CDL Prep Hero1. Meet the age rule for the permit you need
49 CFR 383.25 says a commercial learner’s permit holder must be 18 years of age or older. The same section says the permit is valid for no more than one year from the initial date of issuance without retaking the general and endorsement knowledge tests. Only passenger (P), school bus (S), and tank (N) endorsements may be on a CLP. Other federal endorsements are prohibited on a CLP.
Age 18 is the permit rule. 49 CFR 391.11 is the driver-qualification rule: except as provided in subpart G of that part, a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle if the person is at least 21 years old. Ask your state licensing agency which rule applies to intrastate and interstate driving before you plan a job around the permit alone.
Sources: 49 CFR 383.25: Commercial learner's permit; 49 CFR 391.11: General qualifications of drivers
2. Submit the medical certificate your state requires
California DMV’s CLP instructions say you submit a completed Medical Examination Report (MER) Form, MCSA-5875, and a Medical Examiner’s Certificate (MEC), MCSA-5876, when you visit a DMV office. The application fee is nonrefundable, and California says the application and fee are valid for 12 months.
Texas DPS says that, depending on the medical self-certification you select, you provide a medical examiner’s certificate. The Texas page names the self-certification forms CDL-4, CDL-5, and CDL-10. It does not print the MCSA form number on that application page, so this page does not assign MCSA-5876 to Texas.
Sources: California DMV: Commercial driver licenses; Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
3. Pass the knowledge tests
49 CFR 383.135 says an applicant must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on each knowledge test. If the air-brake portion is failed and a CLP or CDL is still issued, the credential must show an air-brake restriction. An applicant who fails the combination-vehicle portion must not be issued a Group A CLP or CDL.
49 CFR 383.133 requires states to build knowledge tests from FMCSA’s pre-approved pool for each vehicle group and endorsement. Texas DPS lists its own order: Texas Commercial Rules, General Knowledge, Combination for Class A only, Air Brake if it applies, then endorsements. Texas states that, effective June 1, 2026, it will administer those knowledge examinations in English only.
Question counts are not in the federal passing-score rule. The CDL knowledge test page collects the state examples we could verify, including California’s three attempts per knowledge test.
Sources: 49 CFR 383.135: Passing knowledge and skills tests; 49 CFR 383.133: Test methods; Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
4. Hold the commercial learner’s permit for 14 days
49 CFR 383.25 says the CLP holder is not eligible to take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after initial issuance of the CLP. Issuing a CLP is a precondition to the first CDL, and to an upgrade that requires a skills test.
California and Texas both restate that 14-day hold. California also says a CLP is valid for a maximum of 180 days and may be renewed for another 180 days if the expiration date is not more than one year from the initial application date. Texas says a CLP is valid for 180 days or until the Texas driver license expires, whichever is earlier, and may be renewed once.
Sources: 49 CFR 383.25: Commercial learner's permit; California DMV: Commercial driver licenses; Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
5. Finish entry-level driver training when the rule applies
49 CFR 380.600 requires compliance on or after February 7, 2022. 49 CFR 380.609 requires training from a provider on the Training Provider Registry for a first Class A or Class B CDL, an upgrade to a Class A or Class B CDL, and a first P, S, or H endorsement.
49 CFR 380.603 is the exception section. Drivers who were issued the Class A or Class B CDL, or the P, S, or H endorsement, before February 7, 2022 do not have to comply with that subpart for the credential they already held. Except for the H endorsement, the theory and behind-the-wheel portions must be completed within one year of completing the first portion. Texas tells applicants to finish entry-level driver training before the driving tests that lead to the CDL.
Search the Training Provider Registry or browse registered schools by state. A practice app does not certify ELDT.
Sources: 49 CFR 380.600: ELDT compliance date; 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements; 49 CFR 380.603: Entry-level driver training applicability; FMCSA Training Provider Registry; Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
6. Pass the skills test in order, in English
49 CFR 383.133 says the skills test must be completed in this order: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control skills, on-road skills. If you fail one segment, you cannot continue to the next. Scores for segments you already passed are valid only during the initial issuance of the CLP. If the CLP is renewed, all three segments must be retaken.
The same section prohibits interpreters during the skills test. You must understand and respond to the examiner’s verbal commands and instructions in English. Neither you nor the examiner may communicate in a language other than English during the skills test.
The pre-trip inspection is the first segment. The pre-trip study guide on this site follows the standard manual topics. It is not the examiner’s scoring sheet. The backing simulator is a study aid for how a trailer moves. It is not the official basic-control test.
