Getting Your CDL: Training, Testing, and Medical Rules
Follow the steps to a commercial driver's license, from learner's permit and entry-level driver training to the medical card, skills test and the rules that can disqualify you.
Table of contents
A commercial driver's license (CDL) is a state license built on federal rules. Each state runs its own testing, but the basic steps, the training requirement and the standards for keeping the license are set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Rules have changed a lot since 2022, and more changed in 2025 and 2026, so check your state's current CDL manual and FMCSA's site as you go.
This guide cannot qualify you to drive or stand in for your training. Reading it will help you plan the steps and avoid costly mistakes.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Lay out the steps from no license to CDL in the right order.
- Check whether you meet the age, medical and language rules.
- Choose a training provider that is listed on the federal registry.
- Describe the three parts of the skills test.
- Name what can cost you your license.
The Steps in Order
- Choose the class and endorsements you need.
- Confirm you are eligible.
- Pass a DOT physical with a certified medical examiner.
- Pass the knowledge tests and get a commercial learner's permit (CLP).
- Complete entry-level driver training with a registered provider.
- Hold the CLP for at least 14 days.
- Pass the skills test.
- Get your CDL.
States differ in the order of steps 3 and 4, and in fees and paperwork. Your state's licensing agency has the current list.
Eligibility
Age
You must be at least 18 to hold a CLP. Most states issue a CDL at 18 for driving within the state. You must be at least 21 to drive a commercial vehicle across state lines, and also to haul placarded hazardous materials.
License and Residence
You need a valid regular driver's license from the state issuing your CLP, and you must prove you live there. The state runs your driving record back through the prior 10 years.
Rules for people who are not US citizens or permanent residents narrowed sharply in 2026. A federal final rule that took effect on March 16, 2026 limits non-domiciled CLPs and CDLs to certain visa holders (H-2A, H-2B and E-2) and caps how long they last. That rule is being challenged in court, so check with your state before you pay for training.
English
Federal rule 49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) requires a commercial driver to read and speak English well enough to talk with the public, understand highway signs, respond to officials and fill out reports. Since June 25, 2025 a driver who cannot meet this at a roadside inspection can be placed out of service. Some states, such as Texas, now give CDL tests only in English. Ask your state before you plan on an interpreter or a translated test.
The Medical Exam
Most CDL drivers need a DOT physical from a medical examiner listed on FMCSA's National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. Not every doctor can do this exam.
- The exam checks vision, hearing, blood pressure, heart health, diabetes, sleep problems, medications and more.
- A certificate lasts up to 24 months. The examiner can issue a shorter one if you have a condition to monitor.
- Tell the examiner the truth. Lying on the form can cost you your license.
The way this certificate reaches your state has changed. Examiners now send results electronically to FMCSA, which passes them to your state, and your state record is the main proof you are certified. FMCSA's temporary waivers for paper certificates ran out in 2026, so ask your state agency how it treats a paper copy. After your exam, check that your state record shows you as certified. A driver who lets a certificate lapse can lose the CDL.
The Commercial Learner's Permit
To get a CLP, you pass the general knowledge test, plus any test needed for your class and endorsements, such as air brakes or combination vehicles.
- A CLP is valid for up to one year from the date it was first issued.
- You may not take the skills test in the first 14 days after it is issued.
- You may drive on public roads only with a CDL holder of the right class beside you in the front seat, watching you at all times.
- You may not haul hazardous materials on a CLP. With a tank endorsement you may drive only empty, purged tanks. With a passenger endorsement you may not carry passengers other than people tied to your testing or training.
Entry-Level Driver Training
Entry-level driver training (ELDT) has been required since February 7, 2022. Rules are in 49 CFR Part 380, Subpart F.
Who needs it:
- First-time Class A or Class B applicants
- Drivers moving up from Class B to Class A
- First-time applicants for a hazardous materials (H), passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement
How it works:
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Provider | Must be listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry |
| Theory | Covers set topics, and you need an overall score of at least 80 percent |
| Behind the wheel | Range and public road training. Your instructor decides when you are proficient |
| Hours | There is no federal minimum number of hours, although some states add one |
| Proof | The provider sends your completion to the registry, and your state checks it before testing you |
FMCSA has been removing thousands of training providers from the registry since 2025, and it has been auditing others. A certificate from a school that is not on the registry does not count. Before you pay, search for the school on the registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov. Ask how many hours you will spend at the wheel, what the pass rate is, and what happens if the school loses its listing.
Some carriers pay for training in return for a work contract. Read the contract closely. Know how long you must stay, and what you owe if you leave early.
