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

Requirements verified July 20, 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.

Arkansas splits its CDL program between two agencies: the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services issues the license, while the Arkansas State Police administers the CDL knowledge and skills tests. The process itself is standard — a Commercial Learner's Permit, a 14-day hold while you complete ELDT, then a three-part skills test in a vehicle you supply.

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. Get your Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP). Pass the required knowledge tests: General Knowledge (all applicants); Combination Vehicles (Class A); Air Brakes (if your vehicle has them); Any endorsement tests you need (P, S, H, N, T).
2. Complete ELDT training. For a first Class A/B CDL or a first hazmat, passenger, or school-bus endorsement, you must train with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry. Arkansas relies on the federal FMCSA Training Provider Registry. Your provider reports completion to FMCSA, and Arkansas verifies it against the federal registry before the skills test. There is a DFA Entry-Level Driver Training page, but the exact state verification wording was not captured — treat this as the standard federal-registry reliance. Required since February 7, 2022; drivers who held the relevant credential before that date are grandfathered.
3. Hold your permit 14 days. Federal rules require at least 14 days before the skills test.
4. Pass the skills test. It has 3 parts: Pre-trip vehicle inspection, Basic control skills, On-road driving test. The Arkansas State Police Driver Examination Section administers CDL skills tests at six troop locations (Troop A – Little Rock, B – Newport, G – Hope, I – Harrison, J – Russellville, L – Lowell) by appointment only, with no walk-ins. Certified third-party testers (school districts, educational co-ops, and business entities under agreement) may also administer tests. Schedule online via the State Police portal.
5. Get your CDL issued. Pay the license fee, submit your medical self-certification, and receive your license (valid 5 years). An Arkansas CDL is valid 5 years (raised from a 4-year term by Act 753, effective January 1, 2022). A CDL that has been downgraded or surrendered for one year or more requires retaking all phases of the CDL exam.

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

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 Third-party testing allowed

Arkansas allows approved third-party testers to administer the CDL skills test, which can mean shorter waits than a state office. 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 — including offenses in your personal vehicle. 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.

Full federal detail: CDL disqualifications explained.

Military skills-test waiver

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