Getting a Texas Commercial Driver License (CDL) in 2026

The three classes and the endorsements

DPS's CDL application page sets them: Class A for any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed vehicles exceed 10,000 pounds; Class B for a single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more, that vehicle towing up to 10,000 pounds, and any vehicle built for 24 or more passengers including the driver (a skills test taken in a bus under 26,001 pounds restricts the holder to such buses); Class C for a vehicle not in A or B that carries 16 to 23 passengers including the driver or hazardous materials that require placards. A CDL holder may drive every vehicle of the class and the lesser classes, including a personal vehicle, but not a motorcycle.

Endorsements, each with its own test and sometimes a 14-day permit period, are on the DPS endorsements page: H for hazardous materials (CDL only), N for tank vehicles, P for passengers, S for school buses, T for double and triple trailers (CDL only) and X for a hazmat tank combination (CDL only).

The commercial learner permit

A CLP held for at least 14 days is required before a first CDL, an upgrade (Class C to B or A, or B to A), and before adding a passenger or school bus endorsement, so that the driver gets behind-the-wheel experience before the driving test. A CLP needs a valid Texas driver license, is not valid without it and cannot be used as identification, allows practice on public roads only with a qualified CDL holder 21 or older of the same class sitting beside the driver, lasts 180 days or until the Texas license expires, and renews once, up to 30 days before expiration, without new knowledge exams.

Applying for the permit: documents and knowledge tests

Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, identity and the Social Security number (no affidavit is accepted; without a number there is no CLP or CDL); a self-certification of medical status on one of three forms, the CDL-4 for non-excepted interstate driving, the CDL-5 for intrastate, or the CDL-10 for excepted interstate; a medical examiner's certificate when the certification calls for one, sent electronically from the National Registry; and, for new residents surrendering an out-of-state license, current Texas registration and proof of insurance for each vehicle owned, or a signed statement of owning none. Then the CDL-1 application before the appointment, the fee, thumbprints, the photo, the vision exam, and the knowledge tests in DPS's order: Texas Commercial Rules, General Knowledge, Combination for Class A, Air Brake if applicable, then the endorsements. The Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver's Handbook (DL-7C) and DPS's instructional videos prepare for them, and from June 1, 2026 every knowledge exam is in English only; DPS says a driver unable to show English proficiency during testing or issuance is not eligible for a CLP or CDL.

Entry level driver training

Under the federal rule on DPS's ELDT page, first-time applicants for a Class A or B CDL, holders upgrading to Class B or A, and first-time applicants for a school bus, passenger or hazardous materials endorsement must complete entry level driver training from a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before the skills test (or before the hazmat knowledge test). Since February 7, 2022 DPS specialists query the registry before testing. The rule does not touch a CDL or S, P or H endorsement issued before that date, and 49 CFR Part 383 carries exemptions.

The skills test and the license

After 14 days on the permit and the training, the applicant brings a commercial vehicle representative of the permit class to a CDL testing location (DPS lists them on its form DL-95), scheduled on the DPS scheduler, with the CDL-1 application and identity proof, pays the fee, gives thumbprints, has the photo taken, passes the vision exam, and passes the three-part driving test: the vehicle inspection (pre-trip), the basic vehicle control test and the road test, described on DPS's DL-60a. DPS has implemented the AAMVA skills test modernization at every location except Del Rio and Wichita Falls, with a checklist for the pre-trip inspection. Authorized third party and out-of-state providers transmit scores electronically, and DPS says to confirm the scores were sent before booking the issuance appointment. The driving test guide covers the appointment rules.

The hazardous materials endorsement

DPS's HME page explains that the TSA runs a security threat assessment, with fingerprints, a citizenship or immigration check and a background check, before any Texas CDL carries an H endorsement. A first-time applicant completes entry level driver training, then submits at the office the CDL-1, the Texas Hazardous Materials Endorsement Application (CDL-6), the medical certification and proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residence (a passport, a U.S. birth certificate, a consular report of birth, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization, a U.S. citizen ID card or a Permanent Resident Card), pays the fee and takes the hazardous materials exam from section 9 of the handbook. DPS then gives a service code for fingerprinting with its vendor IdentoGo, booked at uenroll.identogo.com or 888-467-2080 for a separate fee; fingerprints go to the FBI and the TSA aims to answer within 30 days. An approved endorsement expires with the CDL or five years from the TSA approval, whichever is earlier; existing holders keep a 90-day temporary endorsement during the assessment. Non-domiciled CDL holders, drivers certified under CDL-5 Section A and holders of a Texas limb waiver are not eligible.

Drivers who need a non-CDL Class A or B instead

DPS's exempt drivers page lists the vehicles whose drivers are exempt from the CDL but need a Class A or B non-commercial license, applied for with the CDL-2 form: military vehicles driven by military personnel, a farm truck or trailer moving farm goods within 150 miles of the farm, firefighting and emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles for personal use, air carrier vehicles on airport property, seed cotton module and cotton burr vehicles, former military vehicles kept in their military design and driven intrastate without compensation, and covered farm vehicles not used for hire. The skills test for them is given at the offices on DPS's exempt vehicle test sites page, with identification and the vehicle's registration and insurance. DPS may also waive the tests and issue a restricted Class B or C CDL to an employee of a farm-related service industry (farm retail outlets, agri-chemical businesses, custom harvesters, livestock feeders) on form CDL-1F, and its waivers page describes the Texas intrastate limb waiver and the federal vision and skills performance programs.

Commercial license fees

From the DPS driver license fees page, read on October 14, 2026. A CDL renews online or by phone when it carries no hazmat endorsement and a valid medical certificate is on file; a CDL expired more than two years means a new CLP and the tests again. The rest of the DPS schedule is on the fees page.

Questions about the Texas CDL

How long must I hold the commercial learner permit?

At least 14 days before the skills test, under Transportation Code Section 522.014. The CLP is valid 180 days or until the Texas driver license expires, whichever comes first, and may be renewed once, up to 30 days before it expires, without retaking the knowledge exams.

Who needs entry level driver training?

First-time applicants for a Class A or B CDL, holders upgrading to Class B or A, and first-time applicants for a school bus, passenger or hazardous materials endorsement, under the federal rule in force since February 7, 2022. It is not required for a CLP, and it does not apply to a CDL or S, P or H endorsement issued before that date. DPS checks the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before the skills test.

Can the knowledge test be taken in Spanish?

Not after June 1, 2026. DPS says that from that date every CDL knowledge exam is given only in English, as federal rules require commercial drivers to read and speak English well enough to talk with the public, understand signs and answer officers; the skills tests were already in English.

Do I still mail my medical certificate to DPS?

No. Since June 23, 2025 certified medical examiners send exam results electronically through the National Registry, and DPS says it stops accepting paper certificates on April 10, 2026. The status is checked on the License Eligibility page, with up to 10 business days for the record to update.

What does a CDL cost?

$97 for a new or renewed CDL at ages 18 to 84, good for eight years; $61 with a hazardous materials endorsement, good for five; $26 at 85 and older for two years; $25 for the commercial learner permit; $11 for a replacement. DPS's FAQ says an upgrade after a medical downgrade may cost up to $97.

Can a non-citizen get a Texas CDL?

A lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee applies like a citizen. Non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs for other visa holders were halted on September 29, 2025 under a federal rule; DPS says issuance resumes on June 1, 2026 for H-2A agricultural workers only, in person with a passport, visa and I-94 or I-797A, with H-2B and E-2 pending FMCSA approval, and a one-year maximum term.