Sources: 49 CFR 383.133: Test methods
State fee examples
These amounts are copied from the Texas, Florida, and New York pages linked under the table. They are examples, not a national fee and not the full schedule. Texas’s fee page shows a September 29, 2020 date. New York’s amounts are from the August 30, 2026 capture of its get-a-CDL page, because the live page returned a bot check on October 26, 2026.
| State | Amount listed | What that page says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $25 | Original commercial learner’s permit. Expires 180 days from issuance. The listed amount includes a $1 administrative fee, which is not charged for a mail transaction. |
| Texas | $97 | New commercial driver license, ages 18 to 84. Expires in eight years. The same $1 administrative-fee note applies. Hazardous-materials and age-85 amounts on the Texas page are different. |
| Florida | $75 | Original or renewal commercial driver license. An additional $6.25 service fee may apply when a tax collector office issues the credential. |
| Florida | $7 | Endorsements, on the driver-license fee schedule. |
| Florida | $10 | Knowledge retest. The $6.25 tax-collector service fee may apply. |
| Florida | $20 | Skill retest. The $6.25 tax-collector service fee may apply. |
| New York | $10 | Permit application fee. It allows all written tests taken at the same time. |
| New York | $5 | Additional fee for any other required test not taken and passed at the time of the initial application. |
| New York | $40 | Road test fee, paid before the road test can be scheduled. The photo-license fee is separate and depends on the expiration date, the class of the current license, and the date the CDL is received. |
Sources: Texas DPS: Driver license fees; Florida FLHSMV: Fees; New York DMV: Get a commercial driver license
Practice and training links
Use your state page for the manual and the school directory, then use the practice tests for the subjects your agency lists.
Questions from this page
How old do I have to be to get a commercial learner's permit?
49 CFR 383.25 says the CLP holder must be 18 or older. 49 CFR 391.11 says that, except as provided in subpart G, a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle if the person is at least 21. Your state licensing agency applies those rules to the driving you plan to do.
How long do I hold a CLP before 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 CLP is first issued. The same section says a CLP is valid for no more than one year from the initial issuance date without retaking the knowledge tests.
What score do I need on the knowledge tests?
49 CFR 383.135 says you must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on each knowledge test. Failing the air-brake portion means an air-brake restriction if a CLP or CDL is issued. Failing the combination-vehicle portion means the state must not issue a Group A CLP or CDL.
Do I have to take entry-level driver training?
49 CFR 380.609 requires Training Provider Registry training for a first Class A or Class B CDL, an upgrade to a Class A or Class B CDL, and a first passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement. The compliance date in 49 CFR 380.600 is on or after February 7, 2022. Exceptions are in 49 CFR 380.603, including credentials issued before February 7, 2022.
What order is the skills test given in?
49 CFR 383.133 requires pre-trip inspection, then basic vehicle control skills, then the on-road skills test. If you fail one segment, you cannot continue to the next. The skills test is in English, and interpreters are prohibited.
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
CLP 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. Only P, S, and N endorsements are allowed on a CLP. - 49 CFR 391.11: General qualifications of drivers
Except as provided in subpart G, a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle if at least 21 years old, and must be able to read and speak English as that section describes. - California DMV: Commercial driver licenses
CLP steps include MCSA-5875 and MCSA-5876, a 14-day hold, three knowledge-test attempts, and an application valid for 12 months. The page also says California has paused non-domiciled CLP and CDL issuance until further notice. - Texas DPS: How to apply for a commercial driver license
Effective June 1, 2026, Texas administers CDL knowledge examinations in English only. The page lists the knowledge-test order and a 14-day CLP hold before skills tests. - Texas DPS: Driver license fees
CLP original $25, expires 180 days. CDL new, ages 18 to 84, $97, expires in eight years. Listed amounts include a $1 administrative fee that is not charged for mail transactions. The page shows a September 29, 2020 date. - 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. - 49 CFR 383.133: Test methods
FMCSA question pool. Knowledge tests may be in a foreign language without an interpreter. A retake uses a different version. Skills tests are in English, in order: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, on-road skills. - 49 CFR 380.600: ELDT compliance date
Compliance with entry-level driver training is required on or after February 7, 2022. - 49 CFR 380.609: General entry-level driver training requirements
First Class A or B, an upgrade to Class A or B, and a first P, S, or H endorsement require training from a provider listed on the Training Provider Registry. - 49 CFR 380.603: Entry-level driver training applicability
Lists exceptions, including a CDL or P, S, or H endorsement issued before February 7, 2022. Except for the H endorsement, theory and behind-the-wheel portions must be finished within one year of the first portion. - FMCSA Training Provider Registry
Search for a registered training provider. A school that is not on this registry cannot be used to meet ELDT. - Florida FLHSMV: Fees
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
Application fee $10 for written tests taken together; additional $5 for a required test not taken and passed then; road test fee $40. Checked October 26, 2026 against the Internet Archive capture dated August 30, 2026. That page does not publish a General Knowledge question count. The live page returned a bot check on October 26, 2026.
Last reviewed . Next source review due , or earlier if the official guidance changes.