Getting a CDL and driving jobs: what to know

Updated November 2026

A commercial driver's license (CDL) is required to drive heavy trucks, large buses and vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials. Getting one takes a learner's permit, federally required training for Class A and B licenses, a knowledge test and a skills test, and for most interstate drivers a DOT medical certificate. Licenses are issued by your state under federal rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

CDL classes

Federal CDL vehicle groups (49 CFR 383.91)
Class	Federal definition	Typical vehicles
A	Combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle(s) towed weigh more than 10,000 pounds (gross vehicle weight rating)	Tractor-trailers, truck and heavy trailer combinations
B	Single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing up to 10,000 pounds	Straight trucks, dump trucks, large buses, many utility trucks
C	Smaller vehicle that is designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or that carries hazardous materials requiring placards	Passenger vans and small buses, small hazmat vehicles

A Class A license also lets you drive Class B and C vehicles, and Class B covers Class C, as long as you hold the needed endorsements. Endorsements, each with its own test, are: T double/triple trailers, P passenger, N tank vehicle, H hazardous materials, X tank and hazmat combined, and S school bus.

Step by step

Get a commercial learner's permit (CLP). You must be at least 18, pass the general knowledge test for the class you want, and hold a regular license from the same state. The CLP is valid for up to one year. You may only drive a commercial vehicle with a CDL holder of the right class sitting next to you. Only the P, S and N endorsements can go on a CLP.
Complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Required before the skills test (see below).
Wait at least 14 days. You cannot take the skills test in the first 14 days after your CLP is first issued.
Pass the skills test in a vehicle representative of the class you want. It covers a pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control and on-road driving.
Get your medical certificate if you will drive interstate (see below).

Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, federal rules require training before you can get:

a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, or an upgrade to Class A or B;
a passenger (P), school bus (S) or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.

The training must come from a provider listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. It has a theory (classroom or online) part and a behind-the-wheel part on a range and on public roads. Except for the H endorsement, you must finish both parts within one year of completing the first one. The state checks electronically that you completed training before it lets you take the skills test (or, for H, the knowledge test). People who got the license or endorsement before February 7, 2022 do not need to repeat it.

Before you pay a school, check that it appears on the Training Provider Registry, ask what is included (theory, range, road hours, test vehicle) and get the total cost in writing. If an employer offers to pay for your training in exchange for a work commitment, read the repayment terms in case you leave early.

Age rules

18: the federal minimum age for a CLP and CDL.
21: the federal minimum age to drive a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce (across state lines, or as part of a trip that does).
18 to 20: you may be limited to driving within your state (intrastate). Each state sets its own intrastate rules, so check with your state licensing agency.

DOT medical certificate

Drivers in interstate commerce must pass a physical exam by a medical examiner listed on FMCSA's National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. A certificate is valid for up to 24 months, and drivers with insulin-treated diabetes or who meet the vision standard only through the alternative vision rules must be re-examined every 12 months. Not every doctor can do this exam, so confirm the examiner is on the registry before you book.

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

The FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is an online database of CDL drivers' drug and alcohol program violations, such as a positive test or a refusal to test.

Employers must check (query) it before letting you drive, and at least once a year after that.
They need your consent, and for a full check you give it electronically inside the Clearinghouse, so set up your driver account before you start applying.
A violation stays visible until you complete the return-to-duty process (evaluation by a substance abuse professional, a negative return-to-duty test and all follow-up tests) and five years have passed since the violation.
Since November 18, 2024, states must check the Clearinghouse before issuing, renewing or upgrading a CDL, and must remove the CDL privilege from a driver who is prohibited from driving within 60 days of being notified.

Driving jobs and pay

Driving-related jobs (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 pay)
Job	Median pay	CDL?
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	$58,640	Yes. About 2.2 million jobs; outlook +4% for 2025–35
Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers	$43,950	Usually not: trucks under 26,001 pounds; a regular license and a clean record
Line installers and repairers	$95,320	Usually, for those who drive heavy trucks

Many truck drivers attend a driving school; BLS reports programs typically last 3 to 6 months, followed by several weeks of on-the-job training with an experienced driver. Ask any employer about home time, how pay is calculated (per mile, per hour or per load), and who pays for training.

Utility trucks: bucket trucks and digger derricks

Utility line crews use truck-mounted buckets to reach the top of poles and truck-mounted augers and cranes to dig holes and set poles. Whether you need a CDL depends on the vehicle's weight rating, not on what it is called: a bucket truck or digger derrick rated at 26,001 pounds or more needs a Class B CDL, and one towing a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds may need Class A. Line installer jobs usually start with a high school diploma and an apprenticeship of up to 3 years, and the outlook is +10% for 2025–35. Drivers of utility service vehicles, used to maintain electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone, cable or broadband service, are exempt from federal hours-of-service limits, but the CDL, medical and drug and alcohol testing rules still apply.

Watch out for driving job scams. Never pay an "employer" for a job, and never deposit a check from one and forward part of the money. Honest employers do not ask for either. See job scams.