To get a CDL you pass a general knowledge test to get a commercial learner’s permit, hold that permit for at least 14 days, complete entry-level driver training from a provider on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, and then pass a three-part skills test in a vehicle of the class you want. If you will drive across state lines you also need a DOT medical certificate and must be at least 21. Every one of those steps is set in federal rules that all states apply, mainly 49 CFR 383.71, 383.25 and Part 380 Subpart F. This page walks through them in order and links to the detailed guide for each step.
Step 0: decide which CDL you need
A CDL is required for a commercial motor vehicle as defined in 49 CFR 383.5: a combination with a gross combination weight rating (or actual weight) of 26,001 pounds or more towing a unit over 10,000 pounds (Class A), a single vehicle rated or weighing 26,001 pounds or more (Class B), or a smaller vehicle designed for 16 or more people including the driver, or carrying placarded hazardous materials (Class C). Whether a given truck, trailer, RV or bus needs one is its own question, answered on the do you need a CDL page. What each class allows, and the endorsements and restriction codes, are on the classes and endorsements page.
The class matters before you start, because the training, the permit test and the skills test vehicle all follow from it. Under 383.91(c) a Class A license also covers Class B and C vehicles, so most people aiming at over-the-road work train for Class A. And the vehicle you test in decides your restrictions: an automatic transmission adds the E restriction, a vehicle without full air brakes adds L or Z (383.95).
The requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Rule | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| Age 18 for a learner’s permit | Proof of age required | 383.71(a)(1) |
| Age 21 to drive in interstate commerce | General driver qualification | 391.11(b)(1) |
| English | Read and speak it well enough to talk with the public, read signs, answer officials and fill in records | 391.11(b)(2); skills test in English, 383.133(c)(5) |
| One license only | No CMV driver may hold more than one license | 383.21 |
| State of domicile | Apply where you have your permanent home; bring proof | 383.71(a)(6), (b)(10) |
| Citizenship or lawful permanent residence | Documents listed in Table 1 to 383.71 | 383.71(a)(5), (b)(9) |
| 10-year driving history | List every state that licensed you in the last 10 years | 383.71(a)(7), (b)(7) |
| No disqualification | Certify you are not disqualified under 383.51 or state law | 383.71(a)(3), (b)(5) |
| Medical certification | Only if you self-certify as non-excepted interstate | 383.71(b)(1), (h) |
| Entry-level driver training | From a registered provider, before the skills test | 383.71(a)(10), (b)(11); Part 380 Subpart F |
Step 1: the medical exam and self-certification
Every applicant must tell the state which of four kinds of driving they will do (383.71(b)(1)): non-excepted interstate, excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate or excepted intrastate. Most people applying for truck-driving jobs pick non-excepted interstate, and that choice brings a medical requirement. Under 383.71(h)(1)(ii), since 23 June 2025 a new permit or CDL applicant in that category must be examined and certified by a medical examiner on FMCSA’s National Registry, and the state posts the status once it receives the certificate electronically from FMCSA.
Do the physical before the permit test so the state can see it. The four categories, how the certificate now reaches the state and what happens when it lapses are covered on the CDL medical card page; the physical standards themselves are on the DOT physical requirements page. Certified examiners are listed by town in the DOT physical directory.
Step 2: the knowledge tests and the learner’s permit
A commercial learner’s permit (CLP) is not optional. 383.25(d) makes it a precondition to the first CDL and to any upgrade that needs a skills test. To get one, 383.71(a) requires you to be 18, pass the general knowledge test for the vehicle group, and pass the endorsement knowledge test for any P, S or N endorsement you want on the permit.
- Pass mark: 80 percent on each knowledge test (383.135(a)(1)). Failing the air brake test still allows a permit, with the L restriction; failing the combination vehicle test means no Class A (383.135(a)(2) and (3)).
- Language: knowledge tests may be given in a foreign language as long as no interpreter is used (383.133(b)(3)).
- Record checks: before issuing the permit the state checks your driving record (383.73(a)(2)) and, since 18 November 2024, queries the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. If the Clearinghouse shows you are prohibited from driving a CMV, the state must not issue the permit (383.73(a)(8)).
- Validity: a permit may be valid for no more than one year from initial issuance without retaking the knowledge tests (383.73(a)(3)).
The permit’s conditions, who must ride with you and which endorsements it can carry are on the learner’s permit page. Practice questions for each knowledge test are in the CDL practice test, including the general knowledge, air brakes and combination vehicles sections.
Step 3: entry-level driver training
Since 7 February 2022, a first-time Class A or Class B applicant, or someone upgrading to one, must complete entry-level driver training from a provider listed on the Training Provider Registry before taking the skills test (383.71(a)(10), (b)(11); 380.609(a)). The same applies to a first P or S endorsement, and to a first H endorsement before its knowledge test.
Three points from Part 380 decide how this step goes:
- No minimum hours. The curricula in Appendices A and B to Part 380 state that there is no required minimum number of instruction hours for theory or for behind-the-wheel training. The instructor must cover every topic and decide when you are proficient.
- 80 percent on theory. 380.715(a) requires an overall minimum score of 80 percent on the theory assessment.
- Reporting. The provider must report your completion through the Registry by midnight of the second business day after you finish (380.717). The state cannot test you until it sees that record.
Who is exempt, the one-year window for finishing both parts, and splitting theory and driving between two schools are covered in the ELDT guide; checking that a school is listed is covered in the Training Provider Registry guide. Schools are listed by state and town in the CDL training directory.
