CDL Requirements: What You Need to Get a CDL

The short answer

To get a commercial driver's license you need to be old enough, be medically certified, complete entry-level driver training with a registered provider, pass the knowledge tests to earn a commercial learner's permit, hold that permit for at least 14 days, then pass the skills test in a vehicle representing the class you want.

Those steps come from federal regulation, so they apply everywhere. What changes from state to state is the fee, the waiting times at the testing office, and whether the state licenses younger drivers for intrastate work. Arizona Motor Vehicle Division decides those.

How old you have to be

Federal rules set 21 as the minimum age to drive a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce, meaning across state lines or carrying freight that is part of an interstate trip. Most states license drivers at 18 for intrastate work, which stays inside one state's borders.

A commercial learner's permit holder must be at least 18 under 49 CFR 383.25. If you are under 21, ask Arizona Motor Vehicle Division exactly what an intrastate license lets you haul before you pay for training, because the restriction is on the work and not just on the license.

Medical certification

You must be examined by a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry and be issued a medical examiner's certificate. You then tell your state which category of driving you do, which is called self-certification, and the state records your medical status against your license.

Let the certificate lapse and the state downgrades your CDL, which is the single most common way working drivers lose their license without committing any offense at all.

Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)

If this is your first CDL, an upgrade from Class B to Class A, or your first P, S or H endorsement, you must complete ELDT with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before you are allowed to take the test. Theory and behind-the-wheel training are both required, except for HazMat, which is theory only.

ELDT is training, not a test you can study your way out of. Study material gets you through the knowledge exam; it does not satisfy ELDT.

The commercial learner's permit

The CLP is the step most people underestimate. You pass the General Knowledge test, plus the knowledge test for any endorsement you want on the permit, and the state issues a permit that is a separate document from your license.

You must be 18 or older

And hold a regular driver's license issued by the same state that issues the permit (49 CFR 383.25).

You cannot drive alone

A CDL holder with the right class and endorsements must be in the front seat beside you, or in the first row behind you in a bus, with you under direct observation.

It lasts up to one year

A CLP is valid for no more than one year from the date it was first issued without retaking the knowledge tests.

14 days before the skills test

You are not eligible to take the skills test in the first 14 days after the permit is first issued.

Only three endorsements

P, S and N are the only endorsements allowed on a permit, each with limits, and you may not haul hazardous materials on a CLP at all.

The knowledge tests

Everyone takes General Knowledge. Beyond that you take a test for each endorsement you want and for Combination Vehicles if you are going for Class A. Air Brakes is not an endorsement: it is a restriction that stays on your license until you pass that test, and it bars you from every air braked vehicle while it is there.

The pass mark is 80% on each test. The questions come from your state's CDL manual, which is why studying the manual rather than a question dump is what makes the difference.

The skills test

The skills test has three parts: a pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic control maneuvers on a range, and an on-road drive. You supply the vehicle, and the vehicle you bring decides what your license lets you drive afterwards.

Test in an automatic and you get an automatic restriction. Test in a truck with air over hydraulic brakes and you are barred from full air brake systems. Test a Class A combination joined by a pintle hook rather than a fifth wheel and you are restricted from tractor-trailers.

What can stop you

Certain convictions disqualify you from holding a CDL, including some committed in your own car. A DUI, refusing a test, leaving the scene or using a vehicle to commit a felony carries a minimum one year disqualification on a first conviction, and a second conviction for any of them is a lifetime disqualification.

Study for the knowledge tests

Practice tests, study guides rebuilt from the state CDL manual, and narrated audio. 120 days of access, extendable to 180 or 365

No subscription. If more time is needed, it’s your choice.

Questions people ask