CDL Requirements in South Carolina
Verified against South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles ·
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 →
SCDMV licenses commercial drivers through a single shared application (Form 447-CDL) covering the CLP, the CDL itself, renewals, and upgrades, and runs an active third-party skills-testing program under its Office of Inspector General. SCDMV publishes clear CLP and renewal/upgrade fee figures, but its 'Getting Your First CDL' page does not itemize a separate license-issuance fee distinct from the CLP fees, so that step is treated as unpublished rather than assumed.
South Carolina's CDL requirements — including a $2.5 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (see South Carolina DMV — Commercial Driver License Manual (March 2025)), current as of 2026-07-25.
South Carolina CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for South Carolinaspecifically — 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 | $2.50 |
| Minimum holding period before skills test | 14 days |
| CLP validity | 12 months |
| Age minimums | |
| Intrastate minimum age | 18 |
| Interstate minimum age | 21 (federal floor) |
| Fees | |
| Application fee | $15 |
| Initial CDL fee | $25 |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Renewal period | 8 years (5 years if the CDL carries a Hazmat endorsement) |
| Knowledge test fee | $2 |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | Yes |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- CLP (Commercial Learner's Permit): $2.50
- Hazmat 5-year license fee (renewal/upgrade, plus the $15 application fee and $2 knowledge test): $15
- Skills-test retest fee (each subsequent attempt after a failure; first attempt is free): $25
The CLP itself costs $2.50 and expires after one year; a separate $15 application fee and $2 per knowledge test also apply when first applying (SCDMV Form 447-CDL). An out-of-state CLP cannot be transferred to SC — the general knowledge test (and any other applicable tests) must be passed for a new SC-issued CLP. The 14-calendar-day minimum hold before the skills test matches (not exceeds) the federal floor. CLP endorsements are limited to Tanker (N), Passenger (P), and School Bus (S).
SCDMV states plainly: 'You are at least 18 to drive within SC. You are at least 21 to drive outside SC' (SCDMV — Getting Your First CDL) — matching the federal interstate floor exactly.
SCDMV certifies third-party tester companies (Form DL-304N application, DL-404A agreement) to administer CDL skills tests, overseen by its Office of Inspector General. Retesting uses an escalating schedule rather than one fixed interval: a failed knowledge test may be retaken the following business day; a failed skills test requires 2 business days after the 1st failure, 7 calendar days after the 2nd, and 30 calendar days after the 3rd and any subsequent failure. A $25 fee applies to each subsequent skills-test attempt (waived if the failure was outside the applicant's control, e.g. inclement weather or vehicle/examiner issues).
South Carolina CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $15 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Requires a completed application, fingerprinting, and a TSA-administered background check in addition to the knowledge test; a CLP cannot carry a Hazmat endorsement. SCDMV's own incremental charge is a $15 5-year Hazmat license fee (on top of the standard $15 application fee and $2 knowledge test) — the TSA background-check/fingerprinting fee itself is billed and set separately by TSA.
Tank vehicle: Required for any tank vehicle with an individual rated capacity over 119 gallons and aggregate capacity of 1,000+ gallons. Knowledge test only; billed under SCDMV's standard $25 license fee / $15 application fee / $2 knowledge-test upgrade charges rather than its own itemized endorsement fee.
Doubles/triples: Required to pull double or triple trailers. Knowledge test only; billed under SCDMV's standard $25 license fee / $15 application fee / $2 knowledge-test upgrade charges rather than its own itemized endorsement fee.
Passenger: Required of all bus driver applicants; the skills test must be passed in a bus or passenger vehicle rated to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, and the resulting license is restricted to that type/size of vehicle. Billed under SCDMV's standard $25 license fee / $15 application fee / $2 knowledge-test upgrade charges rather than its own itemized endorsement fee.
School bus: Required to transport pre-primary, primary, or secondary students to/from school or school-sponsored events; the skills test must be performed in an actual school bus used for that purpose. Billed under SCDMV's standard $25 license fee / $15 application fee / $2 knowledge-test upgrade charges rather than its own itemized 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 South Carolina
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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
The SC CDL Manual (Section 1.2.3, Self-Certification Statements) lists only three self-certification options as actually available in South Carolina: Excepted Intrastate is marked 'This option is not applicable in South Carolina,' and Non-Excepted Intrastate is annotated 'this option can only be selected if the applicant is 18-20 years of age and/or license has a "K" restriction for intrastate use only.'
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.
- South Carolina's CDL Manual offers only three of the four FMCSA self-certification categories: it explicitly states Excepted Intrastate 'is not applicable in South Carolina,' and restricts Non-Excepted Intrastate to applicants aged 18-20 or those with a 'K' (intrastate-only) restriction.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- South Carolina DMV — Commercial Driver License Manual (March 2025)
- South Carolina DMV — Getting Your First CDL
- South Carolina DMV — Renew or Upgrade Your CDL
- South Carolina DMV — Classes A, B, and C
- South Carolina DMV — CDL Testing
- South Carolina DMV — Hazmat Requirements
- South Carolina DMV — Entry-Level Driver Training Requirement
- South Carolina DMV — Third-Party Testers
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles