CDL Requirements in Arkansas (2026): Steps, Cost & Testing

Source review dated October 12, 2026 against Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services

Arkansas licenses CDLs through the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services, but the Arkansas State Police administers the CDL knowledge and skills tests at six troop locations (or through certified third-party testers). You get a Commercial Learner's Permit, hold it at least 14 days while completing ELDT, then pass a three-part skills test in a vehicle you supply. The CDL fee is $50 for a 5-year license.

This guide combines federal rules with dated state research. Read the review notes before paying fees or booking a test.

State Police skills testing is by appointment only at six troop locations (Little Rock, Newport, Hope, Harrison, Russellville, and Lowell), and certified third-party testers — including some truck-driving schools — can also administer the test. You must bring a compliant commercial vehicle with a current DOT inspection sticker and wheel chocks, or the test won't be given.

The confirmed state cost is $50 for a 5-year CDL license (raised from $40/4-year by Act 753 in 2022). Knowledge and skills test fees are commonly cited around $50 each but aren't published on a loadable official page, so confirm them with the State Police. A useful Arkansas quirk: a 60-day grace period after your DOT medical card expires before the CDL is downgraded.

Eligibility and documents in Arkansas

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• A valid Arkansas driver license
• Your Commercial Learner's Permit
• Completed CDL-1 form(s)
• Proof of legal presence
• The test vehicle with a valid DOT inspection sticker (less than 1 year old) and wheel chocks
• Medical self-certification and, if your category requires it, a current DOT medical certificate

How to get your CDL: step by step

1. 1

   Check eligibility, documents, and medical qualification

   Choose the CDL class and endorsements for your vehicle. Hold the required regular license and bring Arkansas 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.

2. 2

   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.

3. 3

   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.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   Complete issuance and maintain your qualifications

   Pay the applicable Arkansas 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.

Medical certification in Arkansas

Self-certify your operating category with every license transaction — in person at any local revenue office, by email to Driver Services, by mail, or online through myDMV. Under the federal National Registry II rule (effective June 23, 2025), certified medical examiners transmit the medical card electronically to the state; the DFA medical page still lists manual submission channels as fallbacks.

If your card lapses: Arkansas gives a 60-day grace period: failure to obtain a new medical card within 60 days after expiration results in a downgrade of your CDL.

Every CDL holder must self-certify one operating category. The categories offered here:

• NI — Non-excepted Interstate (medical card required)
• EI — Excepted Interstate
• NA — Non-excepted Intrastate (medical card required)
• EA — Excepted Intrastate

New to the DOT physical? See our DOT physical guide and CDL medical card explainer.

What a CDL costs in Arkansas

These are separate transaction types, not charges that every applicant pays. Renewal, replacement, endorsement, and retest fees are alternatives or extras. Amounts are from the dated research; check current official fees before paying.

The confirmed official cost is the $50 CDL license (5-year). Knowledge and skills test fees (cited around $50 each) could not be confirmed on a directly loadable official page because the State Police scheduling site renders via JavaScript — confirm both with Arkansas State Police Driver Examination. Add ELDT tuition, a DOT physical, and — for hazmat — the federal TSA fee.

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in Arkansas

Testing access: State / approved third parties. Official testing instructions.

Arkansas allows approved third-party testers to administer the CDL skills test, with availability and fees set by the provider. Official wait-time data is not published. Certified third-party testers, including truck-driving schools, can offer additional scheduling options.

Your test vehicle: You must provide a properly functioning commercial vehicle with an empty trailer/tank, a valid DOT inspection sticker (under 1 year), working safety lights, and wheel chocks. If any required item is missing at the appointment, no test is given.

Endorsements available in Arkansas

Arkansas offers the standard federal endorsements. Adding one usually means an extra knowledge test (and a skills test for passenger and school bus). Tap an endorsement for the full federal process and cost:

• HHazmat — Requires the hazmat knowledge test plus the TSA Security Threat Assessment. Arkansas is not a TSA self-managed state, so fingerprinting is done through TSA/IdentoGO (the DFA endorsements page lists the knowledge test but not the TSA process — federal baseline applies).
• NTanker — Tank (knowledge test).
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined tank + hazmat (both tank and hazmat knowledge tests).
• PPassenger — Passenger (knowledge test + skills test); ELDT for first-timers.
• SSchool Bus — School bus (knowledge test + skills test in a school bus); ELDT for first-timers.
• TDoubles/Triples — Double/triple trailers (knowledge test).

CDL disqualifications

Disqualifying offenses are set by federal law (49 CFR 383.51) and apply in every state. Some also apply in a personal vehicle; vehicle-specific conditions matter. Arkansas applies the federal 49 CFR 383.51 disqualifications. State-specific points: a 60-day grace period after medical-card expiration before a CDL downgrade, and a requirement to retake all phases of the CDL exam if the CDL has been downgraded or surrendered for one year or more.

The offenses that trigger a disqualification, the length of each, and the federal exceptions are listed once in our CDL disqualifications guide instead of repeating the table here. Check the review notes for any Arkansas-specific additions we could not confirm.

Military skills-test waiver

Check the temporary July 30–October 29, 2026 federal eligibility extension and ask the state whether it participates.

Arkansas offers a Military Skills Test Waiver (Application for Military Skills Test Waiver, form CDL-SK TST WVR) for service members currently licensed and employed within the past 12 months in a military position operating a CMV-equivalent vehicle. Knowledge tests cannot be waived, and School bus (S) and Passenger (P) endorsements cannot be transferred through the waiver.

Arkansas CDL FAQ