CDL Prep HeroThe minimum timeline
49 CFR 383.25 does two things that set the floor. The permit holder has to be 18 or older. The permit is valid for no more than one year from the date it was first issued, unless the knowledge tests are taken again. And the holder is not eligible for the skills test during the first 14 days after that initial issuance.
Fourteen days is a legal minimum, not a typical schedule. The same section does not say how long entry-level training takes, how long a medical exam takes, or how far out skills-test appointments are booked. Those depend on the provider and the state.
The steps that take the longest
The medical certificate comes first in several state instructions. California asks for a Medical Examination Report (MCSA-5875) and a Medical Examiner's Certificate (MCSA-5876) at the CLP visit. Texas asks you to pick one self-certification form, CDL-4, CDL-5, or CDL-10, and to bring a medical examiner's certificate when that choice requires it. Maine requires the DOT certificate for non-excepted interstate and non-excepted intrastate driving.
Entry-level driver training is the other long piece when it applies: a first Class A or Class B, an upgrade, or a first passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement. FMCSA's FAQ says there is no minimum number of theory hours and no minimum number of behind-the-wheel hours. The provider has to cover the curriculum, and behind-the-wheel time is finished when the instructor says the required maneuvers are proficient. A state can require more hours than that federal floor. The provider has to be on the Training Provider Registry.
After the permit and the training, you still need a skills-test slot. New York's scheduling system will not offer a date inside the 14-day window. Pennsylvania's FAQ uses 15 days from permit issuance until the scheduled Class A, B, or C skills test. This page does not turn those rules into a week count for the whole process.
Sources: 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements; FMCSA Training Provider Registry: training-requirements FAQ; California DMV: Commercial driver licenses; Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license; Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1307: Examination fees; New York DMV: Get a commercial driver license; Pennsylvania DMV: CDL learner's permit FAQs
State fees we could read on an official page
Each amount was copied from the linked state page or statute on November 1, 2026. Illinois says you pay the appropriate fee and does not print a dollar amount on its CDL page, so Illinois is not in the table. Pennsylvania's learner's-permit FAQ says fees are required and does not print a number, so Pennsylvania is not in the table either. A missing row is not a fee of zero.
| State | Amount | What the source says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| California | $100 | Original commercial Class A or Class B. |
| California | $59 | Renewal of a commercial Class A or Class B. |
| California | $59 | Adding tank, doubles/triples, or hazmat. |
| California | $100 | Adding a passenger endorsement. |
| California | $46 | Commercial driving or skill retest. |
| Florida | $75 | Original or renewal commercial driver license. A $6.25 tax-collector service fee may apply. |
| Florida | $7 | Each endorsement on the driver-license fee schedule. |
| Florida | $10 | Knowledge retest. The tax-collector service fee may apply. |
| Florida | $20 | Skill retest. The tax-collector service fee may apply. |
| Maine | $70 | Class A, B, or C commercial examination, including the first road test. A reexamination is also $70. |
| Maine | $20 | Endorsement examination, including hazardous materials. A reexamination is $20. |
| New York | $10 | Permit application. Covers written tests taken at the same time. |
| New York | $5 | A required test not taken and passed with the initial application. |
| New York | $40 | Road test. Pay it before the test can be scheduled. |
| Texas | $25 | Original CLP. Expires 180 days from issuance. |
| Texas | $97 | New CDL, ages 18 to 84. Expires in eight years. Includes a $1 administrative fee that is not charged for mail. |
| Texas | $61 | New CDL, ages 18 to 84, with a hazardous materials endorsement. Expires in five years. The same $1 mail note applies. |
Read the state page before you pay. Texas notes that listed CDL amounts include a $1 administrative fee that is not charged for mail. Florida notes a possible $6.25 tax-collector service fee. The state practice-test pages for Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Maine repeat the facts that belong to that state.
Sources: California DMV: Licensing fees; Florida FLHSMV: Fees; Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1307: Examination fees; New York DMV: Get a commercial driver license; Texas DPS: Driver license fees
School tuition: what we can and cannot say
We are not publishing a national tuition average, a typical range, or a weeks-of-school figure. Those numbers are not in the federal rules or in the state fee pages above. Truck-driving schools set their own prices. Some carriers pay for training and recover it through a work agreement. That is a contract with the carrier, not a federal fee, and the terms are not on this page.
What the rules do say is the kind of training. A first Class A or Class B, and an upgrade, need theory and behind-the-wheel instruction from a registry provider before the skills test. A first hazmat endorsement needs theory only, before the knowledge test. Use the school directory to see which locations are on the registry download, then confirm price, hours, and class on the school's own materials and on the live registry.
Sources: 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements; FMCSA Training Provider Registry: training-requirements FAQ; FMCSA Training Provider Registry
Retake costs that are published
A failed knowledge test is retaken on a different version, under 49 CFR 383.133. The fee for that retake is a state choice. Florida lists $10 for a knowledge retest and $20 for a skill retest. California lists $46 for a commercial driving or skill retest, and its CDL page says you pay a retest fee each time you retake the skills test. Maine statute lists $70 to reexamine for a Class A, B, or C license and $20 to reexamine an endorsement. Other states are left blank here when the fee page we checked did not print a retake amount.
