How to get a commercial driver's license (CDL)

Choose your class

• Class A — a combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 lbs or more, when the towed unit is over 10,000 lbs.
• Class B — a single vehicle of 26,001 lbs or more, or such a vehicle towing a unit of 10,000 lbs or less.
• Class C — a vehicle that is not Class A or B but is designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, or carries placarded hazardous materials.

Endorsements

• H — hazardous materials (knowledge test)
• N — tank vehicle (knowledge test)
• P — passenger (knowledge and skills tests)
• S — school bus (knowledge and skills tests)
• T — double/triple trailers (knowledge test)
• X — tank vehicle plus hazardous materials (knowledge test)

Commercial learner's permit (CLP)

You start with a CLP after passing the knowledge tests. FMCSA rules allow only three endorsements on a CLP. A CLP holder with a P endorsement may not carry passengers (with listed exceptions), and with an N endorsement may drive only an empty tank vehicle.

Entry-level driver training (ELDT)

First-time Class A or B applicants, Class B holders upgrading to A, and first-time S, P or H applicants must complete training with a registered provider before the skills test (or, for H, before the knowledge test). Find providers in FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.

Restrictions to avoid

• L — no full air brake vehicles, if you do not pass the air brakes test or test in a vehicle without full air brakes.
• E — no manual transmission, if you take the skills test with an automatic.
• O — if the Class A test vehicle uses a pintle hook instead of a fifth wheel.