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CDL Requirements in Wisconsin

Verified against Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ·

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 →

Wisconsin DOT's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues CDLs on an 8-year cycle bundled with the underlying Class D license, and its knowledge tests are entirely free — DMV charges only for the license/permit issuance itself and for the road/skills tests. Wisconsin calls FMCSA's four self-certification categories 'Tiers of Operation' (Tier 1-4) and requires every commercial driver to file a dedicated tier-certification form (MV3230) in person, separate from the CDL application itself.

Wisconsin's CDL requirements — including a $30 commercial learner permit fee and an intrastate minimum age of 18 — are verified against Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (see Wisconsin DOT DMV — Commercial Driver License (CDL) Requirements), current as of 2026-07-25.

Wisconsin CDL Requirements at a Glance

This is the fee, age, and testing detail for Wisconsinspecifically — 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.

CLP, age, fee, renewal, and testing requirements for a commercial driver’s license in Wisconsin
Commercial learner’s permit (CLP)
CLP fee$30
Minimum holding period before skills test14 days
CLP validity6 months
Age minimums
Intrastate minimum age18
Interstate minimum age21 (federal floor)
Fees
Application fee—
Initial CDL fee$74
Renewal fee$74
Renewal period8 years (includes Class D)
Knowledge test fee$0
Skills test fee$150
Testing rules
Third-party testers allowedYes
Retest waiting period2 days

Other published fees

  • Original CDL (Class A, B, C) — prorated to time remaining on existing WI driver license: $74
  • Class upgrade (one or more classes): $15
  • Endorsement upgrade (each), plus a separate issuance fee: $5
  • Endorsement-upgrade issuance fee: $10
  • School bus (S) endorsement, added for the first time: $10
  • School bus (S) endorsement, renewing an existing S or transferring one from another state: $5
  • Hazardous Materials (HME) endorsement, payable to DMV: $67.25
  • Hazardous Materials (HME) endorsement, if done together with a CDL renewal: $57.25
  • HME fingerprinting fee, payable directly to Fieldprint (not DMV): $23.75
  • Duplicate CDL: $14
  • Lifting the 'no interstate commerce' or 'no air brakes' restriction: $14

Valid 180 days and renewable. Applicant must hold a valid Class D license, pass the applicable knowledge test(s), and hold the CLP 14 days before taking a road/skills test. A CLP holder under 21 without a federal medical card is restricted to intrastate-only (or intrastate excepted-industry) operation.

A CLP or CDL holder under 21 may not operate in interstate commerce and is restricted to intrastate operation until 21, matching the federal floor exactly; Wisconsin states this explicitly as a CLP condition rather than leaving it implicit.

All CDL knowledge tests are free, walk-in (no appointment needed), and take roughly 1-1.5 hours; a passing score is 80%+ and an applicant need only retake the section(s) failed. Skills tests are performed by DOT-authorized third-party examiners under a state fee cap ($150 for the full pre-trip/basic-control/road test when done in one sitting, $50 per section if split, $50 for an abbreviated school-bus test) rather than a DMV-set flat price; examiners may charge less. A driver who fails a skills-test component faces a minimum 2-day waiting period before retesting.

Wisconsin CDL Endorsements

Hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, passenger, and school bus endorsement availability, fees, and testing in Wisconsin
EndorsementAvailableFeeKnowledge testSkills test
Hazardous materials (H)Yes$67.25YesNo
Tank vehicle (N)Yes—YesNo
Doubles/triples (T)Yes—YesNo
Passenger (P)Yes—YesYes
School bus (S)Yes$10YesYes

Hazardous materials: Fee is $57.25 if done together with a CDL renewal; a separate $23.75 fingerprinting fee is paid directly to Wisconsin's designated vendor, Fieldprint, not to DMV. A first-time H applicant must be fingerprinted at a Fieldprint location within 7 days of passing the H knowledge test.

Tank vehicle: Tank Vehicles Knowledge Test; DMV's fee pages do not itemize a separate dollar fee beyond the standard class/endorsement issuance fees.

Doubles/triples: Doubles and Triples Knowledge Test; DMV's fee pages do not itemize a separate dollar fee beyond the standard class/endorsement issuance fees.

Passenger: Passenger Transport Knowledge Test plus a driving skills test performed in a 'Passenger Bus' type vehicle when originally issued.

School bus: Fee is $10 when adding S for the first time, or $5 (plus the underlying CDL fee) when renewing an existing S or transferring one from another state. Requires a knowledge test, road-signs test, vision test, and skills test performed in a school-bus-type vehicle at both original issuance and every renewal. A criminal-history background check runs at original issuance, each renewal, duplicate issuance, and every 4 years; fingerprinting is required only for applicants who have lived in another state within the past two years.

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 Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) administers self-certification for the following FMCSA operating categories:

  • Non-Excepted Interstate
  • Excepted Interstate
  • Non-Excepted Intrastate
  • Excepted Intrastate

Wisconsin brands the four FMCSA categories as 'Tiers of Operation': Tier 1 (NI), Tier 2 (EI), Tier 3 (NA), Tier 4 (EA). All commercial drivers must certify their tier in person on Form MV3230; any change in tier requires paying for a duplicate CDL, and Tier 1/3 (non-excepted) drivers without a valid medical certificate on file have their CDL classes/endorsements surrendered until one is reported.

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: Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)