Step 4: the skills test
The earliest date is set by 383.25(e): a permit holder is not eligible for the skills test in the first 14 days after the permit is first issued. The test has three segments in a fixed order, pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control and on-road driving (383.133(c)(6)), and failing one ends the test. Passed segments count only during the permit’s initial issuance, so a renewed permit means retaking all three. The test must be taken in a vehicle representative of the class you want, judged by its rating, not its actual weight (383.133(c)(3)). What examiners score in each segment is on the skills test page. State and third-party test sites are in the CDL testing directory.
Step 5: the license itself
Before issuing the CDL, the state repeats the record checks, including a check of the national CDL system and of the Problem Driver Pointer System for a non-commercial license disqualified for cause in the previous three years (383.73(b)(3)), and confirms that a non-excepted interstate driver’s medical status is "certified" (383.73(b)(3)(v)). You surrender your regular license and permit (383.71(b)(6)). The CDL may be valid for no more than 8 years from issuance (383.73(b)(9)).
Adding a hazardous materials endorsement adds a TSA security threat assessment (383.71(b)(8)), covered on the hazmat background check page; enrollment centers are in the TSA enrollment directory.
How long it takes
The only fixed federal waiting period is the 14 days between the permit and the skills test. Everything else depends on scheduling: when the state can give you a knowledge test, how quickly your school gets you through the curriculum, and when a skills test slot is free. Because Part 380 sets no minimum hours, a full-time school program and a part-time evening program cover the same curriculum at different speeds. Class A and Class B follow the same steps; Class A usually takes longer only because the combination vehicle adds material and backing practice.
Example: a Class A timeline
Example, applying the rules above. A 22-year-old wants a Class A to drive for an interstate carrier.
- Week 1: DOT physical with a registered examiner; the certificate goes to FMCSA and on to the state electronically. Online ELDT theory with a registered provider, finished with an 80 percent assessment score.
- Week 2: general knowledge, air brake and combination vehicle tests at the state office, 80 percent on each. Permit issued on day 8.
- Weeks 2 to 4: behind-the-wheel range and road training with one registered provider (range and road must come from the same provider under 380.707(c)).
- Day 23 or later: skills test. A permit issued on day 8 makes days 9 to 22 the first 14 days after issuance, so day 23 is the first date the 14-day rule allows, and only if the school has already filed the completion record.
If the same driver finished theory in January but could not start driving until the following February, the one-year window in 380.603(c)(3) would have closed and theory would have to be redone.
What it costs
No federal rule sets any of these prices, and they vary by state and by school, so this page gives the items rather than invented averages:
- State fees: the permit application and knowledge tests, the skills test (and any retest), and the license itself. Your state licensing agency publishes them.
- Training: tuition for theory and behind-the-wheel training, which is usually the largest cost. Theory can be bought separately from driving.
- The DOT physical: charged by the clinic.
- Test vehicle: if you do not test through your school, you must provide a representative vehicle.
- Endorsements: each has its own knowledge test; the H endorsement adds the TSA assessment fee.
Free and paid training
Some carriers pay for training in exchange for a period of employment, and some pay trainees while they train. None of that is regulated by FMCSA: it is a contract between you and the company. Two things do not change with who pays. The training must still come from a provider on the Registry, and the provider, not the carrier, reports your completion. Read the repayment terms before signing, including what happens if you leave early.
Can you get a CDL without going to school?
Not for a first Class A or B. Since February 2022 the training requirement in 380.609 applies to every first-time Class A or B applicant, except the groups exempted in 380.603(a): drivers the state exempts from the CDL rules under 383.3(c), (d) and (h), restricted CDL applicants, qualifying military drivers, and drivers removing a restriction. "School" can be a carrier’s in-house program, a community college or an online theory course plus a separate driving provider, as long as each is on the Registry.
Can you get a CDL at 18?
You can get the permit and the license at 18 under the federal licensing rules (383.71(a)(1)). What you cannot do under 21 is drive a CMV in interstate commerce for a carrier subject to Part 391, because 391.11(b)(1) sets the qualification age at 21. An 18-year-old CDL holder can drive intrastate where the state allows it. The state decides its own intrastate age.
Veterans and service members
383.77 lets a state waive tests for people with military driving experience:
- Knowledge test waiver (383.77(a)): for a current or former service member who, in the year before applying, was regularly employed in one of eight listed positions, such as Army 88M Motor Transport Operator or Marine Corps 3531 Motor Vehicle Operator, and has a clean record as defined in the paragraph.
- Skills test waiver (383.77(b)): for a currently licensed applicant who is or was regularly employed within the last year in a military position requiring CMV operation, and who drove a representative vehicle for at least the 2 years immediately before leaving the military, with a clean 2-year record.
- Endorsements (383.77(c)): the P, N and H knowledge tests (and the P skills test) can also be waived on similar conditions; the H endorsement still needs the TSA assessment.
The waivers are at the state’s discretion. A service member who qualifies for the skills test waiver is also outside the ELDT requirement under 380.603(a)(3).
Common mistakes
- Testing in the wrong truck. An automatic or a vehicle without full air brakes puts a restriction on the license that costs another test to remove.
- Choosing the wrong self-certification. Picking intrastate to avoid the physical, then taking an interstate job, leaves you unqualified until you recertify and are medically certified.
- Letting the permit renew. Passed skills test segments die with the first permit.
- Booking the test before training is reported. The 380.717 deadline is the provider’s, but the missed test date is yours.
- Ignoring an old suspension. The state looks at 10 years of records from every state. See CDL with a DUI or felony if your record has something on it.