Arkansas CDL Manual: Permits, Classes, and Medical Card

The Arkansas CDL manual is a free study guide published by the Arkansas Department of Public Safety that covers everything tested on the written knowledge exams and the three-part skills evaluation for a commercial driver license. You can download it as a PDF from the Department of Public Safety’s website, and most local Revenue Offices and State Police troop headquarters keep printed copies on hand. A supplemental guide covering Arkansas-specific rules is available from the same source. The state does not charge for the manual, and the initial CDL application fee of $50 covers both the written and skills testing.¹

What’s Inside the Manual

The bulk of the manual is study material for the general knowledge test, and it reads like a textbook. The testing pulls directly from it, so skimming is a poor strategy.

Vehicle inspection gets the most detailed treatment. The manual walks through a systematic pre-trip inspection covering the engine compartment, cab interior, exterior lights, tires, brakes, coupling devices for combination vehicles, and cargo securement. You use this same sequence during the pre-trip portion of the skills test, and you’re expected to perform abbreviated versions of it before every trip once you’re licensed.

Space management and vehicle control sections explain how stopping distances increase with vehicle weight and how to manage following distance, lane position, and mirror use. Shifting techniques for manual transmissions get their own section because improper shifting in a loaded truck on a grade can cause a loss of vehicle control.

Arkansas-specific rules appear throughout. The state’s Move Over law requires you to change lanes away from authorized vehicles stopped on the shoulder whenever possible; if you can’t change lanes safely, you must slow down and proceed with caution.² At railroad crossings, Arkansas law requires all drivers to stop within 50 feet but no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail whenever signals are active, gates are lowered, or a train is visibly approaching.³ Buses and vehicles carrying placarded hazardous materials must stop at every railroad crossing regardless of whether signals are active.

Who Needs a CDL in Arkansas

A CDL is required any time you operate a commercial motor vehicle on public roads. That includes combination rigs over 26,000 pounds when the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds, single vehicles over 26,000 pounds, vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, and any vehicle placarded for hazardous materials.⁴

Arkansas sets the minimum age at 18 for intrastate driving, meaning routes that stay entirely within the state. If you plan to cross state lines, federal law raises the minimum to 21.⁵ An 18-year-old who earns a CDL is limited to routes within Arkansas until turning 21, which rules out most long-haul work.

Start With a Commercial Learner’s Permit

Before you can take the CDL skills test, you have to hold a Commercial Learner’s Permit. There is no shortcut around it.⁵ To get a CLP, you need a valid Arkansas driver’s license, and you have to pass the general knowledge written test at a state testing location.

Once issued, a CLP is valid for one year. You cannot take the skills test during the first 14 days after the CLP is issued, which gives you a built-in minimum practice window.⁵ If the CLP expires before you pass the skills test, you have to retake the general knowledge and endorsement exams to get a new one. While holding a CLP, you can only drive a commercial vehicle with a licensed CDL holder sitting in the passenger seat.

Classes and Endorsements

Federal regulations divide commercial vehicles into three groups, and Arkansas follows the same structure. The class you need depends on the size and configuration of what you’ll be driving.

Class A covers combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit has a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds. Most tractor-trailers fall here.
Class B covers single vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or any vehicle in that weight range towing a trailer that doesn’t exceed 10,000 pounds. Dump trucks, large buses, and box trucks are typical.
Class C covers vehicles that don’t meet the Class A or B thresholds but are designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or are used to transport placarded hazardous materials.

Each class requires its own knowledge and skills testing.⁴ A Class A license lets you drive Class B and C vehicles as well, but the reverse isn’t true. Testing for Class A upfront saves you from having to upgrade later.

Endorsements

On top of the base license class, specific vehicle types require endorsements. Each adds a written test, and some add a skills test or background screening.

Hazardous Materials (H) is required for hauling any load that needs hazmat placards. This endorsement involves a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting and a background check. The TSA fee is $85.25 for new and renewing applicants, and TSA recommends applying at least 60 days before you need the endorsement. You also have to retake the hazmat written test every time you renew your CDL.⁶⁷
Tank Vehicle (N) is required for any vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases in a permanently mounted tank. The manual covers surge and rollover risk.
Double/Triple Trailers (T) is required for pulling more than one trailer at a time.
Passenger (P) is required for vehicles carrying passengers for hire, and includes both a written test and a skills test.
School Bus (S) sits on top of the Passenger endorsement for school bus drivers, with additional background screening and a skills test in an actual school bus.
Combination (X) pairs the Hazmat and Tank endorsements for drivers hauling hazardous liquids or gases in tankers.

Many new drivers start without endorsements and add them later as job opportunities require. Completing endorsement-specific ELDT training before testing is now mandatory for passenger, school bus, and hazmat endorsements.

Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, anyone applying for a CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement for the first time must complete Entry-Level Driver Training through an FMCSA-approved provider.⁸ The state will not let you schedule the skills test until your training provider reports your completion to the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.

