How many places can you take the CDL skills test?

The state lists we loaded name 3,992 locations across the 50 states, including third-party examiners. States publish these lists differently, so the count is a floor, not a ceiling.

Which state has the most CDL test sites per person?

South Dakota with 56.7 per million residents, followed by Nebraska and Missouri.

Can I take the CDL skills test in another state?

Yes. 49 CFR 383.79 lets a state administer the skills test to a driver who will be licensed elsewhere and send the result electronically to the licensing state.

Why do some states show so few sites?

Because their agency publishes only its own testing locations, or a list that could not be loaded. The directory page for each state says which list its entries come from.

CDL Test Sites by State: Where the Skills Test Is Easiest and…

By Vadym Starynets, editor and publisher · Computed 2026-09-28 from state DMV test site lists, the Training Provider Registry and Census estimates (2025) · How we work

State licensing agencies and their approved third-party examiners run 3,992 CDL skills test locations in the 50 states, 11.7 per million residents. South Dakota has 56.7 per million; Hawaii has 2.1. Set against the 4,119 registered training providers, the country has about 1.0 schools per test site, but in Oklahoma the figure is 10.3.

What was counted

Each state licensing agency publishes where the CDL skills test can be taken: its own sites, and third-party testers (schools, carriers and community colleges) approved under 49 CFR 383.75. We loaded every published list and counted locations by state. States differ in what they publish: some list every third-party examiner, some only agency sites, and a few list nothing usable, so a low count can mean few sites or an incomplete list. The state pages of the CDL testing directory say which list each state's entries come from.

Test sites per million residents

The plains and mountain states lead, as they do for schools: South Dakota (56.7), Nebraska (55.0), Missouri (52.1), Wyoming (49.3), Montana (41.1), Kansas (38.6). The thinnest published coverage: Hawaii (2.1), Oklahoma (2.4), New Jersey (2.9), Maryland (3.7), Illinois (3.8), Delaware (3.8).

#	State	Test locations	Population 2025	Per million residents
1	South Dakota	53	935,094	56.7
2	Nebraska	111	2,018,006	55.0
3	Missouri	327	6,270,541	52.1
4	Wyoming	29	588,753	49.3
5	Montana	47	1,144,694	41.1
6	Kansas	115	2,977,220	38.6
7	New Mexico	77	2,125,498	36.2
8	North Dakota	26	799,358	32.5
9	Oregon	130	4,273,586	30.4
10	Louisiana	116	4,618,189	25.1
11	Wisconsin	141	5,972,787	23.6
12	Idaho	47	2,029,733	23.2
13	Alaska	16	737,270	21.7
14	Vermont	14	644,663	21.7
15	Ohio	244	11,900,510	20.5
16	Indiana	140	6,973,333	20.1
17	Colorado	110	6,012,561	18.3
18	Arizona	135	7,623,818	17.7
19	Minnesota	89	5,830,405	15.3
20	Utah	52	3,538,904	14.7
21	West Virginia	25	1,766,147	14.2
22	Alabama	71	5,193,088	13.7
23	New Hampshire	17	1,415,342	12.0
24	Iowa	38	3,238,387	11.7
25	South Carolina	65	5,570,274	11.7
26	Florida	269	23,462,518	11.5
27	Mississippi	32	2,954,160	10.8
28	North Carolina	116	11,197,968	10.4
29	Arkansas	30	3,114,791	9.6
30	New York	188	20,002,427	9.4
31	Tennessee	68	7,315,076	9.3
32	Maine	13	1,414,874	9.2
33	Washington	74	8,001,020	9.2
34	Virginia	81	8,880,107	9.1
35	Georgia	94	11,302,748	8.3
36	Texas	256	31,709,821	8.1
37	Kentucky	35	4,606,864	7.6
38	Pennsylvania	89	13,059,432	6.8
39	California	187	39,355,309	4.8
40	Michigan	48	10,127,884	4.7
41	Rhode Island	5	1,114,521	4.5
42	Massachusetts	29	7,154,084	4.1
43	Nevada	13	3,282,188	4.0
44	Connecticut	14	3,688,496	3.8
45	Delaware	4	1,059,952	3.8
46	Illinois	48	12,719,141	3.8
47	Maryland	23	6,265,347	3.7
48	New Jersey	28	9,548,215	2.9
49	Oklahoma	10	4,123,288	2.4
50	Hawaii	3	1,432,820	2.1

Schools per test site

A second way to read the numbers is how many registered training providers share each test location. Where the ratio is high, a school's students queue with those of many other schools for the same examiners: Oklahoma (10.3), Hawaii (10.0), New Jersey (6.8), Delaware (4.0), Mississippi (3.7). Where it is below one, there are more test locations than schools, usually because the state lists many third-party examiners or agency sites: Ohio (0.2), Missouri (0.3), Oregon (0.4), Kansas (0.4), Florida (0.4).

#	State	Test locations	Registered schools	Schools per test site
1	Oklahoma	10	103	10.3
2	Hawaii	3	30	10.0
3	New Jersey	28	191	6.8
4	Delaware	4	16	4.0
5	Mississippi	32	117	3.7
6	Maryland	23	79	3.4
7	Maine	13	43	3.3
8	California	187	478	2.6
9	Illinois	48	126	2.6
10	Kentucky	35	85	2.4
11	Arkansas	30	62	2.1
12	Nevada	13	26	2.0
13	West Virginia	25	44	1.8
14	Washington	74	129	1.7
15	Montana	47	73	1.6
16	Iowa	38	58	1.5
17	Pennsylvania	89	136	1.5
18	Texas	256	354	1.4
19	Connecticut	14	18	1.3
20	Tennessee	68	88	1.3
21	Utah	52	70	1.3
22	Indiana	140	173	1.2
23	North Dakota	26	31	1.2
24	Massachusetts	29	33	1.1
25	Michigan	48	52	1.1
26	New Hampshire	17	19	1.1
27	Alabama	71	74	1.0
28	Georgia	94	92	1.0
29	Virginia	81	85	1.0
30	Vermont	14	12	0.9
31	Alaska	16	12	0.8
32	Idaho	47	38	0.8
33	New York	188	159	0.8
34	Rhode Island	5	4	0.8
35	Louisiana	116	81	0.7
36	New Mexico	77	55	0.7
37	North Carolina	116	83	0.7
38	South Dakota	53	35	0.7
39	Wyoming	29	21	0.7
40	Arizona	135	76	0.6
41	Colorado	110	64	0.6
42	Minnesota	89	53	0.6
43	South Carolina	65	36	0.6
44	Nebraska	111	52	0.5
45	Wisconsin	141	68	0.5
46	Florida	269	114	0.4
47	Kansas	115	51	0.4
48	Oregon	130	53	0.4
49	Missouri	327	109	0.3
50	Ohio	244	58	0.2

Why it matters

The skills test is the last gate before a CDL. Under 49 CFR 383.79 a driver may take it in a state other than the one that will issue the license, and the results are sent electronically, so a candidate in a state with few sites can cross a border. The test itself, its three parts and scoring, is on the CDL skills test page; the practice tests for the knowledge exams that come first are at CDL practice tests.

Method and reuse

Sources: state licensing agency CDL test site lists (named on each state's directory page); FMCSA Training Provider Registry; Census Bureau NST-EST2025. Computed 2026-09-28. The ranking may be reproduced with attribution to DriverComply and a link to this page.

CDL test sites by state: where the skills test is easiest to reach

What was counted

Test sites per million residents

Schools per test site

Why it matters

Method and reuse

Questions

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