CDL Requirements in Nevada

Verified against Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles · 2026-07-25

Compiled and verified against each state's own licensing agency and statutes by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →

Nevada DMV runs a genuine third-party CDL testing program — both private companies/driving schools and other government entities can become certified skills-test examiners through the CSTIMS system — alongside DMV-administered testing at only four of its offices statewide. Its fee schedule splits original/renewal CDL costs by whether a skills test is required and by an 8-year standard cycle that shortens to 4 years for applicants 65 or older. In late 2025 Nevada suspended issuance, renewal, and duplication of Limited Term (non-domiciled) CDLs and CLPs following new federal domicile-verification rules, a change the DMV says remains under review.

Nevada's CDL requirements — including a $57.5 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (see Nevada DMV — CDL Offices and Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.

Nevada CDL Requirements at a Glance

This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Nevadaspecifically — 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 Nevada
Commercial learner’s permit (CLP)
CLP fee	$57.50
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	$141.50
Renewal fee	$111.50
Renewal period	8 years (4 years for applicants age 65 or older, expiring on their birthdate)
Knowledge test fee	—
Skills test fee	—
Testing rules
Third-party testers allowed	Yes
Retest waiting period	—

Other published fees

Original or transfer requiring knowledge test only (no skills test): $111.50
Renewal requiring knowledge and skills tests (8-year cycle): $141.50
Renewal requiring knowledge tests only or no tests (4-year cycle, age 65+): $57.50
Renewal requiring knowledge and skills tests (4-year cycle, age 65+): $87.50
CDL duplicate: $22.50
Add CDL endorsement (per endorsement, plus $3.50 photo fee): $14
Driving skills test to add/remove a restriction or endorsement (plus $3.50 photo fee): $30
Change of address only: $3.50
Change of information (other than address): $12.50

Valid 180 days from issuance. Skills tests cannot be 'banked' on CLP renewal — any previously passed portions (including a passed pre-trip inspection) are voided and must be retaken. If a CLP has been expired 30 days or more, all written knowledge tests must be retaken; on a second CLP renewal, all knowledge tests must be retaken regardless of expiration status.

Nevada additionally requires drivers to be 25 years old to operate an over-length combination vehicle (70 feet). Applicants 18-20 are limited to intrastate CDL operation and may not transport placarded hazardous materials or passengers for hire.

Nevada certifies both private companies/driving schools (Form CDL-040) and other government entities (Form CDL-062) as third-party CDL skills-test examiners through the CSTIMS system, in addition to DMV-administered testing at its four CDL-equipped offices (Elko, North Las Vegas, Reno, Winnemucca). Private third-party firms must maintain a surety bond scaled to testing volume ($35,000-$175,000/year); government-entity certifiers are exempt from the bond requirement. No fixed day-based knowledge/skills retest waiting period is published.

Nevada CDL Endorsements

Hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, passenger, and school bus endorsement availability, fees, and testing in Nevada
Endorsement	Available	Fee	Knowledge test	Skills test
Hazardous materials (H)	Yes	$17.50	Yes	No
Tank vehicle (N)	Yes	$17.50	Yes	No
Doubles/triples (T)	Yes	$17.50	Yes	No
Passenger (P)	Yes	$17.50	Yes	Yes
School bus (S)	Yes	$17.50	Yes	Yes

Hazardous materials: Requires a TSA fingerprint-based background check via IdentoGo (about 30 days to process) before the Hazmat knowledge test can be taken. The TSA background-check fee is $86.50, paid directly to TSA and separate from the DMV's $17.50 ($14 + $3.50 photo) endorsement fee.

Tank vehicle: Endorsement code N; knowledge test only, no separate skills test beyond the general CDL skills test.

Doubles/triples: Endorsement code T; knowledge test only.

Passenger: Endorsement code P; skills test performed in a passenger-configured vehicle; is a prerequisite for adding the School Bus (S) endorsement.

School bus: Endorsement code S; skills test performed in a school bus; requires the Passenger (P) endorsement first.

For what each endorsement permits, the federal knowledge/skills testing baseline behind it, and hazmat’s separate TSA security threat assessment, see CDL endorsements. Veterans and current service members with military driving experience may qualify for a skills-test waiver — see military & veteran CDL pathways.

Federal requirements that apply in Nevada

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.

Nevada-specific: Nevada requires ELDT training providers to also hold a Nevada DMV business license, verified through the state's Business License Verification tool, in addition to being listed on the federal FMCSA Training Provider Registry. Training completed at a TPR-listed school lacking the state business license may not be accepted by the DMV.

DLA Academy · Sponsored

Getting a Class A or B CDL in Nevada for the first time? The theory half of ELDT can be completed online with a registered provider; behind-the-wheel training must be done in person.

Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Before paying any provider, confirm it is listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry; only registered providers can submit your completion.

Self-certification in Nevada

Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:

Non-Excepted Interstate
Non-Excepted Intrastate
Excepted Interstate
Excepted Intrastate

Nevada DMV's CDL Self-Certification page frames the choice as two binary questions — interstate vs. intrastate, and non-excepted (medical exam required) vs. excepted (no medical exam) — yielding the same four FMCSA categories.

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.

Nevada suspended issuance, renewal, and duplication of Limited Term (non-domiciled) CDLs and CLPs in late 2025, following new federal domicile-verification rules; the DMV states this is under review and may change. This affects non-U.S. citizens, including asylum seekers, refugees, and DACA recipients.

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: Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles