How to get a CDL: Class A fees and steps in your state

The order of the steps

Every state follows the same federal framework, so the route to a Class A license looks alike from Virginia to Washington. You apply for a commercial learner's permit, which means passing the general knowledge test and any endorsement tests at the motor vehicle agency. With the permit you may drive a combination vehicle only with a licensed CDL holder beside you. You then complete Entry-Level Driver Training, take the skills test (vehicle inspection, basic control and road driving), and pay for the license itself. The permit has a limited life: Texas, Massachusetts and Washington issue it for 180 days with one renewal, Virginia and Georgia for about a year. Georgia also makes you hold the permit for at least 14 days before the road test.

Who bills what differs. Some agencies charge each step separately; California folds the permit, the knowledge tests and the first skills test into one $100 original application, valid for twelve months. Several states let third-party testers give the skills test, and they may charge more than the state would.

Federal Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, a person seeking a first Class A license, an upgrade from Class B, or certain endorsements must finish theory and behind-the-wheel instruction with a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before the state may give the skills test. The rule is set out by the FMCSA and in 49 CFR 380.609. It does not apply to drivers who already held a CDL before that date. The federal rule sets no minimum number of hours for either part: the theory part ends with an assessment, and the behind-the-wheel part is complete when the instructor certifies that you can perform the skills.

A state can go further. California requires at least 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training for an original Class A or B license, certified on its own form, on top of the federal rule. None of the other states priced here sets an hour count. Training prices are set by the providers, not by any state; the training cost page looks at that part of the budget.

Why fees run from $67 to $406

Virginia keeps the bill low: the permit costs $3 and an eight-year standard CDL with no endorsements $64. Florida charges $75 for an original commercial license, and a tax collector office may add a service fee. Texas bills $25 for the permit and $97 for an eight-year license. Pennsylvania charges no fee for knowledge and skills tests at its own sites; the upgrade from a regular license costs $109.50 when it falls 37 to 48 months before the current license expires, and that price includes one permit and the photo.

The dearest states load the cost on testing. Indiana sets a maximum of $200 for a first skills test at a third-party site, not including the rental of the truck. Washington charges $40 for the permit, $35 for the knowledge test and $175 for the skills test with a third-party or state examiner, a fee that covers two attempts; the CDL endorsement added to a Washington license then costs a base fee plus a charge for each year left on the license, up to $156, the figure counted here. New Jersey asks $125 for its commercial examination receipt and $42 for a four-year CDL, plus a small charge for each endorsement.

Retakes, the truck and the medical card

A failed skills test is the most common extra cost. Georgia charges $50 for each road test attempt and $10 for the permit before each knowledge test attempt. Connecticut bills $30 for the skills test, Massachusetts $35 for the road test. In California the first skills test is in the application fee and a retest costs $46. Set the number of attempts in the calculator to see the effect in your state; the exam fees alone run from $0 to $210 at the first attempt.

You must bring a vehicle of the class you are testing for. Training providers often supply it for the test; otherwise a rental is a private arrangement and no state publishes its price. The same is true of the medical examiner's certificate that interstate drivers file with the state: the examination is billed by the medical examiner, at a price no state sets, so it stays outside the totals here.

License term and renewal

A Class A license runs from 4 to 8 years in the states whose term was read; Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington issue it for 8 years, which spreads a higher first fee over a long period. North Carolina prices the license per year of validity, $127.50 for five years. Drivers under 21 can usually hold a CDL but, in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee among others, may drive only within the state. The renewal page compares what each license costs to keep.