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

Requirements verified July 20, 2026 against South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV)

South Carolina issues CDLs through the SC Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). You must already hold a valid SC driver license, then apply for a Commercial Learner's Permit (about $19.50 in combined fees for one knowledge test), hold it at least 14 days while completing ELDT, and pass the three-part skills test (vehicle inspection, basic control, road) in a vehicle you supply. A standard SC CDL is valid 8 years and the license fee is $25 (5 years if you carry a hazmat endorsement).

South Carolina handles commercial licensing through the SC Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). The path is standard: hold a valid SC driver license first, apply for a Commercial Learner's Permit (SCDMV Form 447-CDL), pass the required knowledge tests, then hold the CLP at least 14 days while you complete Entry-Level Driver Training before the skills test.

SCDMV fees are low. A CLP costs roughly $19.50 with one knowledge test, and the 8-year CDL license fee is $25. The three-part skills test — vehicle inspection, basic control, and road — is taken in a truck you supply, either at an SCDMV branch that offers testing or through an SCDMV-approved third-party tester, which is how many drivers avoid office backlogs.

A few South Carolina specifics: the CLP is valid a full year; a CDL carrying a hazmat endorsement expires 5 years from your TSA background-check date rather than 8; and because SC is not a TSA self-managed state, hazmat fingerprinting goes through a TSA/IdentoGO enrollment center. Qualifying veterans can skip the skills test — and sometimes the knowledge tests — through the state's even-exchange and skills-test military waivers.

Eligibility and documents in South Carolina

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• Completed Application for a Commercial Learner's Permit and Commercial Driver's License (SCDMV Form 447-CDL)
• Proof of identity and lawful presence (acceptable identity documents)
• Social Security number (verified electronically)
• Proof of South Carolina residency — you must be a permanent SC resident
• A valid, unexpired South Carolina driver license
• Medical self-certification (SCDMV Form DL-405A) and, if your category requires it, a valid Medical Examiner's 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 air brakes); Any endorsement tests you need (P, S, N, H, 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. SCDMV verifies your ELDT completion in the federal FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR) before it will administer the CDL skills test, and before the hazmat knowledge test. You must train with a provider listed on the TPR (tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov). In South Carolina, fee-charging schools must also hold an SCDMV driver training school license in addition to TPR registration. ELDT applies to applicants who got their CLP on or after February 7, 2022. Drivers who held the relevant CDL or endorsement before that date are grandfathered. ELDT is not required just to obtain a CLP.
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 (pre-trip) inspection test, Basic control skills test (off-road), On-road driving test. You can test at an SCDMV branch that offers skills testing (Monday–Friday, by appointment) or through an SCDMV-approved third-party tester (many CDL schools). SCDMV runs a Third-Party Tester's Program with published program standards. Arrive about 30 minutes early; arriving 10 minutes late can forfeit the appointment.
5. Get your CDL issued. Pay the license fee, submit your medical self-certification, and receive your license (valid 8 years). A standard SC CDL expires every 8 years. A CDL carrying a hazardous materials (H or X) endorsement expires 5 years from the pass date of your TSA Security Threat Assessment, whichever comes first. Upgrading class or adding P, S, or H requires the applicable ELDT (for first-time holders) and passing the required knowledge and/or skills tests; you must proceed through a CLP for a higher class you don't yet hold.

Medical certification in South Carolina

Self-certify your operating category on SCDMV Form DL-405A (Commercial Driver's License Holders Medical Certification Requirements). Since June 23, 2025, certified medical examiners on FMCSA's National Registry (National Registry II) electronically transmit exam results to the state. You must have current medical qualification on file every time you apply for, upgrade, renew, or duplicate a CLP/CDL, or change your address. SCDMV also accepts a legible copy of the medical card (card only, not the long form) by mail, fax, email, or in person.

If your card lapses: The Medical Examiner's Certificate cannot expire within 30 days of the date you submit it. If your medical card lapses, your CDL is downgraded to a non-commercial license. Questions: SCDMV CDL Help Desk (803) 896-2673.

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

• NI — Non-excepted Interstate (medical certificate required)
• EI — Excepted Interstate (no medical certificate)
• NA — Non-excepted Intrastate (medical certificate required)
• EA — Excepted Intrastate

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

What a CDL costs in South Carolina

State fees are low. The larger costs are ELDT tuition and, for hazmat, the TSA/IdentoGO fingerprint fee (about $86.50 — confirm with IdentoGO/TSA). The exact SCDMV skills-test/issuance fee breakdown should be confirmed on the official Fees page, as some sources cite a $12.50 CDL fee at the skills-test stage in addition to the $25 license fee.

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in South Carolina Third-party testing allowed

South Carolina allows approved third-party testers to administer the CDL skills test, which can mean shorter waits than a state office. Not all SCDMV offices administer skills tests, and metro offices book out — a reason many applicants use a third-party school that furnishes both the examiner and a truck (surveyed market fees roughly $150–$400; confirm with the provider).

Your test vehicle: You must supply a vehicle representative of the class of CDL you are seeking; SCDMV does not provide one. Only the applicant and the examiner are permitted in or around the vehicle during the test.

Endorsements available in South Carolina

South Carolina 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 — Hazardous materials. South Carolina is NOT a TSA self-managed state, so hazmat uses the standard TSA process: pass the hazmat knowledge test at any SCDMV office ($15 application + $2 test), then complete fingerprinting and the TSA Security Threat Assessment through a TSA/IdentoGO enrollment center (TSA fee about $86.50 — confirm current amount). SCDMV issues the H once TSA clears you. First-time hazmat also requires ELDT. The endorsement expires 5 years from your STA pass date.
• NTanker — Tank vehicles. Knowledge test only; available on a CDL or CLP.
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined tank + hazmat. Requires both the tank and hazmat knowledge tests plus the TSA Security Threat Assessment.
• PPassenger — Passenger. Requires a knowledge test and a passenger skills test; first-time applicants need ELDT.
• SSchool Bus — School bus. Requires the passenger and school bus knowledge tests and a skills test; first-time applicants need ELDT.
• TDoubles/Triples — Double/triple trailers. Knowledge test only; CDL holders only (not on a CLP).

CDL disqualifications

Disqualifying offenses are set by federal law (49 CFR 383.51) and apply in every state — including offenses in your personal vehicle. South Carolina applies the federal disqualification framework in 49 CFR 383.51 (major offenses, serious traffic violations, railroad-crossing and out-of-service violations), adopted into SC law. Major violations such as DUI in a CMV, refusing a chemical test, leaving the scene, or using a CMV in a felony carry a minimum one-year disqualification (three years if transporting hazmat), with a lifetime bar for a second major offense. Confirm current specifics with SCDMV.

Full federal detail: CDL disqualifications explained.

Military skills-test waiver

SCDMV offers two paths for qualifying service members who have (or recently had, within 12 months of discharge) a valid SC license: an Even Exchange waiver (certain military MOS ratings exchange training/experience for a CDL with no knowledge or skills test) and a Skills Test Waiver (operated the same class of military CMV for 3,000+ miles in the 2 years before applying/discharge — skills test waived, but you still pass all required knowledge tests). Apply with SCDMV Form DL-408A signed by your commanding officer, plus military ID or DD-214/equivalent, to the SCDMV CDL Help Desk, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016.

South Carolina CDL FAQ