ELDT includes both classroom theory instruction and behind-the-wheel training. The theory portion covers vehicle systems, safe driving practices, and the regulatory framework commercial drivers operate under. Behind-the-wheel training puts you in an actual vehicle with an instructor. The Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov lets you search for approved schools by state and training type.⁹ Costs vary widely, so shop around, but make sure whoever you choose appears on the registry. Training from an unlisted provider doesn’t count.

Drivers who already held a valid CDL or the relevant endorsement before February 7, 2022 are exempt. The same goes for anyone who held a valid CLP before that date, as long as they earned their CDL before the CLP expired.⁸

The DOT Medical Card

Every CDL holder must carry a valid medical examiner’s certificate, commonly called a DOT card. The exam can only be performed by a medical professional listed on the FMCSA National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, which includes physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and doctors of chiropractic.¹⁰

The physical has specific pass/fail thresholds. Your distant vision must be at least 20/40 in your better eye (corrective lenses are allowed), and your horizontal field of vision must reach at least 70 degrees. Blood pressure is the other common stumbling block. Readings at or below 140/90 get you a full two-year certificate. Stage 1 hypertension, up to 159/99, limits you to a one-year certificate. Stage 2, up to 179/109, gets you only a three-month temporary certificate while you work on getting the pressure down. Anything at or above 180/110 disqualifies you until treatment brings it down.¹¹

A standard DOT certificate is good for up to 24 months, but the examiner can shorten that if a condition needs monitoring.¹⁰ The exam typically costs between $60 and $120 out of pocket. CDL holders must also self-certify with the state into one of four categories based on whether they drive interstate or intrastate and whether they qualify for an exemption from medical certification requirements.¹² Most drivers who cross state lines fall into the non-excepted interstate category and must keep a current DOT card on file with the state at all times.

How the Testing Works

CDL testing has two phases. You take the written knowledge tests to get your CLP, then complete the skills test to convert that permit into a full CDL.

Written Knowledge Tests

The general knowledge test covers material from the main body of the manual: traffic laws, inspection procedures, cargo securement, air brakes, and safe driving techniques. If you’re adding endorsements, each has its own additional written test with questions drawn from the matching chapter. The $50 application fee covers both written and skills testing.¹

Skills Evaluation

After holding your CLP for at least 14 days and completing any required ELDT training, you can schedule the skills test. It has three segments, and you must pass all three:

Pre-trip inspection. You walk around the vehicle and explain each component’s function and condition to the examiner. Skipping a component or failing to explain why it matters costs points.
Basic vehicle control. You perform maneuvers in a controlled area, including straight-line backing, offset backing, and docking. The examiner scores precision and penalizes excessive pull-ups or encroachments.
On-road driving. An examiner rides along in traffic, evaluating lane changes, turns, merging, speed management, and situational awareness.

Failing any segment means retesting on that segment. Scheduling a retest can take weeks in busier areas.

Disqualifications You Should Know About Before You Drive

Losing a CDL is easier than most new drivers realize, and the consequences run further than a regular license suspension. Federal regulations set mandatory minimum disqualification periods that states cannot reduce, and Arkansas enforces them through the Office of Driver Services.

A first conviction for driving under the influence, refusing a required breath or blood test, leaving the scene of an accident, using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, causing a fatality through negligent operation, or driving while your CDL is already revoked or suspended triggers a one-year disqualification. A second conviction for any combination of these results in a lifetime disqualification. The blood alcohol threshold for CDL holders is 0.04, half the limit for regular drivers. If any of these offenses occurs while you’re hauling hazardous materials, the first-offense disqualification jumps to three years. Using a commercial vehicle in a drug trafficking or human trafficking felony is a lifetime disqualification with no eligibility for reinstatement.¹³

Serious traffic violations carry shorter periods but stack quickly. Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, driving without the correct class or endorsement, and traffic violations tied to a fatal accident all count. Two convictions within three years means a 60-day disqualification; three within three years means 120 days.¹³ These apply to violations in any vehicle, not just commercial ones. A speeding ticket in your personal car counts toward the total if it meets the threshold.

Validity and Renewal

An Arkansas CDL is valid for five years from the date of issuance. When you renew, you submit an updated application with current information and certifications. No skills retest is required for a standard renewal, but if you hold a hazmat endorsement, you must retake the hazmat written test each renewal cycle.⁷ Your DOT medical certificate has to stay current throughout the five-year license period. Letting the medical card lapse doesn’t automatically cancel your CDL, but it will result in a downgrade until you get a new physical on file.

1
Cornell Law Institute. Arkansas Code R. 130.00.10 – Commercial Driver License (CDL) Rules
2
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-51-310 – Passing Authorized Vehicle Stopped on Highway – Definition
3
FindLaw. Arkansas Code Title 27 Transportation 27-51-702
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.91 – Commercial Motor Vehicle Groups
5
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. CLP – Commercial Learner’s Permit
6
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
7
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-23-111 – Content of Commercial Driver License
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
9
FMCSA Training Provider Registry. FMCSA Training Provider Registry
10
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DOT Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle Certification
11
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiner’s Handbook 2024 Edition
12
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operation I Should Self-Certify To
13
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers