CDL Requirements in Washington
Verified against Washington State Department of Licensing ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetCDLLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Washington issues the CDL as an endorsement layered onto a standard Washington driver license rather than as a stand-alone credential — an applicant must already hold (or concurrently obtain) a regular WA driver license, and the CDL's cost is a per-year surcharge on top of that license's own fee rather than one flat CDL price. Licensing runs through the Department of Licensing (DOL), which certifies individual, DOL-trained Third-Party Examiners (not just businesses) to administer skills tests, including examiner tracks limited to school-bus-only or transit-passenger-only testing.
Washington's CDL requirements — including a $40 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Washington State Department of Licensing (see Washington DOL — Driver Licensing Fees), current as of 2026-07-25.
Washington CDL Requirements at a Glance
This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Washingtonspecifically — 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 | $40 |
| 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 | — |
| Renewal fee | $163 |
| Renewal period | 6 years (8-year option available for $217 total) — DOL prices the CDL as an add-on to the underlying WA driver license, so this is the combined 'renew license with CDL endorsement' total, not a separate CDL-only charge |
| Knowledge test fee | $35 |
| Skills test fee | — |
| Testing rules | |
| Third-party testers allowed | Yes |
| Retest waiting period | 3 days |
Other published fees
- Add CDL endorsement to an existing WA driver license — flat application portion: $20
- Add CDL endorsement to an existing WA driver license — per year remaining on that license's term: $17
- CDL skills test (DOL examiner or independent Third-Party Examiner): $175
- CDL skills test, primarily for driving a school bus (covers up to 2 attempts with the same examiner): $100
- Transfer an out-of-state CDL to Washington, 6-year cycle, all-in: $213
- Transfer an out-of-state CDL to Washington, 8-year cycle, all-in: $267
- CDL re-qualification after disqualification: $35
- Late renewal fee (more than 60 days past expiration): $10
Set by RCW 46.25.052(8) at a maximum of 180 days, renewable once for one additional 180-day period without retaking the knowledge exams. Washington's supervising-driver rule (WAC 308-100-090) exceeds the federal floor: the accompanying CDL holder must have at least 2 years of driving experience in the class of commercial vehicle being operated and at least 5 years of total driving experience, not merely hold a license valid for that class. RCW 46.25.060 bars DOL from allowing the skills exam during the CLP's first 14 days.
DOL requires applicants to be 18+ and already hold a valid Washington driver license before applying for a CDL; drivers under 21 receive a 'K' restriction limiting them to intrastate operation, the same code used for a Non-Excepted Intrastate self-certification.
Washington's Third-Party Examiner (TPE) program contracts with individual CDL holders (not just businesses) who must have 2+ years driving the class they'll examine and 5+ years total driving experience, carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance plus a $25,000 surety bond, pass a Washington State Patrol/FBI background check, and test at least 10 applicants a year; separate TPE tracks exist for standard testing (all endorsements), school-bus-only testing, and transit passenger-only testing. Knowledge test scores are valid 180 days (extendable another 180 days only if the CLP itself is renewed within 30 days of expiring — double/triple and hazmat knowledge results cannot be extended this way and simply expire in 180 days). Skills test scores are also valid 180 days from the first passed component. If an applicant fails any of the 3 skills-test components, DOL requires a 3-day wait before retesting (waived if the failure was due to vehicle equipment failure), and DOL must wait 24 hours after a full pass before issuing the CDL itself.
Washington CDL Endorsements
| Endorsement | Available | Fee | Knowledge test | Skills test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous materials (H) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Tank vehicle (N) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Doubles/triples (T) | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| Passenger (P) | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| School bus (S) | Yes | $100 | Yes | Yes |
Hazardous materials: A hazmat training-course completion must be on record before DOL will administer the knowledge test. Renewal requires starting the TSA security threat assessment about 90 days before the current HME expires and passing the knowledge test again; a driver who previously held a hazmat endorsement can submit proof of that instead of redoing the training requirement. The hazmat knowledge test's 180-day validity cannot be extended by a CLP renewal the way most other knowledge tests can.