Sources: 49 CFR 383.135: Passing knowledge and skills tests; Florida FLHSMV: Fees; California DMV: Licensing fees; California DMV: Commercial driver licenses; Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1307: Examination fees
Questions from this page
What is the shortest legal wait between the permit and the skills test?
49 CFR 383.25 says you are not eligible to take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after the permit is first issued. Some states describe the scheduling rule in their own words. New York will not schedule a road test within those 14 days. Pennsylvania requires 15 days from permit issuance until the scheduled Class A, B, or C skills test.
How long is a commercial learner's permit good for?
Federal rules cap it at one year from initial issuance without retaking the knowledge tests. States can be shorter. Texas lists 180 days. California lists a maximum of 180 days, with one renewal that cannot pass one year from the initial application. Illinois lists one year.
Why is there no average tuition on this page?
No federal agency publishes a national average CDL-school tuition, and this site does not have a sourced tuition dataset. Publishing a range would be a guess. The fee table is limited to amounts copied from state statutes or licensing-agency fee pages.
Sources and editorial notes
Editorial attribution: Evergreen Comply, LLC Editorial Staff. Each section links the official page the statement comes from. These pages do not replace your state manual, a registered training provider, or instructions from your licensing agency.
- 49 CFR 383.25: Commercial learner's permit
The holder must be 18 or older. The permit is valid for no more than one year. The holder is not eligible for the skills test in the first 14 days. - 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements
A first Class A or Class B CDL, an upgrade to Class A or B, and a first P, S, or H endorsement require training from a provider on the Training Provider Registry. - FMCSA Training Provider Registry: training-requirements FAQ
Class A, including an upgrade, and Class B need theory plus behind-the-wheel range and public road before the skills test. H needs theory only, before the knowledge test. There is no required minimum number of theory or behind-the-wheel hours. The FAQ was last updated September 27, 2022 on the Class A and H rows. - 49 CFR 383.135: Passing knowledge and skills tests
At least 80 percent on each knowledge test. Failing air brakes requires an air-brake restriction if a CLP or CDL is issued. Failing the combination-vehicle test blocks a Group A CLP or CDL. - California DMV: Licensing fees
Checked November 1, 2026. Original commercial Class A or B is $100. Renewal is $59. Adding tank, doubles/triples, or hazmat is $59. Adding a passenger endorsement is $100. A commercial driving or skill retest is $46. - California DMV: Commercial driver licenses
Checked November 1, 2026. CLP steps, a 14-day hold, three knowledge-test attempts, an application valid for 12 months, and a CLP valid up to 180 days. California has paused non-domiciled CLP and CDL issuance until further notice. - Texas DPS: Driver license fees
Checked November 1, 2026. Original CLP $25, expires 180 days. New CDL ages 18 to 84 is $97 and expires in eight years. New CDL ages 18 to 84 with a hazardous materials endorsement is $61 and expires in five years. Listed CDL amounts include a $1 administrative fee that is not charged for mail transactions. The page shows a September 29, 2020 information date. - Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
Checked November 1, 2026. English-only knowledge tests as of June 1, 2026. Test order: Texas Commercial Rules, General Knowledge, Combination for Class A, Air Brake if applicable, then endorsements. CLP hold of 14 days. Application form CDL-1. Medical self-certification is CDL-4, CDL-5, or CDL-10. - Florida FLHSMV: Fees
Checked November 1, 2026. Original or renewal commercial driver license $75. Endorsements $7. Knowledge retest $10. Skill retest $20. A $6.25 tax-collector service fee may apply to asterisked credential transactions. - New York DMV: Get a commercial driver license
Checked November 1, 2026 on the live page. Permit application fee $10 for written tests taken together. Additional $5 for a required test not taken and passed then. Road test fee $40. Written tests for Class A, B, and C and endorsements are in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. HazMat is English only. A road-test appointment cannot be scheduled for a date within 14 days of permit issuance. - Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1307: Examination fees
Checked November 1, 2026. Class A, B, or C commercial examination is $70 and includes the first road test. A reexamination is $70. An endorsement examination, including hazardous materials, is $20. A reexamination of an endorsement is $20. - Pennsylvania DMV: CDL learner's permit FAQs
Checked November 1, 2026. Apply with DL-31CD and self-certification DL-11CD. Non-excepted drivers submit a medical examiner's certificate. A Knowledge Test Authorization is valid for one year and allows three tries. PennDOT requires 15 days from permit issuance until the scheduled date of a Class A, B, or C skills test, and three tries on that permit for the skills test. The FAQ does not publish a dollar fee. - Illinois Secretary of State: CDL and CLP
Checked November 1, 2026. Age 18 for intrastate, 21 for interstate or passengers. CLP is valid one year. Hold it at least 14 days before skills testing. Written tests: General Knowledge, Combination for Class A, Air Brake if the vehicle is so equipped, and endorsements. Only N, P, and S may be on a CLP. H and X need a TSA clearance before hazmat testing and are not allowed on a CLP. The page says to pay the appropriate fee. It does not print the dollar amounts.
Last reviewed . Next source review due , or earlier if the official guidance changes.