Truck Drivers and the California DMV in 2026: the Commercial Driving Test, the Test Sites, Permits and Plans

Who must hold a commercial license

The DMV's truck drivers page lists the vehicles that require a commercial driver's license: any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more; any single vehicle under 26,000 pounds designed, used or maintained to carry more than 10 passengers including the driver; a combination with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed vehicle or vehicles exceed 10,000 pounds; any vehicle towing a vehicle of 10,001 pounds or more; any vehicle towing more than one vehicle or a trailer bus; any vehicle requiring hazardous materials placards or carrying a select agent or toxin listed in Title 42, Part 73 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and a vehicle transporting hazardous wastes under Health and Safety Code sections 25115 and 25117. The hazardous materials endorsement carries a Department of Homeland Security background check and fingerprinting. On age and residence: an applicant must be 18; a commercial learner's permit requires a California driver's license first, which validates the permit under Title 49, sections 383.5 and 383.25; a driver 18 or older may drive for hire within California as long as the work is not interstate commerce, which the DMV's commercial driver information page puts as driving for a commercial company at 18 to 20 with a load that does not originate outside California; and a driver must be 21 to operate a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce or to carry hazardous materials or wastes in or across the state, under Vehicle Code section 12515. That page also says an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, and both pages carry the DMV's notice that, until further notice, it cannot issue, reissue or renew limited-term legal presence (non-domiciled) commercial licenses.

The permit, the knowledge tests, the entry level training and the fees are on the commercial license guide.

The medical examination, every two years

Every commercial license applicant completes a medical examination and provides proof to the DMV, and the exam is required every two years, per the commercial driver information page. An intrastate driver, one carrying cargo within California, may choose any medical professional; an interstate driver, one crossing state or international borders, must use a medical professional listed in the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners at nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov, which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration created so that examiners performing physical qualification exams for truck and bus drivers hold the same training and standards. The standards the exam applies, the electronic filing rule and the paper route for intrastate drivers are on the commercial license guide, from the DMV's medical eligibility page.

The vehicle inspection test

The vehicle inspection test is a skills test of whether you can identify the features and equipment on the test vehicle that should be inspected before driving, conducted entirely in English under Title 49, sections 391.11(b)(2) and 383.133(c)(5). You must show the vehicle is safe to drive by walking around it, pointing to or touching each item and explaining to the examiner what you are checking and why; if any item does not work the skills and road portions are postponed. A Class B or Class C applicant inspects the vehicle they brought, starting with an engine start and an in-cab inspection and then the whole vehicle or the part the examiner names, including any special features such as a school or transit bus. The DMV publishes a vehicle inspection checklist that applicants may refer to during the test.

The basic control skills test and how it is scored

The basic control skills test measures control of the truck and judgment of its position relative to other objects through a subset of six exercises: straight line backing, offset back to the right, offset back to the left, parallel park on the driver's side, parallel park conventional, and alley dock. Refusing or failing to complete an exercise as instructed may be an automatic failure. The examiner scores four things. Encroachments: each time any part of the vehicle touches or crosses a boundary line or cone counts as an error. Pull ups: stopping and pulling forward to clear an encroachment or get a better position is a pull up, stopping without changing direction is not, initial pull ups are not penalized, but an excessive number counts as errors. Looks: you may be permitted to stop and get out to check the vehicle's position, after putting it in neutral and setting the parking brakes, exiting facing the vehicle with three points of contact at all times, or holding the hand rail on a bus; failing to secure or exit safely may be an automatic failure; each door opening, each move from the seated position of control, or each walk to the back of a bus counts as a look, with a maximum of two per exercise and one on straight line backing. Final position: each exercise must end exactly as the examiner instructed, and a vehicle not in its final position is penalized and can fail the test. The DMV posts a video on preparing for the commercial driving test.

The road test

The road test, the last part of the commercial driving performance evaluation, is passed with no more than 30 errors and no critical driving errors, which fail the test automatically; it is conducted entirely in English under the same federal sections. The route covers a variety of traffic situations, and the DMV requires the safety belt, obedience to every sign, signal and law, and completion without an accident or moving violation; where the route lacks a situation the examiner may ask you to simulate it by describing what you would do. The examiner scores specific maneuvers and general behavior: right and left turns, intersections, urban business driving, lane changes, expressway or highway driving, stops and starts, curves, railroad crossings, bridges, overpasses and signs, student discharge for a school bus, and general behaviors such as clutch, gear, brake and lane usage, steering, regular traffic checks and turn signals. The DMV says you will not be asked to drive unsafely, and that three attempts in total are allowed across the inspection, skills and road tests. A Class B applicant must test in a truck or bus as Title 49, section 390.5 defines them, or another single-unit vehicle of 26,001 pounds GVWR or more.

The modernized test since July 2023

In July 2023 the DMV introduced a testing program with modernized protocols for commercial truck drivers, with a modernization supplement to the commercial handbook, a vehicle inspection checklist and a video, and says it is converting 22 of its 25 commercial test sites to the modernized model; which version an applicant takes, for a new license, a class upgrade or an endorsement requiring a skills test, depends on the site. The DMV's answers in its modernization FAQ: the current 2014 and 2017 version of the test remains valid and jurisdictions may offer either or both, since both are approved by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but the two cannot be mixed; the modernized test was evaluated by a third-party research entity and found as effective as the current version, and much of it is the same; the basic control skills area is at least 260 feet long by 40 feet wide, for combinations with trailers up to 53 feet; neither version sets a time limit, which is left to the jurisdiction; the driver still sets the parking brake, shifts to neutral and sounds the horn at the end of each maneuver; the passing score on the inspection varies by vehicle type and configuration, and the scoring now adds up the items missed rather than the items correct; the modernized inspection checklist aligns with industry practice and focuses on safety-critical items; the applicant names, touches or points to each item and fully explains what it is inspected for, with no rationale required; the AAMVA checklist may be used during the test; the modernized inspection is a bit shorter but equal in difficulty; and electric and autonomous vehicles are held to the same standard, with credit given for any inspectable item the vehicle does not have, as the existing test already provides.

