Reviewed and updated October 14, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read that day from the Texas agency that publishes it, the Department of Public Safety for driver licenses and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for titles and registration, and the official page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
Keeping a Texas commercial driver license valid: the medical certification and its four self-certification categories, the restriction codes DPS prints on licenses, the disqualification periods for convictions, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, and the third party testing providers. Getting the license is on the CDL guide.
In this guide: Medical certification and the four categories, The restriction codes, Disqualification periods, The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, Non-domiciled licenses and third party testing, Questions about keeping a CDL
Medical certification and the four categories
Every CDL and CLP holder certifies the type of commercial driving they do, and DPS's medical certification page says that depending on the category a current medical examiner's certificate must stay on file at all times to prevent a downgrade, which costs the commercial privilege and requires the knowledge and skills exams again. Since June 23, 2025 certified medical examiners send exam results to the National Registry (NRII) by midnight of the next day, and FMCSA forwards the driver's identification, results, restrictions and variances to DPS; Texas began accepting them electronically on March 23, 2025 and stops accepting paper certificates on April 10, 2026. A driver checks that the certificate posted on the License Eligibility page, allowing up to 10 business days.
Category 1, non-excepted interstate (CDL-4): most CDL holders who drive across state lines, 21 or older; a medical examiner's certificate is required, and a driver who does both excepted and non-excepted interstate work follows this category. FMCSA exemptions for specific conditions travel with the certificate.
Category 2, excepted interstate (CDL-10): excepted activities listed on the form, 18 or older, no certificate required but Texas medical standards still apply, with a restriction to the certified activity.
Category 3, non-excepted intrastate (CDL-5 Section B): driving only inside Texas under the Texas medical requirements; a certificate is required, and a state waiver on form CDL-37 may be granted for specific conditions.
Category 4, excepted intrastate (CDL-5 Section A or C): Section A for a driver regularly employed in a CMV in Texas before August 28, 1989 who carries no placarded hazardous materials, Section C for oil or water well servicing and drilling or mobile crane operation, with a restriction to that activity; no certificate, Texas standards still apply.
A change between categories is made at a driver license office, where any restriction is added or removed, a certificate presented and the transaction fee paid. A downgrade solely for an expired certificate is reversed without retesting when the record is eligible, the license is not expired more than two years, the downgrade is within 12 months, and the certificate or variance is in the registry; DPS's FAQ puts the upgrade at up to $97.
The restriction codes
DPS's endorsements and restrictions page lists the codes a license can carry. Among the general ones: A, corrective lenses; B, a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat; C, daytime only; D, speed not over 45 mph; F, must hold a valid learner license to a date; I, motorcycle not over 250cc; J, a licensed motorcycle operator 21 or over in sight; S, outside mirror or hearing aid; T, automatic transmission; U, prosthetic devices; W, power steering; P2 to P7, to and from work or school; P8, telescopic lens; P39, ignition interlock required. The commercial codes include E, no manual transmission CMV; H, vehicle not over 26,000 pounds; K, intrastate only; L, no air brake CMV; M and N, no Class A (or A and B) passenger vehicle; O, no tractor-trailer; V, medical variance documents required; X, no cargo in a tank vehicle; Z, no full air brake CMV; P14 and P15, exempt Class B or A vehicle authorized; P27, the hazmat endorsement expiration; P28 to P30, the farm-related service industry dates. A restriction is removed at a driver license office.
Disqualification periods
| Conviction | Disqualification |
|---|---|
| Alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, or committing a felony | At least one year; lifetime for a second |
| The same while placarded for hazardous materials | At least three years; lifetime for a second |
| Two serious traffic offenses in three years (excessive speeding, reckless driving, erratic lane changes, following too closely and the like) | 60 days |
| Three serious traffic offenses in three years | 120 days |
| Railroad-highway grade crossing violations | 60 days; 120 days for a second in three years; at least one year for a third |
| Using a motor vehicle to commit a felony | Lifetime |
From the DPS disqualifications page. A holder is also disqualified for certain moving violations in a personal vehicle, under Transportation Code Section 522.081, and a driver without a CDL convicted of these offenses in a CMV cannot apply for a CLP or CDL during the period. Under the Texas Hold'em initiative DPS warns that knowingly transporting an alien brings federal penalties and lifetime disqualification. Serious traffic offense disqualifications reinstate automatically when the period ends and no other action is pending; CDL and CLP holders are not eligible for the driver safety course. A lifetime disqualification may be lifted after 10 years, on form CDL-8 to Issuance Services, CDL Help Desk, PO Box 4087, Austin, Texas 78773-0320, for the alcohol, controlled substance, refusal, leaving the scene, felony, driving while disqualified and negligent fatality offenses after an approved program, never for human trafficking or a controlled substance felony; the driver then applies as an original applicant.
