Class B CDL in Colorado: Requirements, Skills Test, and Costs

Getting a Class B CDL in Colorado means clearing a defined sequence: meet the age and medical rules, finish federally mandated Entry-Level Driver Training, pass written exams to earn a Commercial Learner’s Permit, hold that permit for at least 14 days, and then pass a three-part skills test in a Class B vehicle. A Class B license lets you operate a single vehicle rated at 26,001 pounds or more, plus a trailer up to 10,000 pounds — think dump trucks, city buses, concrete mixers, and large delivery trucks.¹

Who Qualifies

You can apply at 18, but a Colorado CDL issued before you turn 21 carries a “K” restriction limiting you to driving within Colorado. Interstate commercial driving opens up on your 21st birthday.²

You also need a valid Colorado driver’s license that is not suspended, revoked, or otherwise restricted. The Department of Revenue will not issue a CDL to anyone subject to a federal disqualification order or whose driving privilege is under any form of restraint, and no hardship or probationary license works around that.³

Every applicant must pass a Department of Transportation physical. A certified medical examiner issues a Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) if you meet federal physical qualification standards.⁴ The provider sends your certification directly to the FMCSA National Registry, and Colorado’s DMV pulls it electronically.⁵ Drivers with vision, hearing, or seizure-related conditions may qualify for a federal exemption through FMCSA, but those exemptions apply only to interstate driving.⁶

Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 2022, every first-time Class B CDL applicant must complete Entry-Level Driver Training through an FMCSA-registered provider. Colorado will not issue the license without it.⁷ The same training rule kicks in if you later add a passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement.

ELDT has two parts. Theory instruction covers 30 topics across five areas — basic operation, safe operating procedures, hazard perception, vehicle systems, and non-driving activities such as hours-of-service rules and cargo documentation. There is no federal minimum classroom time, but every topic must be covered and you need at least 80 percent on the theory assessment. Behind-the-wheel training then puts you in a Class B vehicle with an instructor to build the skills the road test measures.

Confirm your school is listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov before you enroll.⁸ After you finish, the provider must transmit your completion record to FMCSA by midnight of the second business day. The registry’s “Check Your Training Record” tool lets you verify it posted.

Documents for the Commercial Learner’s Permit

Colorado uses a tiered ID structure: one strong document such as an unexpired U.S. passport, or a birth certificate plus a secondary ID like a current Colorado driver’s license or military ID.⁹ You also need to provide your Social Security number — the card itself, or an acceptable substitute such as a W-2, SSA-1099, or pay stub showing your name and SSN — plus proof of Colorado residency and lawful presence.¹⁰

Two CDL-specific items complete the file. Your Medical Examiner’s Certificate arrives electronically through the National Registry. You also submit the CDL Self-Certification form (DR 2854), declaring which of four categories fits your driving: Non-Excepted Interstate (NI), Excepted Interstate (EI), Non-Excepted Intrastate (NA), or Excepted Intrastate (EA). Most new drivers choose NI. Applicants aged 18 to 20 must pick an intrastate category because federal rules bar interstate commercial driving before 21. Picking the wrong category creates problems later when you try to upgrade, so read the DR 2854 instructions carefully.

Knowledge Tests and the Learner’s Permit

At the DMV you take written exams on general CDL knowledge and air brakes. If you want endorsements such as passenger or tanker on your eventual license, add those knowledge tests now. Every exam requires at least 80 percent to pass.

The Commercial Learner’s Permit is valid for one year and cannot be renewed.¹ If it expires before you pass the skills test, you start over with new knowledge exams. That clock matters, especially if you still need to finish behind-the-wheel ELDT after getting the permit. With the CLP you can practice on public roads, but a CDL holder must sit in the passenger seat whenever you drive a Class B vehicle.

The Skills Test

You must hold the CLP for at least 14 calendar days before you can take the skills test.¹¹ A state-approved third-party testing facility administers the test, not the DMV. You supply a Class B vehicle that meets inspection standards.

The test runs in one session with three parts:

Pre-trip inspection. You walk around the vehicle, call out specific components, and explain what you are checking for mechanical problems.
Basic vehicle control. Low-speed maneuvers in a controlled area, such as straight-line backing, offset backing, and parking.
On-road driving. Real traffic, with the examiner scoring lane changes, turns, merging, and overall road awareness.