Certain groups do not need ELDT, such as some drivers with qualifying military experience. Your state can tell you if this applies.
The Skills Test
The CDL skills test has three parts, taken in a vehicle like the one you plan to drive. Fail one and you may need to come back.
- Vehicle inspection. You inspect the vehicle and explain each item. You must name it, point to or touch it, and say what you are checking for. Vague answers do not pass.
- Basic control. You perform set maneuvers such as straight-line backing, offset backing and parallel parking, usually in a marked area.
- Road test. You drive on public roads with an examiner. You are scored on turns, lane changes, intersections, rail crossings, grades and how you handle traffic.
The vehicle you test in shapes your license. Test in an automatic and you can get a restriction against driving a manual. Test in a vehicle without full air brakes and you can be restricted from driving one with them.
Endorsements
Each endorsement adds a knowledge test, and some add a skills test.
| Code | For | Extra steps |
|---|---|---|
| H | Hazardous materials | Knowledge test, ELDT, TSA security threat assessment |
| N | Tank vehicles | Knowledge test |
| P | Passenger vehicles | Knowledge and skills tests, ELDT |
| S | School buses | Knowledge and skills tests, ELDT, background checks |
| T | Double or triple trailers | Knowledge test |
| X | Combined hazmat and tank | Meets both H and N |
Drugs and Alcohol
If you hold a CDL, the alcohol limit in a commercial vehicle is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent, half the usual limit for other drivers. You may not use alcohol within 4 hours of going on duty. If you have any detectable alcohol at all, an officer can put you out of service for 24 hours.
You will be tested for drugs before you are hired. You can also be tested at random, after certain crashes, and when a supervisor has reasonable suspicion. Federal rules still prohibit marijuana for these drivers, including in states that have legalized it.
Every positive test and refusal is reported to the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, and employers must check it. Since November 18, 2024, states must remove commercial driving privileges from drivers whose status in the Clearinghouse is prohibited. The state has up to 60 days after it is notified. To get back on the road, you must complete a return-to-duty process with a substance abuse professional.
What Can Disqualify You
Federal rules in 49 CFR 383.51 set the minimum penalties. States can go further.
| Offense | First | Second |
|---|---|---|
| Driving a CMV at 0.04 or higher | 1 year | Life |
| Refusing an alcohol test | 1 year | Life |
| Leaving the scene of a crash | 1 year | Life |
| Using a vehicle in a felony | 1 year | Life |
| Any of those while hauling hazmat | 3 years | Life |
Some felonies, such as making or distributing drugs and severe human trafficking, bring a lifetime ban.
Serious traffic violations include speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, texting, and using a hand-held phone. Two convictions in 3 years bring a 60-day disqualification, and three bring 120 days.
Railroad crossing offenses bring at least 60 days on the first conviction, at least 120 days on a second within 3 years, and at least 1 year on a third.
Violating an out-of-service order brings at least 180 days on a first conviction.
Your personal car counts too. Some offenses in your own vehicle can disqualify your CDL.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Paying a school that is not on the registry | Training that does not count |
| Signing a training contract without reading it | A large bill if you leave early |
| Testing in an automatic to save time | A restriction that shrinks your job options |
| Letting the medical certificate lapse | Downgraded license |
| Thinking "I only had one" before a shift | A test at 0.04 can cost a year |
| Waiting until the CLP is about to expire | A renewal or retest, depending on your state |
Check Your Understanding
You are 19 and want to drive across state lines for a regional carrier. Can you?
No. Federal rules require you to be 21 for interstate driving. You can work within your state in many cases, if your state allows it at your age.
A school offers a low price and says it can sign your ELDT paperwork. How do you check it?
Search the Training Provider Registry. If the school is not listed, its training does not count, and your state will not let you test.
You got your CLP on the 1st of the month. When is the earliest you can take the skills test?
After the first 14 days have passed, and only once you have finished your training and it shows in the registry.
You blow 0.05 on a test while driving a tractor-trailer. It is your first offense. What happens?
At 0.04 or higher in a CMV, you face a disqualification of at least 1 year. It would be at least 3 years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials.
Key Takeaways
- First-time Class A and B drivers, and new H, P and S applicants, must train with a provider on the federal registry.
- Hold the CLP for at least 14 days before the skills test.
- The skills test has three parts: inspection, basic control and road.
- You must be 21 to drive across state lines. You must also meet the English rule and hold a current medical certificate.
- The CMV alcohol limit is 0.04, and Clearinghouse violations can cost you your CDL.