CDL Requirements in New Jersey
Verified against New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) — not a 'DMV' — splits the cost of a CDL into a large, non-refundable $125 upfront 'Examination Test Receipt' fee that covers the knowledge test(s), and a separate $42 four-year license-issuance fee once the skills test is passed. All CDL renewals must be completed in person; renewal by mail is not permitted. New Jersey also bars anyone under 21 from holding a Passenger endorsement even for intrastate-only operation, a restriction that goes beyond the federal interstate/hazmat age floor.
New Jersey's CDL requirements — including a $42 CDL fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (see NJ MVC — Getting your Commercial Driver License (CDL)), current as of 2026-07-25.
New Jersey CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for New Jerseyspecifically — 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 | — |
| 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 | $42 |
| Renewal fee | $42 |
| Renewal period | 4 years |
| Knowledge test fee | $125 |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | No |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- CDL endorsement fee, each (added to base CDL issuance fee): $2
- CDL transfer permit (out-of-state transfer): $10
- Duplicate Examination Test Receipt: $3
- Duplicate CLP: $11
- HME (Hazmat) TSA fingerprint background check: $86.50
New Jersey no longer issues a paper CLP — the CLP is a digital, tamper-proof card in the same format as the CDL (per 49 C.F.R. 383.155 and N.J.A.C. 13:21-23.20), issued upon passing the knowledge test as part of the $125 Examination Test Receipt process; no separately itemized standalone CLP fee is published. Valid 180 days from issuance. The skills test may be scheduled no sooner than 14 days after CLP issuance unless waived. Passed skills-test portions (once the pre-trip inspection is passed) may be 'banked' toward a retest for one CLP cycle — 180 days from CLP issuance.
CDL applicants under 21 are limited to intrastate (New Jersey-only) commerce and must select self-certification category 3 or 4. New Jersey's own Endorsements eligibility page separately states applicants must be 'at least 21 years of age with three years driving experience' for interstate use, hazardous materials, school bus, or passenger endorsements — the three-years-driving-experience detail appears only on that one MVC page and is not repeated in the CDL Manual; reported as published, but flagged in disclosures[] as unverified.
All CDL knowledge and skills (road) testing is administered directly by the MVC at its Driver Testing Centers by appointment; no third-party CDL testing program was found. A failed knowledge test requires a 7-calendar-day wait before retesting, with no limit on the number of attempts within the 180-day Test Receipt validity window. A failed road test requires at least a 14-calendar-day wait; the MVC may require a 6-month wait after repeated road-test failures. Knowledge, vision, and road test results are valid for 360 days from the date passed.
New Jersey CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $2 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $2 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $2 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $2 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $2 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Requires a TSA fingerprint-based background check ($86.50, paid directly to TSA's contracted vendor) completed before applying, renewing, or transferring; re-fingerprinting must occur at least 45 days before the CDL/HME expires. New Jersey's own pages disagree on the endorsement's retest cycle: the Endorsements page states Hazmat holders 'must be trained and retested every two years,' while the HAZMAT FAQ page states the endorsement 'is valid for four years,' matching the base CDL cycle. This record uses the FAQ's four-year figure since it directly answers the validity question, but the conflict is unresolved — see disclosures[].
Tank vehicle: Endorsement code N; required for bulk liquid/gas transport; knowledge test only, no separate MVC road test.
Doubles/triples: Endorsement code T; requires a Class A CDL; knowledge test only (Doubles/Triples Knowledge Test).
Passenger: Endorsement code P; requires its own road test in addition to the general CDL skills test, plus a fingerprint submission if transferring the endorsement from out of state. New Jersey bars anyone under 21 from holding a Passenger endorsement even for intrastate-only operation — a state-specific floor beyond the federal 18-intrastate baseline. A CDL holder convicted of DUI may retain or regain the base CDL after serving the suspension period but is barred from holding a Passenger endorsement for three years.
School bus: Endorsement code S; requires its own road test, and the driver must hold the Passenger (P) endorsement simultaneously — both are required to operate a school bus. School bus applicants additionally need a federal background check, a New Jersey state criminal background investigation, and the state Department of Education's Applicant Approval Employment History document.
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 Jersey
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 Jersey
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
New Jersey's CDL Holder Self-Certification form numbers the four FMCSA categories 1 through 4 (1 = Non-Excepted Interstate, 2 = Excepted Interstate, 3 = Non-Excepted Intrastate, 4 = Excepted Intrastate); drivers under 21 must select category 3 or 4.
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 Jersey's own CDL Endorsements page and its HAZMAT FAQ page state two different things about how often a Hazmat endorsement must be renewed or retested — one says drivers 'must be trained and retested every two years,' the other says the endorsement 'is valid for four years' (matching the base CDL cycle). We could not resolve which governs; Hazmat endorsement holders should confirm the correct cycle directly with the MVC.
- New Jersey's CDL Endorsements page states that interstate operation and the Hazmat, School Bus, and Passenger endorsements require being 'at least 21 years of age with three years driving experience.' The three-years-experience detail appears only on that one page and is not repeated in New Jersey's CDL Manual; confirm directly with the MVC before relying on it.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- NJ MVC — Getting your Commercial Driver License (CDL)
- NJ MVC — CDL Tests
- NJ MVC — Commercial Driver License (CDL) classes
- NJ MVC — Commercial Learner Permits (CLP)
- NJ MVC — Endorsements
- NJ MVC — Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Endorsements (HME)
- NJ MVC — CDL Self-Certification and Medical Examiner Certificate
- NJ MVC — CDL Frequently Asked Questions
- NJ MVC — Transfer Out-of-State CDL
- NJ MVC — CDL Eligibility
- NJ MVC — Commercial Driver's License Manual (PDF, March 2025 edition)
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission