared from scratch even if it was valid in the prior state.
Massachusetts's CDL requirements — including a $30 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) (see Massachusetts RMV — Apply for a Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP)), current as of 2026-07-25.
Massachusetts CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Massachusettsspecifically — 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 | $30 |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 14 days |
| CLP validity | 6 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | — |
| Renewal fee | $75 |
| Renewal period | 5 years |
| Knowledge test fee | — |
| Skills test fee | $35 |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | No |
| Retest waiting period | 14 days |
Other published fees
- CDL Endorsement Fee, added with CLP application or same transaction: $10
- CDL Endorsement Fee, added on a different day: $30
- Driver's Manual (Class D or CDL), printed copy: $5
- Self-certification amendment fee (NI/NA re-certification not completed within 60 days of expiration): $25
The $30 Learner's Permit Application Fee covers the CLP application. CLPs are valid for 180 days from issuance and can be renewed once for an additional 180 days at no fee; renewal must happen within 30 days of expiration or the knowledge test(s) must be retaken at full cost. A CLP must be held at least 14 days before the CDL skills (road) test, matching (not exceeding) the federal floor.
Stated directly on the RMV's own CLP application page: applicants must be at least 18 for an intrastate (Massachusetts-only) CLP, or at least 21 for an interstate (all-states) CLP.
Commercial (Class A, B, or C) road tests are scheduled by phone and administered by the Massachusetts State Police, not RMV examiners and not a private third-party program; Class D and motorcycle road tests are booked separately online through the RMV. If a road test is failed, the applicant must wait 2 weeks before retesting, and no more than 6 CDL skills test attempts are allowed in a 12-month period. Road test fees are not refunded for failures, no-shows, being unprepared, or cancellations/reschedules with less than 72 hours' notice.
Massachusetts CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $10 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $10 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $10 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $10 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $10 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Knowledge test only ($10 if added with the CLP application or same transaction, $30 if added on a different day). Unlike Massachusetts's other endorsements, Hazmat is not transferable when converting an out-of-state CDL to Massachusetts — the endorsement must be reapplied for and retested from scratch even if it was already held out of state.
Tank vehicle: Knowledge test only ($10 if added with the CLP application or same transaction, $30 if added on a different day).
Doubles/triples: Knowledge test only ($10 if added with the CLP application or same transaction, $30 if added on a different day).
Passenger: Knowledge test is taken when applying for the CLP; skills test is required. Needed for vehicles carrying 16 or more passengers including the driver. Endorsement fee is $10 if added with the CLP application or same transaction, $30 if added on a different day.
School bus: Requires passing both the Passenger and School Bus knowledge tests (taken at the CLP stage) plus a School Bus skills test; the RMV's CDL manual devotes a dedicated School Bus Endorsement Study Guide (manual section 10) to this endorsement. Endorsement fee is $10 if added with the CLP application or same transaction, $30 if added on a different day.
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 Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
The RMV's CDL self-certification page lists all four FMCSA categories (NI, EI, NA, EA). Non-Excepted Interstate and Non-Excepted Intrastate (NI/NA) drivers must maintain active medical certification or be downgraded to a Class D license; Excepted Interstate and Excepted Intrastate (EI/EA) drivers must re-certify every five years at CDL renewal instead. Drivers who do not re-certify within 60 days of an NI/NA self-certification expiration are downgraded to Class D and a $25 license amendment fee is posted to their record.
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.
- Massachusetts RMV's CDL Disqualifications page links to a CDL manual labeled '2014 version' that is actually a 2005-edition AAMVA manual last revised 2018 — over a decade out of date. The RMV's current manual is the March 2025 version (linked from the RMV's driver's-manuals list), which this record relies on; readers following the link from the Disqualifications page directly will land on the stale edition instead.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Massachusetts RMV — Apply for a Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP)
- Massachusetts RMV — Renew Your Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
- Massachusetts RMV — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Classes and Endorsements
- Massachusetts RMV — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Self-Certification
- Massachusetts RMV — Schedule Your Road Test
- Massachusetts RMV — Transfer an Out-of-State CDL to Massachusetts
- Massachusetts RMV — Commercial Driver's License Manual, March 2025 Version (PDF)
- Massachusetts RMV — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Suspensions
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)