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

Requirements verified July 20, 2026 against Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), Department of Public Safety

Minnesota issues CDLs through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), part of the Department of Public Safety. You hold a regular Minnesota license first, complete federal ELDT, pass the knowledge test for a $26.75 Commercial Learner's Permit, hold it at least 14 days, then take a three-part road test at a DVS exam station in a vehicle you supply. A CDL is valid 4 years — a Class A costs $65.

Minnesota handles CDLs through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), part of the Department of Public Safety. The process follows the federal pattern — a regular license first, ELDT training, a general-knowledge test for a $26.75 Commercial Learner's Permit, a 14-day hold, then a three-part road test at a DVS exam station in the vehicle you intend to drive. A Minnesota CDL is valid 4 years.

State fees are moderate: roughly $92 for a new Class A, with $2.50-per-endorsement exams and no charge for your first two written or road-test attempts. Minnesota administers the CDL road test through DVS stations (winter weather can delay appointments), while running a separate third-party program only for online knowledge testing.

Minnesota is not a TSA self-managed hazmat state, so hazmat fingerprinting goes through the federal TSA program via IdentoGO. The state is notably strict on disqualifications — offenses in your personal vehicle and any alcohol offense can cost you your CDL — and school bus drivers face extra background-check and retesting requirements.

Eligibility and documents in Minnesota

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• A valid Minnesota driver's license (at least Class D)
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency
• Proof of Minnesota residency
• Identity documents per the DVS identification-document requirements
• A completed medical self-certification form, plus a medical examiner's certificate if you are non-exempt

How to get your CDL: step by step

1. Get your Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP). Pass the required knowledge tests: CDL General Knowledge (80% to pass; all applicants); Combination Vehicles (Class A); Air Brakes (to avoid the 'L' restriction); 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. ELDT is delivered by providers on the federal FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR), who report completion to FMCSA, and Minnesota relies on that federal record. You must complete ELDT before the initial CDL road test (Class A/B) and before first-time H/P/S endorsements. The classroom (theory) portion can be taken any time; the behind-the-wheel portion cannot be taken before the CLP is issued and must be completed within one year of the theory training. ELDT has applied since February 7, 2022. DVS notes ELDT may be waived in certain situations (e.g., some prior-CDL cases).
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: Vehicle inspection, Basic control skills (forward stop, straight-line backing, offset tracking, reverse offset backing), On-road driving test. CDL road (skills) tests are administered by DVS at its driver's-license exam stations statewide (metro walk-in stations include Arden Hills, Eagan, and Plymouth). Minnesota does operate an approved third-party program for online KNOWLEDGE testing, but DVS-administered exam stations handle the CDL road test — a third-party skills-examiner program was not confirmed on official DVS pages.
5. Get your CDL issued. Pay the license fee, submit your medical self-certification, and receive your license (valid 4 years). A Minnesota CDL is valid 4 years and expires on the holder's birthday. Endorsement exams are $2.50 each. Under-21 drivers pay a reduced Class A fee ($45) and are limited to intrastate operation. Adding endorsements requires the applicable written test (and a road test for P and S). Note: as of December 2, 2025, DVS temporarily paused issuing non-domiciled CDLs/CLPs at U.S. DOT direction.

Medical certification in Minnesota

You must submit a self-certification form with every CDL application (and whenever your medical certificate or waiver changes). Non-exempt drivers are examined by an FMCSA National Registry examiner who uploads the certificate to the National Registry. Submit to DVS online (Medical Certificate and Self-Certification upload at drive.mn.gov), in person at any exam station or license office, or by mail to Driver and Vehicle Services, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 175, St. Paul, MN 55101 (CDL unit 651-297-5029).

If your card lapses: Under the federal National Registry II rule (June 23, 2025), examiners upload results to the National Registry and FMCSA transmits them to state licensing agencies, phasing out the paper card hand-off. Confirm Minnesota's current implementation status with DVS/FMCSA. Keep your medical exam current — a lapse downgrades your CDL privileges.

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 Minnesota

State fees run about $92 for a Class A, plus $2.50 per endorsement exam. There's no separate fee for the first two written or road-test attempts (retests are $10 written / $20 road). Hazmat adds the federal TSA Security Threat Assessment fee (paid to TSA/IdentoGO, not DVS). Also budget ELDT tuition and a DOT physical.

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in Minnesota State-administered testing

Minnesota administers CDL skills tests through the state; approved public third-party testing is limited or unavailable. Road-test appointments are scheduled with DVS. Winter note: appointments may be delayed until lots and streets are cleared; if your vehicle gets stuck during the test, it counts as a failed attempt and you must arrange towing.

Your test vehicle: You must take the road test in the type of vehicle you intend to drive, and the license is restricted to it: no air brakes on the test adds an 'L' restriction; a truck/trailer instead of a tractor/semi adds a combination restriction; an automatic transmission adds an 'E' restriction.

Endorsements available in Minnesota

Minnesota 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 — Minnesota is NOT a TSA self-managed state. After ELDT (first-timers) and passing the hazmat written test at a DVS exam station, you complete a TSA Security Threat Assessment application, pay the TSA fee (via the TSA HAZMAT page or 855-347-8371), and submit fingerprints at an authorized TSA/IdentoGO collection site. The hazmat written test must be retaken at every renewal.
• NTanker — Tank; requires Class A or B; written test only, valid as long as the CDL is.
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined tank + hazmat; follow both the tank and hazmat procedures.
• PPassenger — Passenger; written test plus a road test in an appropriate passenger vehicle.
• SSchool Bus — School bus; must also hold P, requires written and road tests, a DOT physical (up to every 2 years), a criminal-history/driver-record check (FBI fingerprint check if you've been a MN resident under 5 years), school-bus knowledge retest every 4 years at renewal, and a $4 processing fee.
• TDoubles/Triples — Double/triple trailers; requires Class A; written test only.

CDL disqualifications

Disqualifying offenses are set by federal law (49 CFR 383.51) and apply in every state — including offenses in your personal vehicle. Minnesota applies the federal 49 CFR 383.51 disqualifications plus Minnesota Statute 171.165 — major offenses carry 1-year, 3-year, or lifetime disqualification, and serious offenses carry 60 or 120 days. Minnesota-specific emphasis: offenses committed in a non-commercial vehicle can also disqualify CDL privileges, and an alcohol offense both revokes Class D privileges and disqualifies the CDL. School bus (S) holders face additional disqualifiers under Minn. Stat. 171.321 (e.g., a DWI in the last 5 years cancels the S endorsement for 5 years). The CDL reinstatement fee is $20.

Full federal detail: CDL disqualifications explained.

Military skills-test waiver

Minnesota offers a military skills-test waiver (Application for Military Skills Test Waiver): service members with about two years of experience safely operating heavy military vehicles can obtain a CDL without the driving/skills test. The knowledge test is still required.

Minnesota CDL FAQ