The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
DPS's clearinghouse page explains that since June 30, 2024 Texas checks the FMCSA's clearinghouse database before issuing a CLP or CDL, denies commercial driving privileges to a driver under a CMV driving prohibition, and removes them when FMCSA gives notice, until the return-to-duty process is completed. A driver who receives a downgrade letter views the violation and the return-to-duty requirements at the clearinghouse site; FMCSA then notifies DPS electronically to reinstate, and DPS mails a reinstatement notice with the remaining requirements.
Non-domiciled licenses and third party testing
Non-domiciled CLP and CDL issuance, including renewals and duplicates, has been halted since September 29, 2025 under the federal interim rule DPS cites on its non-domiciled CDL notice, and DPS cancelled or downgraded licenses it found issued outside the prior rules, with notices mailed by December 8, 2025. DPS says issuance resumes June 1, 2026 for H-2A agricultural workers, in person with a passport, a visa and an I-94 or I-797A showing the status, for a maximum one-year term, with H-2B and E-2 pending FMCSA approval; a driver whose status is anything else, an employment authorization document, DACA, TPS, asylum or refugee status, is not eligible until permanent residence, and a permanent resident is upgraded without testing.
DPS certifies companies to give CDL knowledge and skills tests to their own students or employees under its CDL third party skills testing page: a permanent Texas location, a Class A or B vehicle, a year of operation, a certified skills pad and route, a $25,000 surety bond per examiner, the insurance in Transportation Code 601.072, and applications on forms CDL-13 to CDL-21 to the Program Review section at 5805 N Lamar, Austin, TX 78752-0300. Scores from authorized providers reach DPS electronically.
Questions about keeping a CDL
How long is a medical examiner's certificate good for?
A maximum of 24 months; the examiner may issue it for less when a condition needs closer monitoring. DPS sends a courtesy notice about 60 days before it expires, and an expired certificate downgrades the CDL or CLP.
My CDL was downgraded for the medical certificate. Do I retest?
Not if the record is eligible, the license is not expired more than two years, the downgrade happened within the last 12 months, and the new certificate or variance reached the National Registry; then the office restores the CDL with its endorsements and restrictions for the transaction fee, up to $97. A license voluntarily surrendered or downgraded for another reason is retested.
What is the P39 restriction?
An ignition interlock restriction that lets a CDL holder drive a company vehicle without the device when driving is essential to the job and the device cannot be installed on it; the driver carries a letter on company letterhead acknowledging the restriction. It does not help a disqualified CDL driver, since no occupational license can be issued for a commercial vehicle.
Why does an out-of-state conviction appear on my Texas CDL record?
Federal rule 49 CFR 384.206(b) requires Texas to transfer the whole out-of-state driver history when a CDL transfers in, so one complete record exists, and 49 CFR 383.51 requires DPS to disqualify a CDL for certain convictions wherever they happened.
Can a lifetime disqualification end?
After 10 years, for the alcohol, controlled substance, 0.04 alcohol concentration, test refusal, leaving the scene, felony, driving while disqualified and negligent fatality offenses, when the driver has completed an appropriate DPS-approved program and certifies on form CDL-8; never for human trafficking or a felony involving manufacturing, distributing or dispensing a controlled substance. An approved driver starts over as an original CDL applicant.
What does the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse do to my license?
Since June 30, 2024 DPS checks the FMCSA clearinghouse before issuing a CLP or CDL, denies commercial privileges to a driver under a driving prohibition, and removes them when FMCSA reports a violation until the return-to-duty process is complete; the reinstatement notice then lists what remains.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the Texas DPS pages on CDL medical certification, endorsements and restrictions, disqualifications, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the non-domiciled CDL notice, third party skills testing and the CDL FAQ, read on October 14, 2026.