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

Source review dated October 12, 2026 against Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

Virginia issues CDLs through the DMV. You hold a regular license, pass the knowledge tests for a Commercial Learner's Permit ($3), hold it 14 days while completing required ELDT, then pass a three-part skills test in a vehicle you supply. The base CDL fee is just $64 and the license lasts 8 years. Virginia is a TSA self-managed hazmat state, so hazmat fingerprinting is done in-house at an equipped DMV office rather than at an outside center.

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

Virginia's state fees are remarkably low — $3 for the permit and $64 for the 8-year CDL, with endorsements at $1 per year. Hazmat adds an $83 background check (or $41 with a TWIC card). The real spend is ELDT tuition, which ranges from roughly $1,800 at a resident community-college program to around $7,000 elsewhere, plus a DOT physical.

Virginia enforces a strict skills-testing regime: one attempt per business day, and after three failures you must complete an approved driver-training school before retesting. Veterans with recent qualifying experience can skip the road test through the state's 'Troops to Trucks' program, though the written knowledge exam is still required.

Eligibility and documents in Virginia

• Age: at least 18 for intrastate driving; 21 to drive interstate or haul hazmat.
• Proof of identity
• Proof of legal presence
• Social Security number
• Two proofs of Virginia residency
• Federal eligibility documentation
• Applicants who already hold a Virginia credential can instead present their current license/ID plus one federally required document

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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Self-certify your category with Virginia DMV. Non-excepted drivers must hold a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate, verified electronically. As of May 5, 2025, Virginia no longer accepts medical certificates directly from drivers — your medical examiner must submit them electronically through FMCSA's National Registry II portal.

If your card lapses: Keep your self-certification current and renew your medical exam on time; a lapsed certificate for a non-excepted driver leads to a downgrade of the 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 (carries the 'K' restriction)
• EA — Excepted Intrastate (carries the 'K' restriction)

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

What a CDL costs in Virginia

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.

Virginia's state fees are among the lowest anywhere — $3 for the permit and $64 for the 8-year CDL. Endorsements are $1 per year each. Hazmat adds an $83 background check (or $41 with a TWIC card). Budget separately for ELDT tuition and a DOT physical. Community-college programs may qualify for the FastForward credential grant.

See the full national breakdown on our CDL cost guide.

Skills testing in Virginia

Testing access: State / approved third parties. Official testing instructions.

Virginia allows approved third-party testers to administer the CDL skills test, with availability and fees set by the provider. Virginia does not publish official statewide wait times. The road test runs about 90 minutes; only the applicant and examiner may be in the vehicle, and only one attempt is allowed per business day.

Your test vehicle: You must supply a properly registered vehicle of the class you wish to drive, with a valid safety-inspection sticker, plates/registration, and working brakes, seat belts, horn, lights, signals, mirrors, and speedometer.

Endorsements available in Virginia

Virginia 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 — Virginia is a TSA self-managed state. You are fingerprinted in-house at a DMV Customer Service Center equipped with fingerprinting equipment (not every office has it), and DMV forwards the check to TSA for the Security Threat Assessment. The fee is $83 with fingerprinting, or $41 on the TWIC comparability path. A hazmat endorsement cannot be transferred in from another state — you must complete Virginia's process. Background-check validity is up to 5 years; DMV mails a renewal notice about 90 days before expiration.
• NTanker — Tank vehicle.
• XHazmat + Tank — Combined tank + hazmat; subject to the same self-managed hazmat background check as H.
• PPassenger — Passenger vehicle; a road test in the class of vehicle to be operated is required.
• SSchool Bus — School bus; individuals on Virginia's Sex Offender Registry are ineligible. ELDT required for first-timers.
• TDoubles/Triples — Doubles/triples.

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. Virginia applies the federal 49 CFR 383.51 disqualification framework. One notable state-specific rule: individuals on Virginia's Sex Offender Registry are ineligible for the school bus (S) endorsement. Virginia uses standard restriction codes (K for intrastate-only medical, L/Z for air-brake limits, E for no manual transmission, V for medical variance, and others).

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 Virginia-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.

Virginia's 'Troops to Trucks' program waives the CDL road skills test. You must be a Virginia resident with at least 2 years of military heavy-truck or bus driving experience, be active military (including Reserves/Guard) or released within the last 12 months, be certified by your commanding officer as holding a military operator's permit, have a safe driving record, and still successfully complete the written knowledge exam (plus any endorsement tests). Apply with Form DL 13 plus the DL 2P CDL application, with a DOT Medical Examiner's Certificate and DD-214, DD-256, NGB-22 or active military ID.

Virginia CDL FAQ