Class A vs. Class B CDL, and the P, S and H endorsements
What each CDL class lets you drive, which endorsements need entry-level training, and how the truck you test in can restrict your license.
Before you compare CDL schools, decide which license you actually need. The class of CDL and the endorsements on it determine which vehicles you can drive, which jobs you can apply for, and which entry-level driver training (ELDT) program you must complete. The definitions below come from the federal rules in 49 CFR Part 383, which every state applies.
The three CDL classes
Federal rules sort commercial vehicles into three groups (49 CFR 383.91):
- Class A (combination vehicles): any combination with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle being towed is rated over 10,000 pounds. This is the tractor-trailer license used for over-the-road, regional and most local freight jobs, as well as flatbed, tanker and livestock hauling.
- Class B (heavy straight vehicles): any single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing something rated 10,000 pounds or less. Think dump trucks, large box trucks, refuse trucks, concrete mixers, and city and school buses.
- Class C (small vehicles): vehicles that are neither A nor B but are designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or are used to haul placarded hazardous materials.
A Class A license covers Class B and C vehicles too, and a Class B covers Class C, as long as you hold the endorsements those vehicles require (49 CFR 383.91(c)). That is why many students go straight for Class A: it opens the most jobs. Class B training is usually shorter and suits people who want local work, often home every night.
Endorsements
Endorsements are added to a CDL for particular kinds of vehicles or cargo (49 CFR 383.93):
- Passenger (P): for vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver. Requires a knowledge test and a skills test.
- School bus (S): requires the passenger endorsement as well, plus a school bus knowledge and skills test covering loading and unloading children, stop arms and emergency evacuation (49 CFR 383.123).
- Hazardous materials (H): a knowledge test, plus a security threat assessment by the Transportation Security Administration before the state may issue the endorsement (49 CFR 383.141).
- Tank vehicle (N) and double/triple trailers (T): knowledge tests only. ELDT does not apply to these two.
Which licenses need entry-level training
ELDT applies to five programs, each with its own federal curriculum in the appendices to Part 380: Class A, Class B, passenger, school bus and hazardous materials. You need it if you are getting a Class A or B CDL for the first time, upgrading from B to A, or getting a P, S or H endorsement for the first time. Class B holders upgrading to Class A may take a shorter theory upgrade curriculum instead of the full theory course.
The hazmat program is theory only; there is no behind-the-wheel part. The other four include both theory and behind-the-wheel training. On each profile on this site, you can see which of the five programs a location is registered to teach, and whether it offers theory, range driving and public-road driving for each.
How your test vehicle can restrict your license
The vehicle you use for the skills test matters, because the state must put restrictions on your CDL based on it (49 CFR 383.95):
- Automatic transmission: if you test in a truck with an automatic, your CDL will say you may not drive a commercial vehicle with a manual transmission (restriction code E). Many fleets now run automatics, but some jobs still need a manual.
- Air brakes: if you fail the air brake part of the knowledge test, or test in a vehicle without air brakes, you will be restricted from driving any vehicle with air brakes (code L). Testing in a vehicle with air-over-hydraulic brakes gives a "no full air brake" restriction (code Z).
- Tractor-trailer: if you take the Class A test in a combination connected by a pintle hook rather than a fifth wheel, you will be restricted from driving fifth-wheel tractor-trailers.
- Passenger vehicles: if you test for the passenger endorsement in a Class B bus, you may not drive passenger vehicles that require a Class A.
Ask every school what equipment you will train and test in. A restriction can be removed later, but only by testing again in the right vehicle.
Picking the right program
- Long-haul or regional freight: Class A. Consider hazmat and tanker endorsements later; many carriers pay more for them.
- Local delivery, construction or waste hauling: usually Class B, sometimes Class A for equipment trailers.
- Transit, motorcoach or charter: Class B (or A for some coaches) with the passenger endorsement.
- School bus: usually Class B with P and S endorsements. Many school districts and contractors train their own drivers privately; this site lists only programs open to the public.
Age and interstate driving
You can get a commercial learner's permit at 18 (49 CFR 383.25), but a driver must be at least 21 to drive a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce under the federal driver qualification rules (49 CFR 391.11). Drivers aged 18 to 20 can generally drive only within their home state, under that state's rules. If you are under 21, ask employers and schools whether their jobs are intrastate.
Once you know the class and endorsements you need, use the category pages on this site to find registered schools near you that are registered to teach that exact program, then compare their registered training types side by side.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on CDL School Check is not a safety rating or recommendation. Federal registration shows a company's authority and filings, not the quality of its service. Check the carrier's current status on the official FMCSA site and read your contract before you book. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.