CDL Requirements by State (2026)
State-by-state CDL steps, costs, and official sources. Find the steps, documents, and official instructions for your state.
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Your route to a CDL
Check eligibility, documents, and medical qualification
Choose the CDL class and endorsements for your vehicle. Hold the required regular license and bring your state identity, residency, and Social Security documents. Self-certify your operating category and complete a DOT physical before the permit if that category requires medical certification.
Pass the knowledge tests and obtain your CLP
Take general knowledge and the vehicle/endorsement tests that apply. ELDT theory may be taken earlier, but federal rules do not require it before the CLP. A first-time hazmat applicant must complete hazmat theory before the hazmat knowledge test; hazmat is not issued on a CLP.
Complete required training and practice during the permit hold
Hold the CLP for at least 14 days before the skills test. Use a qualified supervising driver for public-road practice. First-time Class A/B, B-to-A upgrades, and first-time P/S endorsements require applicable theory and behind-the-wheel ELDT from registered providers. The appropriate CLP is needed for public-road training. State training requirements may add to the federal baseline.
Pass the skills test in the right vehicle
Confirm ELDT completion is recorded, arrange the test and a representative vehicle, then complete vehicle inspection, basic control, and road driving. The vehicle and transmission you test in can restrict your license.
Complete issuance and maintain your qualifications
Pay the applicable your state issuance fees and confirm the correct class, endorsements, restrictions, and expiration. Keep your medical status current when required and follow the agency’s renewal instructions.
Why some rules are the same in every state
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets a national baseline. States may add requirements within that framework:
- ELDT training — required nationwide since Feb 7, 2022 for new CDLs and certain endorsements. How ELDT works →
- The DOT physical and medical certification. The DOT physical →
- Disqualifications — the offenses that cost you your CDL. Disqualifications →
- Endorsements like hazmat (with its TSA background check). Endorsements →
- The 14-day minimum permit hold and the CDL class definitions. CDL classes →
Your state sets the fees, the testing logistics (including whether a third-party school can give your road test), the license term, and the renewal process.
Start here
- How to get a CDL — the full national walkthrough.
- CDL classes: A, B & C — which license you actually need.
- What a CDL costs — fees, training, medical, and endorsements.
- CDL training paths — private school, college, and company-sponsored, compared honestly.
- Free practice test — questions written from the official CDL manual.
Common questions
What do you need to get a CDL?
Start with a regular license, eligibility documents and any required medical qualification, then obtain a CLP through knowledge testing. Complete required ELDT and hold the permit at least 14 days (longer in some states) before the skills test (pre-trip inspection, basic control, and a road test). Fees, testing logistics, and license terms vary by state — pick yours above.
How much does a CDL cost?
Budget separately for state transactions, training, required medical examination, any TSA assessment, and the test vehicle. Tuition ranges on this site are rough planning estimates, not quotes. Company-sponsored programs can involve repayment obligations. Use your state’s itemized fees and actual provider quotes in the CDL planner.
What is ELDT and do I need it?
Entry-Level Driver Training is a federal rule in effect since February 7, 2022. If you’re getting a Class A or B CDL for the first time, upgrading Class B to A, or adding a first hazmat, passenger, or school-bus endorsement, you must train with a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry — or your training won’t count. See our plain-English ELDT guide.
What’s the difference between Class A, B, and C?
Class A covers combination vehicles (like a tractor-trailer) at least 26,001 lb with a towed unit over 10,000 lb. Class B is a single heavy vehicle 26,001 lb or more. Class C covers qualifying smaller vehicles designed for 16 or more occupants including the driver, or placard-required hazmat. A Class A generally lets you drive B and C vehicles too (with the right endorsements).
How old do you have to be?
You can usually get a CDL at 18 to drive within your own state (intrastate). To drive across state lines (interstate) or haul hazardous materials, federal rules require you to be 21.