Fail any portion and you return on a different day to retake all three. Facilities cannot schedule you more than once in any two-day period.¹² Most failures come from a weak pre-trip inspection — the part people study least.

What It Costs

Colorado’s CDL licensing fee is $17.50, paid at the DMV when you receive your license.¹³ The state fee is the small line. The third-party skills test typically runs $275 or more depending on the facility, the DOT physical generally costs $75 to $200, and ELDT tuition can add considerably more. Once training is factored in, the full path to a Class B often reaches several thousand dollars.

After you pass, the testing facility issues a verification document. Take it to a Colorado DMV office with your payment, and staff process the paperwork and print the physical license.

What a Class B License Lets You Drive

A Class B CDL covers any single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, with a towed trailer up to 10,000 pounds GVWR.¹ A trailer over that threshold moves the combination into Class A territory and requires an upgrade.

A Class B also authorizes you to drive any vehicle that would otherwise require a Class C CDL, provided you hold the right endorsements. A Class B holder with a passenger endorsement can drive a transit bus one day and a 16-passenger shuttle the next on the same license.

Endorsements

Endorsements expand what you can haul or carry:¹⁴

P (Passenger). For transporting 16 or more people, including the driver. Knowledge test and skills test in a passenger vehicle.
S (School Bus). For carrying students on a school bus. Passenger and school bus knowledge tests, plus a skills test in an actual school bus.
N (Tanker). For hauling liquids or liquefied gases in bulk containers of 1,000 gallons or more. Knowledge test only.
H (Hazardous Materials). For loads requiring placards. Knowledge test plus a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting, roughly $85 to $87.
X. Combined tanker and hazmat, meeting the N and H requirements together.

A permit holder cannot carry hazardous materials at any time, regardless of endorsements.³ Passenger and school bus endorsements added later also trigger ELDT, even if you already have a CDL.

Disqualifications

CDL holders face tighter rules than regular drivers. The blood alcohol threshold for operating a commercial vehicle is 0.04 percent, half the standard 0.08.¹⁵

A first “major” violation brings a one-year CDL disqualification. A second major violation means a lifetime disqualification. Major violations include DUI or a BAC of 0.04 or higher in a commercial vehicle, refusing an alcohol test under implied consent, leaving the scene of an accident involving your commercial vehicle, using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, and causing a fatality through negligent operation.¹⁵

Serious traffic violations stack separately. Two within three years triggers a 60-day disqualification; three within three years brings 120 days. The list includes speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, and texting or using a hand-held phone in a commercial vehicle.

A separate federal system, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, tracks drug and alcohol violations by CDL holders. If the Clearinghouse shows an unresolved violation, Colorado cannot issue, renew, or upgrade your CDL until you complete the return-to-duty process with a DOT-qualified Substance Abuse Professional.¹⁶

Keeping the License Current

Colorado CDLs must be renewed before they expire, online through myDMV or in person. Either route requires a valid DOT medical card on file, submitted electronically by your examiner through the National Registry — a paper card won’t be accepted at the counter.⁵ If your CDL has been expired more than a year, straightforward renewal is off the table and you may have to retest.

DOT medical certificates are typically valid for up to two years, though an examiner can issue a shorter one if a condition needs closer monitoring. Letting the certificate lapse can downgrade your CDL to a regular license until a new one is on file, so schedule the physical well before the expiration date.

1
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. CDL General Information
2
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. CDL Restrictions
3
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 42-2-404 – Commercial Drivers License Limitations
4
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiners Certificate, Form MCSA-5876
5
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Renew Your Colorado Driver License, Permit, or ID Card
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Driver Exemptions
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
9
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Required Identification Documents to Get Your Permit, Driver License, or Identification Card
10
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Welcome to Colorado
11
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. First-time CDL Driver
12
Cornell Law Institute. Colorado Code of Regulations 1 CCR 204-30-7 – Rules and Regulations for Commercial Driver Licenses
13
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. State DMV Fees
14
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. CDL Endorsements and Requirements
15
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
16
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.73 – State Procedures