The 25 commercial driving test sites

The DMV's truck drivers page lists its commercial driving test sites with hours; the three marked with an asterisk are the sites the DMV says are not included in the modernization. Commercial Drive Test Centers are listed as CDTC.

The skills test is scheduled by appointment or by calling 1-800-777-0133, as the commercial license guide explains; the public field offices and their hours are on the California DMV offices list.

Motor carrier permits, the International Registration Plan and trailers

Any person or business paid to transport property in a motor vehicle needs a motor carrier permit, regardless of the vehicle's size, type or weight; the DMV calls them for-hire motor carriers and gives a courier service on a motorcycle as its example. A permit is also required to operate a commercial motor vehicle of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more, commercially or privately, hauling your own goods; any vehicle or combination carrying hazardous materials; a combination of motor truck with trailers, semitrailers, pole or pipe dollies, auxiliary dollies or logging dollies that exceeds 40 feet coupled, where a trailer for this purpose excludes camp trailers, utility trailers and trailer coaches; and any vehicle or combination whose operation requires a commercial license, again except combinations with camp trailers, utility trailers and trailer coaches. The DMV's Motor Carrier Services section covers who applies and how; the permit renews online, and the active permit holders can be looked up online, as the online services guide notes. A carrier hauling among U.S. states and Canadian provinces may qualify for the International Registration Plan, under which member jurisdictions collect registration fees from their home-based interstate trucking companies on behalf of every jurisdiction in which the companies operate and must register. For the truck itself the DMV's page repeats the trailer rules: all trailers register under permanent trailer identification; fifth-wheel and camp trailers register as a trailer coach or a camp trailer under PTI depending on length, width and size; tow and auxiliary dollies need no California registration, though the DMV suggests PTI for a dolly towed out of state because other states' rules vary. The weight fees, the Commercial Vehicle Registration Act decals and the diesel check are on the commercial vehicle registration guide.

Troops to Trucks

The DMV's Troops to Trucks program waives the commercial driving test for a service member employed now, or within the last year, in a military position that required operating a military vehicle equivalent to a commercial motor vehicle on public roads, which the DMV says removes the need to bring a commercial vehicle to the test; the waiver does not cover a school bus or passenger endorsement. The applicant files the commercial application and a Commercial Military Waiver (DL 965) with an acceptable birth date and legal presence document, a Social Security card, Medicare card or U.S. Armed Forces ID card, and a DD 214 for a veteran, at a field office, and certifies to a clean two-year history on a list of disqualifying offenses and serious violations, plus two years of operating an equivalent vehicle before discharge. The full list of the certifications is on the veterans and military guide.

Inspections on the road

The DMV's safety section opens with the inspection: a vehicle inspection finds the problems that could cause an accident or a breakdown and is done routinely before operating the vehicle. Federal and state law require drivers to inspect their vehicles, federal and state inspectors may ask to inspect a vehicle at random, and a vehicle they judge unsafe is placed out of service until it is fixed and cannot be driven. The DMV's vehicle inspection checklist is linked from its truck drivers page.

The DMV's commercial phone lines and resources

The DMV's resources for truck drivers are the Commercial Driver's Handbook in English and Spanish, two commercial driver sample tests, the vehicle inspection checklist and the modernization FAQ, all linked from its truck drivers page; the sample written tests are at dmv.ca.gov/truckdriver.

Questions about truck driving and the California DMV

How many tries do I get at the commercial driving test?

Three attempts in total to pass the vehicle inspection, basic control skills and road tests, per the DMV.

How many errors fail the road test?

More than 30 errors, or any critical driving error, which is an automatic failure.

Does the test have to be in English?

Yes. The DMV says the entire vehicle inspection test and the entire road test are conducted in English, citing Code of Federal Regulations Title 49, sections 391.11(b)(2) and 383.133(c)(5).

Can I get out and look while backing?

Up to two looks per exercise, and only one on the straight line backing exercise. The vehicle must be put in neutral with the parking brake set first, and you must exit facing the vehicle with three points of contact; the DMV says failing to secure or exit the vehicle safely may be an automatic failure of the basic control skills test.

Is the modernized test easier?

No, per the DMV. A third-party research entity found the modernized test as effective as the current version, much of it is the same, and the DMV says the modernized vehicle inspection is a bit shorter but equal in difficulty. Applicants may use the AAMVA checklist during the inspection.

Do I need a motor carrier permit for a small vehicle?

If you are paid to transport property in it, yes, regardless of the vehicle's size, type or weight; the DMV's example is a courier service on a motorcycle. A permit is also required to operate a commercial vehicle of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more even hauling your own goods, any vehicle carrying hazardous materials, a truck and trailer combination over 40 feet, and any combination that requires a commercial license.

Which test sites are not on the modernized test?

Three of the 25: Fremont, the Mountain View Industry Business Center and Santa Teresa in San Jose, marked with an asterisk on the DMV's list. The DMV says it is converting 22 of 25 sites.