How to Get a CDL
The steps to a commercial driver’s license, from your medical card to the skills test, with the federal rule for each.
CDL Permit Test · General Knowledge Test
Five Steps to Your CDL
- Get your medical card: A medical examiner on FMCSA’s registry checks you’re fit to drive. The card lasts up to 24 months.
- Pass the knowledge tests for your permit: General knowledge, air brakes if your vehicle has them, and combination vehicles for Class A. You can add the passenger, school bus and tank tests now too.
- Hold your permit at least 14 days: Drive only with a CDL holder beside you. The permit lasts up to a year.
- Finish entry-level driver training: Before your first Class A or B skills test, train with a provider on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.
- Pass the skills test: A pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control and a road test, in a vehicle of the class you want.
CDL Permit Test · CDL Classes and Endorsements
How old do I have to be?
18 for a commercial learner’s permit. To drive a commercial vehicle across state lines you must be 21. Driving only within one state follows that state’s rules.
49 CFR 383.25(a)(4) and 391.11(b)(1).
Do I need to speak English?
Yes. A commercial driver must read and speak English well enough to talk with the public, understand road signs, answer officials’ questions and fill in reports.
The federal rules let states give the knowledge tests in other languages, without an interpreter. Florida (since February 6, 2026) and Texas (since June 1, 2026) give them in English only.
49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) and 383.133(b)(3); FLHSMV; Texas DPS.
What score do I need?
80% on every knowledge test: 40 of 50 on general knowledge, for example. Each test is three-option multiple choice.
49 CFR 383.135(a) and 383.133(b)(2).
How long is a medical card good for?
Up to 24 months. A driver with insulin-treated diabetes, or who drives under the vision standard’s alternative, needs a new exam every 12 months.
49 CFR 391.45(b), (e) and (f).
Who needs entry-level driver training?
Anyone getting a Class A or B CDL for the first time or upgrading to one, and anyone adding the passenger, school bus or hazmat endorsement for the first time. It comes before the skills test, or before the hazmat knowledge test.
49 CFR 380.609 and 383.71(b)(11).
What if I fail a knowledge test?
You can take it again; your state sets when and what it costs. A retake is a different version of the test, with its questions and answers in a different order.
49 CFR 383.133(b)(2)(iii) and (b)(4).
More Guides
CDL Classes and Endorsements · DOT Physical · ELDT · Pre-Trip Inspection