CDL Requirements in Minnesota

Verified against Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) · 2026-07-25

Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →

Minnesota CDLs are issued by the Department of Public Safety's Driver and Vehicle Services division (DVS) — not a standalone DMV. Unlike states that charge one flat CDL fee, Minnesota prices the license by class, with Class A costing more than B or C and a discounted rate for Class A applicants under 21. Drivers who self-certify a K (intrastate-only) restriction must pass their skills test in Minnesota itself — out-of-state results are not accepted for that restriction — and no DVS page confirms or denies whether Minnesota runs a third-party CDL testing program; knowledge and road tests are documented as administered at DVS driver exam stations.

Minnesota's CDL requirements — including a $26.75 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) (see Minnesota DVS — Driver's License and ID Card Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.

Minnesota CDL Requirements at a Glance

This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Minnesotaspecifically — 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.

CLP, age, fee, renewal, and testing requirements for a commercial driver’s license in Minnesota
Commercial learner’s permit (CLP)
CLP fee	$26.75
Minimum holding period before skills test	14 days
CLP validity	—
Age minimums
Intrastate minimum age	18
Interstate minimum age	21 (federal floor)
Fees
Application fee	—
Initial CDL fee	—
Renewal fee	—
Renewal period	4 years
Knowledge test fee	—
Skills test fee	—
Testing rules
Third-party testers allowed	—
Retest waiting period	—

Other published fees

Class A CDL, first-time: $65
Class A CDL, renewal: $60
Class A CDL, under age 21, first-time: $45
Class A CDL, under age 21, renewal: $40
Class B CDL, first-time: $57
Class B CDL, renewal: $52
Class C CDL, first-time: $50
Class C CDL, renewal: $45
Endorsement examination fee, each: $2.50
School Bus endorsement processing fee (original and renewal): $4
Retest fee, 3rd and subsequent written test after 2 failures: $10
Retest fee, 3rd and subsequent road test after 2 failures: $20

Available at driver exam stations only. DVS's own Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) page lists 'Hold the CLP for at least 14 calendar days' as step 3 of 'Before You Apply for a CDL,' applying to CLP holders generally before completing a CDL application — matching the federal 14-day floor. No page states a CLP validity period in months.

Confirmed on DVS's Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) page: applicants must be 'at least 18 years old (or at least 21 to drive commercially outside of Minnesota)' — matching the federal baseline exactly.

DVS documents CDL knowledge and road tests as administered at its own driver exam stations; no DVS page confirms or denies a third-party CDL testing program. For drivers who self-certify a K (intrastate-only) restriction specifically, DVS states the skills test 'must' be passed in Minnesota and that test results from other states will not be accepted, per 49 CFR 391.11 — this requirement is stated for K-restricted drivers, not as a general rule for every CDL applicant. Rather than a fixed day-based cooling-off period, Minnesota charges an escalating fee starting at the 3rd failed attempt: $10 for a 3rd-or-later written test, $20 for a 3rd-or-later road test.

Minnesota CDL Endorsements

Hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, passenger, and school bus endorsement availability, fees, and testing in Minnesota
Endorsement	Available	Fee	Knowledge test	Skills test
Hazardous materials (H)	Yes	$2.50	Yes	No
Tank vehicle (N)	Yes	$2.50	Yes	No
Doubles/triples (T)	Yes	$2.50	Yes	No
Passenger (P)	Yes	$2.50	Yes	Yes
School bus (S)	Yes	$2.50	Yes	Yes

Hazardous materials: Must be retaken (written knowledge test only) at every renewal — unlike most other Minnesota endorsements, which do not require retesting at renewal.

Tank vehicle: Restricted to holders of a Class A or Class B license. Written knowledge test only; no road test.

Doubles/triples: Restricted to holders of a Class A license. Written knowledge test only; no road test.

Passenger: Requires a road test in an appropriate passenger vehicle in addition to the written knowledge test.

School bus: Must be held alongside a Passenger endorsement. Requires a road test plus a separate $4 processing fee (charged on both original and renewal applications) in addition to the standard endorsement exam fee. The written knowledge test must be retaken every 4 years at renewal, and a physical exam is required at least every 2 years to retain the endorsement. A temporary school bus endorsement, valid up to 180 days, is available while a full criminal history background check is completed.

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 Minnesota

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.

Minnesota-specific: Minnesota allows the classroom (theory) portion of ELDT to be completed at any time, but the behind-the-wheel portion cannot be started before the CLP is issued and must be completed within one year of finishing the classroom portion.

Self-certification in Minnesota

Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:

Non-Exempt Interstate
Exempt Interstate
Non-Exempt Intrastate
Exempt Intrastate

DVS's CDL medical certification page lists these four categories using Minnesota's own 'exempt/non-exempt' wording (the same four FMCSA-defined operation types other states label 'excepted/non-excepted').

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.

Minnesota's 'skills test must be passed in Minnesota, out-of-state results not accepted' rule applies specifically to drivers who self-certify a K (intrastate-only) restriction, not to every CDL applicant.
No DVS page confirms or denies whether Minnesota authorizes third-party (non-DVS) CDL testers; that field is left blank here rather than assumed either way.

means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.

Sources

Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)