CDL Requirements in Pennsylvania
Verified against Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Driver and Vehicle Services ·
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 →
PennDOT licenses commercial drivers through its Driver and Vehicle Services division, using a two-step Knowledge Test Authorization (KTA) process before a CLP itself is issued. PennDOT does not publish a single flat first-time CDL fee — the fee for a PA resident upgrading an existing license to a CDL is instead prorated based on how many months remain before that underlying license expires. PennDOT authorizes both its own Driver License Centers and PennDOT-certified third-party organizations to administer the CDL skills test.
Pennsylvania's CDL requirements — including an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Driver and Vehicle Services (see PennDOT — Commercial Driver's Manual (PUB 223, rev. 6-26)), current as of 2026-07-25.
Pennsylvania CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Pennsylvaniaspecifically — 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 | 15 days |
| CLP validity | 12 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | — |
| Initial CDL fee | — |
| Renewal fee | $127.50 |
| Renewal period | 4 years |
| Knowledge test fee | — |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | Yes |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- Four-Year CDL Renewal with Hazmat: $149.50
- Four-Year CDL Renewal with Motorcycle: $151.50
- Four-Year CDL Renewal with Hazmat and Motorcycle: $173.50
- Two-Year CDL Renewal, age 65+: $71.50
- Out-of-State New Driver, Four-Year CDL: $127.50
- Upgrade From Non-Commercial to Commercial, 7-12 months before expiration: $43.50
- Upgrade From Non-Commercial to Commercial, 13-24 months before expiration: $65.50
- Upgrade From Non-Commercial to Commercial, 25-36 months before expiration: $87.50
- Upgrade From Non-Commercial to Commercial, 37-48 months before expiration: $109.50
- Upgrading Commercial Class or Endorsement (non-Hazmat): $21.50
- Removing Commercial Restrictions: $21.50
- Upgrading to Transport Hazardous Materials (Hazmat): $43.50
- Change or Replacement of CDL: $42.50
- Duplicate Camera Card: $5
A Knowledge Test Authorization (KTA) is issued first, valid one year with three attempts per test to pass; only after all required knowledge tests are passed is the actual CLP issued. Pennsylvania law requires a 15-day wait from CLP issuance to the scheduled Class A, B, or C skills test date — one day longer than the 14-day federal floor. The applicant has one year total to pass all knowledge and skills tests before needing to reapply. No flat CLP fee is published separately: for PA residents upgrading an existing driver's license, PennDOT instead charges a single prorated 'Upgrade From Non-Commercial to Commercial' fee (one permit, with photo, included) that scales with the months remaining before the base license expires: $43.50 (7-12 months out), $65.50 (13-24 months), $87.50 (25-36 months), or $109.50 (37-48 months); additional fees apply for Hazmat, Motorcycle, or extra permits.
PennDOT's Commercial Driver's Manual (PUB 223) states Class A, B, and C licenses are issued to persons 18 or older, but a driver must be 21 or older to operate a CMV in interstate commerce, matching the federal floor exactly.
PennDOT authorizes PennDOT-certified third-party organizations (state/local government agencies, motor carriers, private driver-training facilities, and other private institutions) to administer the CDL skills test alongside PennDOT's own Driver License Centers, under 49 CFR §383.75. No fixed day-based knowledge-test retest cooldown is published; instead a Knowledge Test Authorization is valid one year with three attempts per test, and a CLP allows three attempts at the skills test before it expires and the process must restart.
Pennsylvania CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $43.50 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $21.50 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $21.50 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $21.50 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $21.50 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: 30-question knowledge test (PA CDL Manual/CDL FAQ). PennDOT's own fee schedule lists a distinct $43.50 'Upgrading to Transport Hazardous Materials' charge, separate from the $21.50 generic endorsement-upgrade fee applied to the other four endorsements. PennDOT's two pages about the separate federal background-check cost disagree with each other and are not reconciled here — see the Source Notes below.
Tank vehicle: 20-question knowledge test; no skills test. Billed under PennDOT's generic $21.50 'Upgrading Commercial Class or Endorsement' fee.
Doubles/triples: 20-question knowledge test; no skills test. Billed under PennDOT's generic $21.50 'Upgrading Commercial Class or Endorsement' fee.
Passenger: 20-question knowledge test plus a skills test performed in an actual bus. Billed under PennDOT's generic $21.50 'Upgrading Commercial Class or Endorsement' fee.
School bus: 25-question knowledge test (requires holding the Passenger endorsement first) plus a skills test that must be performed in an actual school bus; the School Bus endorsement card is reissued annually. Billed under PennDOT's generic $21.50 'Upgrading Commercial Class or Endorsement' fee.
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 Pennsylvania
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.
DLA Academy · Sponsored
Getting a Class A or B CDL in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Driver and Vehicle Services administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Intrastate
Every CLP and CDL applicant/holder must file Self-Certification Form DL-11CD declaring one of the four FMCSA operation categories; this identifies which drivers must keep a current DOT Medical Examiner's Certificate on file with PennDOT.
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.
- PennDOT publishes two different figures for the federal hazmat background-check cost: its 'Payments and Fees' page cites a flat '$60.00' federal fee, while its Hazardous Materials Endorsement FAQ separately itemizes a $57.25 TSA fee plus a $24.15 FBI background-check fee ($81.40 total) — neither matches the other, and neither matches TSA's own current $85.25 HME threat-assessment fee. This site shows only PennDOT's own $43.50 state endorsement fee; confirm the current total federal cost directly with PennDOT or TSA before applying.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- PennDOT — Commercial Driver's Manual (PUB 223, rev. 6-26)
- PennDOT — Payments and Fees (Commercial Driver's License Services Fees)
- PennDOT — Commercial Driver's License Fact Sheet
- PennDOT — CDL Learner's Permit Procedures Fact Sheet
- PennDOT — Commercial Driver's License FAQs
- PennDOT — CDL Learner's Permit FAQs
- PennDOT — Hazardous Materials Endorsement FAQs
- PennDOT — Become a Third-Party CDL Tester/Examiner
- PennDOT — Modernized Commercial Driver License Skills Testing
- PennDOT — Commercial Drivers
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Driver and Vehicle Services