CDL Requirements in Vermont
Verified against Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Vermont DMV publishes a compact, fully itemized CDL fee schedule — a flat knowledge/skills test fee, a flat $17 endorsement-test fee, and a separate $29 skills-test scheduling deposit — rather than bundling everything into one class-based charge. Vermont offers both 2-year and 4-year CDL terms (2-year only for School Bus endorsement holders) plus an Enhanced CDL (EDL) option for border crossing, and runs a distinctive two-tier School Bus endorsement: a Type I skills test and endorsement carry a fee, while Type II carries none.
Vermont's CDL requirements — including a $18 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (see Vermont DMV — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.
Vermont CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Vermontspecifically — 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 | $18 |
| 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 | — |
| Initial CDL fee | $72 |
| Renewal fee | $72 |
| Renewal period | 2 years (4-year term also available at $108; School Bus endorsement holders may not choose the 2-year term) |
| Knowledge test fee | $39 |
| Skills test fee | $39 |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | — |
| Retest waiting period | — |
Other published fees
- Skills test scheduling deposit (due before an appointment can be booked): $29
- Endorsement knowledge test (each): $17
- CDL, 4-year term, new or renew: $108
- Enhanced CDL (ECDL), 2-year term, new or renew: $108
- Enhanced CDL (ECDL), 4-year term, new or renew: $144
- Motorcycle endorsement add-on (per year of CDL term): $4
- Replacement CDL, 2-year term: $18
- Replacement Enhanced CDL, 2-year term: $54
Valid one year from issuance with no renewals — a new CLP requires retaking the knowledge tests. Vermont's 14-day minimum holding period before the skills test matches (not exceeds) the federal floor. Only Passenger (P), School Bus (S), and Tank Vehicle (N) endorsements may be added to a CLP; a CLP with a Tank endorsement may only operate an empty, unpurged-of-hazmat-residue tank.
Vermont's CDL manual states the requirement directly: 18+ for a CLP and for intrastate CMV operation; 21+ to operate a CMV between Vermont and another state (interstate commerce).
All CDL knowledge and skills tests are scheduled through the state's mydmv.vermont.gov appointment system and administered at DMV offices or a fixed list of DMV skills-test locations; no third-party testing program is described anywhere in the CDL manual or on the CDL pages, but DMV does not explicitly state that third-party testing is disallowed either, so this site does not state whether third-party testing is allowed. There is no simple day-based retest wait for a first or second failed skills test (a new appointment may be booked, and a failed pre-trip inspection forfeits that day's fee but not the deposit); however, after a third failed skills test, the applicant must wait six months before testing again.
Vermont CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | $17 | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | $17 | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | $17 | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | $17 | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: Applicants must complete the TSA Federal Security Threat Assessment at universalenroll.dhs.gov at least 2 weeks before their Vermont endorsement exam appointment. A CDL transfer from another state requires a new Vermont hazmat knowledge test unless the applicant shows written proof of a passed test within the preceding 2 years, and the driver's current TSA background check and fingerprinting must still be verifiable.
Tank vehicle: Applies to any tank with an individual rated capacity over 119 gallons and an aggregate rated capacity of 1,000+ gallons, permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle. Special knowledge examination only; a CLP holder with this endorsement may operate only an empty tank not previously carrying unpurged hazmat residue.
Doubles/triples: Addable only to Class A licenses; special knowledge examination on pulling double/triple trailers; cannot be added to a CLP.
Passenger: Required for any bus in any class (A, B, or C) with a design capacity of 16+ people including the driver. Skills test must be performed in a representative passenger vehicle; a $39 skills-test fee applies in addition to the $17 endorsement knowledge-test fee. Adding this endorsement (or upgrading class, or removing a restriction) requires holding a CLP for a minimum of 14 days before the skills test.
School bus: Vermont runs two school-bus endorsement tiers: a Type I endorsement and skills test carry a published fee, while a Type II endorsement and skills test carry none — a distinction not itemized as separate dollar amounts anywhere in the fee schedule. All applicants, regardless of tier or out-of-state CDL history, must attend and pass a Vermont school bus driver training clinic (8 hours classroom) within the 6 months before endorsement issuance; the clinic completion is valid for only 6 months. Cannot be transferred to another CDL holder under the military skills-test waiver program.
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 Vermont
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 Vermont
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Intrastate
Vermont's CDL manual defines all four FMCSA self-certification categories (NI, NA, EI, EA) and requires NI/NA certifiers to file a Medical Examiner's Certificate with DMV; municipal and government employees are exempt from the medical requirement while performing official duties.
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: Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles