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

Source review dated October 12, 2026 against Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA)

Maryland issues CDLs through the MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). You hold a full Maryland license first, pass the knowledge tests for a $106 Commercial Learner's Permit, hold it at least 14 days while completing required ELDT, then take a three-part skills test at an MVA location in a vehicle you supply. A standard CDL is valid up to 8 years, and Maryland is one of the eight TSA self-managed hazmat states — fingerprinting is done in-house at the MVA.

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

Maryland's standout feature is hazmat: it's one of only eight TSA 'self-managed' states, meaning your fingerprints are captured in-house at the MVA (by DPSCS staff) rather than at a separate IdentoGO center. Maryland folds it into a single $109.25 background-check fee plus a $30 endorsement, and the hazmat CDL renews every 5 years instead of 8.

State fees are otherwise modest, and since June 23, 2025 your DOT medical certificate is transmitted electronically by your examiner, so you no longer carry or submit a paper card. The bigger out-of-pocket costs are ELDT tuition and the DOT physical.

Eligibility and documents in Maryland

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• Proof of identity and date of birth (REAL ID standard)
• Proof of Social Security number
• Proof of Maryland residency
• A valid full (non-provisional) Maryland driver's license
• A name-change document (marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order) if your name differs from your birth certificate
• For hazmat: proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status
• Medical self-certification and, for non-excepted drivers, a current DOT medical certificate (now transmitted electronically)

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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Your medical exam must be done by an examiner on the FMCSA National Registry, who transmits the certificate electronically to FMCSA — the MVA receives it automatically. As of June 23, 2025, the MVA states a Medical Examiner's Certificate no longer has to be carried physically on your person and is not submitted by the driver. You still self-certify your operating category when getting, renewing, upgrading, or transferring a CDL.

If your card lapses: If your medical certificate lapses, your commercial privileges are downgraded. If you're downgraded more than a year, you must retake all knowledge and skills tests. A School Bus (S) endorsement requires a new medical certificate annually.

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 Maryland

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 base state cost is the $106 CLP; the MVA fee table does not separately itemize an original CDL card fee. Add a DOT physical (paid to the examiner) and ELDT tuition. Hazmat adds $30 for the endorsement plus a $109.25 background check ($139.25 total), and repeats every 5 years.

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in Maryland

Testing access: State testing; confirm exceptions. Official testing instructions.

Maryland administers CDL skills tests through the state; approved public third-party testing is limited or unavailable. After a first skills failure you can retest the next business day; after a second or later failure, wait at least 7 calendar days. Any retest or no-show fee ($20) must be paid first.

Your test vehicle: You must provide a safe representative vehicle matching the CDL class/type, with visible VIN plate(s), valid registration, and proof of insurance. Vehicles placarded for hazardous materials cannot be used. Rentals are allowed if you're named on the rental agreement.

Endorsements available in Maryland

Maryland 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 — Maryland is a TSA self-managed hazmat state. Fingerprinting is NOT done at a generic IdentoGO center — it's captured in-house at your MVA appointment, with the fee collected by Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services (DPSCS) staff and forwarded to Maryland CJIS for the background check, then TSA makes the final security-threat determination. Maryland charges a single $109.25 background-check fee plus the $30 hazmat endorsement, and first-timers must be fingerprinted and TSA-approved before taking the hazmat knowledge test. A hazmat CDL runs on a 5-year cycle.
• NTanker — Tank vehicles; knowledge test only.
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined hazmat + tank; same in-house fingerprint/background-check and 5-year cycle as H.
• PPassenger — Passenger; knowledge and skills tests required, plus a CLP.
• SSchool Bus — School bus; requires the P endorsement, plus S knowledge and skills tests and a new medical certificate annually. Triples are illegal in Maryland.
• TDoubles/Triples — Double/triple trailers; knowledge test only. (Triple-trailer operation is not legal in Maryland, but the endorsement can still be obtained.)

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. Maryland applies the federal 49 CFR 383.51 disqualification rules. Maryland-specific administrative features: a CDL can be disqualified before conviction upon a law-enforcement citation for a high BAC while operating a commercial vehicle, and drivers must return the disqualification notice to the MVA Administrative Adjudication Division within 15 days to request a hearing or waive it. For disqualifications of a year or more, all relevant knowledge and skills tests must be retaken to reinstate.

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 Maryland-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.

The MVA waives the Class A or B CDL skills test for qualifying veterans discharged within the previous 12 months and eligible active-duty/reserve/Guard personnel, using form CDL-SK TST WVR. You need a clean 2-year record, a valid Maryland non-commercial Class C (or higher) license, at least two years operating a comparable military vehicle, and a Commanding Officer certification. Knowledge tests are not waived, and Passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements cannot be transferred through the waiver.

Maryland CDL FAQ