CDL Requirements in New Hampshire

Verified against New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles · 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 →

New Hampshire's Division of Motor Vehicles administers every CDL knowledge and road test itself at DMV offices by appointment — no third-party CDL testing program was found. Its per-transaction fee schedule (revised effective January 1, 2026) charges a flat $60 for a Class A, B, or C CDL plus $10 per endorsement, with separate re-examination fees for failed retakes. New Hampshire still issues its Doubles/Triple Trailers endorsement even though operating a triple-trailer combination within the state itself is illegal — the endorsement exists solely so NH-licensed drivers can legally haul triples in other states that permit them.

New Hampshire's CDL requirements — including a $20 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles (see New Hampshire DMV — Licensing Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.

New Hampshire CDL Requirements at a Glance

This is the fee, age, and testing detail for New Hampshirespecifically — 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 New Hampshire
Commercial learner’s permit (CLP)
CLP fee	$20
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	$60
Renewal fee	$60
Renewal period	—
Knowledge test fee	—
Skills test fee	—
Testing rules
Third-party testers allowed	No
Retest waiting period	5 days

Other published fees

CDL/Motorcycle combined license, original: $90
CDL/Motorcycle combined license, renewal: $65
CDL restriction removal: $10
Re-examination — General Knowledge (retake): $20
Re-examination — Combination Vehicle (retake): $20
Re-examination — Road Skills (retake): $20
Re-examination — Air Brakes (retake): $10
Re-examination — Tank (retake): $10
Re-examination — Double/Triple (retake): $10
Re-examination — Passenger (retake): $10
Re-examination — School Bus (retake): $10
Re-examination — Hazardous Materials (retake): $10

Valid 180 days from issuance; may be renewed one time if the required knowledge exams were passed within the past year (exams older than a year must be retaken to renew). The road/skills test may be scheduled no sooner than 14 days after CLP issuance. Permit holders must be accompanied by a CDL holder at least 25 years old seated immediately alongside them (or, for a school bus or motor coach, directly behind or in the first row behind the driver).

Drivers under 21 receive a K (intrastate-only) restriction on their CDL. New Hampshire's CDL Medical Card guidance ties 'intrastate' status directly to being under 21, matching the federal interstate/intrastate age split.

The DMV administers all CDL knowledge and road tests directly at DMV offices by appointment; no third-party CDL testing program was found. A failed knowledge or road test requires a 5-calendar-day wait before retesting (versus 10 days for non-commercial Operator/Motorcycle tests). A no-show or a road-test cancellation with less than 24 hours' notice requires a 10-calendar-day wait before rescheduling (versus 30 days for non-commercial tests).

New Hampshire CDL Endorsements

Hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, passenger, and school bus endorsement availability, fees, and testing in New Hampshire
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: Requires a TSA fingerprint clearance, pre-registered through a TSA-contracted vendor, before applying for or renewing the endorsement. Hazmat is the one endorsement New Hampshire will not transfer from another state without retesting — an out-of-state Hazmat holder must retake the Hazmat knowledge test and be fingerprinted to transfer it to a NH CDL.

Tank vehicle: Endorsement code N; Tank Knowledge Test only, no separate road test.

Doubles/triples: Endorsement code T; Doubles/Triples Knowledge Test only. Operating a triple-trailer combination is illegal within New Hampshire itself, but the DMV still issues the T endorsement so NH-licensed drivers can legally haul triples in other states that allow them.

Passenger: Endorsement code P; requires its own Passenger Transport Road Skills Test, taken in a passenger-type vehicle representative of the desired class, in addition to the knowledge test.

School bus: Endorsement code S; requires its own School Bus Road Skills Test in a school bus, and the driver must also hold (or concurrently obtain) the Passenger (P) endorsement — both are required to operate a school bus. Renewal separately requires proof the driver is currently on a school bus company's roster for the current school year, plus passing the school bus certificate knowledge test.

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 New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire

New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:

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

New Hampshire's CDL Medical Card Update guidance frames the choice using the same interstate/intrastate by non-excepted/excepted matrix as the FMCSA's four self-certification 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.

New Hampshire issues its Doubles/Triple Trailers (T) endorsement even though operating a triple-trailer combination within New Hampshire itself is illegal; the endorsement exists so NH-licensed drivers can legally haul triples in other states that permit them.

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: New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles