CDL Endorsements Explained (2026)

Endorsements are add-ons to your CDL that let you haul specific cargo or drive specific vehicles. Here's every one — what it needs, whether there's a skills test or background check, and what it costs.

Each endorsement in detail

• HHazmat

  The hazmat endorsement lets you haul placarded hazardous materials. It's a knowledge test plus a TSA Security Threat Assessment (fingerprints and a background check), and it must be renewed every 5 years.

• NTanker

  The tanker (N) endorsement lets you haul liquids or gases in bulk. It's a knowledge test only — no skills test and no background check — and it covers the special handling that liquid surge and a high center of gravity demand.

• PPassenger

  The passenger (P) endorsement lets you drive buses and other passenger-carrying commercial vehicles. It's a knowledge test plus a skills test in a passenger vehicle, and first-timers need ELDT training.

• SSchool Bus

  The school bus (S) endorsement lets you drive a school bus. You need the passenger (P) endorsement first, then the school bus knowledge and skills tests — plus ELDT for first-timers and whatever extra checks your state requires.

• TDoubles/Triples

  The doubles/triples (T) endorsement lets you pull double or triple trailers. It's a knowledge test only, focused on the extra rollover and 'crack-the-whip' risk of pulling more than one trailer.

Restrictions vs endorsements

An endorsement adds privileges. A restrictiontakes them away — usually because of how you tested. For example, if you take your skills test in a truck with an automatic transmission, you get an "E" restriction and can't drive a manual. See every restriction code on our CDL restrictions guide.

Endorsement FAQ