How to get a CDL, step by step
Medical certificate, learner's permit, entry-level training, the 14-day wait and the skills test, in the order you will do them.
Getting a commercial driver's license involves a federal medical certificate, a learner's permit, registered training and a three-part skills test, and the steps have to happen in a certain order. Your state's licensing agency runs the process and sets the fees, but the core requirements are federal and the same everywhere. Here is the sequence for a first-time Class A or Class B applicant.
1. Check that you are eligible
- Age. You must be at least 18 to hold a commercial learner's permit (49 CFR 383.25). To drive a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce you must be at least 21 (49 CFR 391.11); drivers under 21 can generally drive only within their state.
- English. Federal driver qualification rules require that a driver can read and speak English well enough to talk with the public, understand road signs, respond to official questions and fill in reports (49 CFR 391.11).
- Driving record. Your state will check your driving record from every state where you have been licensed. Certain offenses disqualify you from holding a CDL for set periods.
- Drug and alcohol record. Since November 18, 2024, state licensing agencies must check FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before issuing a CLP or CDL, and must not issue one to a driver the Clearinghouse shows as prohibited from driving (49 CFR 383.73).
2. Get a DOT medical certificate
You need to pass a physical exam by a medical examiner listed on FMCSA's National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The certificate is good for up to 24 months (49 CFR 391.45), and the examiner can issue it for a shorter time if you have a condition that needs monitoring. Your state needs your medical status before it issues the permit.
3. Pass the knowledge tests and get your CLP
The commercial learner's permit (CLP) lets you practice driving a commercial vehicle on public roads with a qualified CDL holder beside you. To get it, pass the general knowledge test for the class you want, plus any endorsement tests you want on the permit. Only the passenger, school bus and tank endorsements can go on a CLP (49 CFR 383.93). Many applicants also take the air brakes and combination vehicles tests at this stage. A CLP is valid for no more than one year from issuance without retaking the knowledge tests (49 CFR 383.25(c)).
Training providers must check that you hold a valid CLP before you start behind-the-wheel training (49 CFR 380.707), so get the permit first, even if a school lets you start the classroom part earlier.
4. Complete entry-level driver training
Take your training with a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. The theory portion ends with a written assessment on which you need an overall score of at least 80 percent (49 CFR 380.715). For behind-the-wheel training, the instructor must document that you can perform every skill in the curriculum on a range and on public roads; there is no minimum number of hours. When you finish, the provider must report your completion to the registry by midnight of the second business day (49 CFR 380.717). Ask the school to confirm the upload, because the state will look for it before you test.
5. Wait out the 14 days
You cannot take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after your CLP is first issued (49 CFR 383.25(e)). Most training programs take longer than that anyway, but if you are doing an accelerated course, plan the dates around it.
6. Take the skills test
The skills test has three parts, taken in a vehicle that represents the class you want (49 CFR 383.113):
- Pre-trip vehicle inspection. You identify the safety-related parts of the vehicle and explain what you are checking, including air brake checks if the vehicle has air brakes.
- Basic vehicle control. Backing and maneuvering exercises in a test area.
- On-road driving. A drive in traffic covering turns, intersections, lane changes, railroad crossings and other situations.
The vehicle matters. Testing in an automatic leads to a "no manual transmission" restriction, and testing without full air brakes leads to an air brake restriction (49 CFR 383.95). Many schools provide the truck for the test; confirm whether the fee is included.
7. Add endorsements
- Passenger and school bus: need ELDT for that endorsement and a skills test in a bus; the school bus endorsement also requires the passenger endorsement.
- Hazardous materials: needs hazmat ELDT theory, the hazmat knowledge test and a Transportation Security Administration security threat assessment, which includes fingerprinting (49 CFR 383.141).
- Tank and doubles/triples: knowledge tests only, with no ELDT requirement.
8. Keep it current
Once licensed, keep your medical certificate current and filed with your state, or your CDL can be downgraded. Employers will put you through a pre-employment drug test and a Clearinghouse query, and interstate carriers check your driving record every year.
If you were a military driver
States may waive the knowledge test, the skills test or both for current and recently separated service members who regularly drove military trucks in certain specialties within the past year (49 CFR 383.77). Ask your state licensing agency about its military waiver program before you pay for training you may not need.
Where this site fits
Use this directory at step 4. Every school listed was an active, publicly enrolling, in-person location on FMCSA's registry on the date shown, and each profile shows which classes and endorsements it is registered for and whether it offers range and public-road driving. Confirm the registration on the TPR and get a written quote before you enroll.
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.