Tank vehicle: Knowledge exam only — no skills test or added training requirement, though the N endorsement must already be on the CLP if the applicant trains or tests in an actual tank vehicle.
Doubles/triples: Washington's T endorsement is labeled 'double and triple trailers' to match the federal knowledge-exam category, but Washington State does not allow triple-trailer combinations on its roads at all — in practice the endorsement only enables legally pulling double trailers in-state. Knowledge exam only, no added skills test or training requirement.
Passenger: Skills test vehicle must be a bus designed to carry 16+ passengers with a GVWR of 26,001+ lbs for a Class B CDL, or 26,000 lbs or less for a Class C CDL. Passing both the passenger and school bus knowledge tests lets an applicant take a single skills test in a school bus and receive both endorsements at once.
School bus: Applies to a school bus of any size, not only large ones. The $100 skills-test fee (versus the standard $175) covers up to 2 attempts with the same examiner and can be taken through an Educational School District examiner, a DOL examiner, or a school-bus-only Third-Party Examiner; the applicant's primary use of the CDL must be driving a school bus to qualify for this reduced fee. A Class C holder who tests in a school bus with a GVWR of 26,001+ lbs is upgraded to Class B.
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 Washington
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.
Washington-specific: Beyond the federal ELDT Training Provider Registry listing, Washington independently registers and authorizes CDL training providers and instructors through its own Professional and Business Licensing Service under WAC 308-100-033 (school training providers) and WAC 308-100-035 (employer training providers) — a state-specific credential, renewed every 2 years, that is separate from federal ELDT registration and predates the federal ELDT rule (Washington's version took effect in 2019).
Self-certification in Washington
Washington State Department of Licensing administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:
- Non-Excepted Interstate
- Excepted Interstate
- Non-Excepted Intrastate
- Excepted Intrastate
DOL frames Non-Excepted Interstate as the most flexible default for drivers unsure what kind of commercial work they'll do, since it allows accepting jobs that cross state lines. A driver who wants to keep a CDL without actively driving commercially can self-certify Excepted Intrastate and carry no medical documents at all; failing to keep required medical documents current on any other category results in a CDL downgrade until current documents are filed.
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.
- Washington issues the CDL as an endorsement added to a standard Washington driver license rather than as a separate credential — an applicant must already hold or concurrently obtain a WA driver license, and CDL costs are a per-year surcharge on top of the regular license fee rather than one flat, separate CDL price.
- Washington's 'double and triple trailers' (T) endorsement keeps the federal exam's name, but Washington does not permit triple-trailer combinations on its own roads at all — the endorsement functions only as a double-trailer authorization in-state.
- As of DOL's live guidance, Washington has stopped processing all non-domicile CDL and CLP transactions (new, renewal, upgrade, duplicate, or replacement) and paused related knowledge and skills testing, with no announced date for resuming.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Washington DOL — Driver Licensing Fees
- RCW 46.25.052 — Commercial Learner's Permit (qualifications, fees, 180-day validity)
- RCW 46.25.060 — CDL Knowledge and Skills Examination (fees, 14-day CLP hold)
- WAC 308-100-090 — Commercial Motor Vehicle Instruction Permits
- Washington DOL — Getting a Commercial Driver License (CDL)
- Washington DOL — Types of CDLs
- Washington DOL — CDL Endorsements and Restrictions
- Washington DOL — CDL Knowledge Test
- Washington DOL — CDL Skills Test
- Washington DOL — Apply to be a CDL Third-Party Examiner
- Washington DOL — Medical Certificates and Self-Certification
- Washington DOL — Renew Your CDL
- Washington DOL — Register as a CDL Training Provider or Instructor
Data last verified: 2026-07-25 (verified by: agent) | Source: Washington State Department of Licensing