How to Get a Class B Driver’s License in Texas

To get a Class B driver’s license in Texas, you complete federal entry-level driver training, pass a DOT physical, apply at a Department of Public Safety office for a Commercial Learner’s Permit, hold that permit at least 14 days, and then pass a three-part skills test in a vehicle that matches what you plan to drive. The license itself costs $97 and is valid for eight years.1Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees A Class B lets you operate single vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, including straight trucks, dump trucks, city buses, and similar heavy vehicles, plus a trailer up to 10,000 pounds.2Department of Public Safety. Classes of Driver Licenses

Confirm You Actually Need the CDL Version

Texas issues two versions of the Class B: a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and a non-commercial version. Most people need the CDL. The non-commercial Class B exists for drivers of certain exempt heavy vehicles: military vehicles driven by military personnel, farm trucks hauling agricultural goods within 150 miles of the farm, firefighting and emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles for personal travel, and vehicles operated exclusively on airport property.3Department of Public Safety. CDL Exempt Drivers If your driving falls into one of those categories, the application steps below do not all apply to you. Everything that follows covers the CDL path.

Basic Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to drive a commercial vehicle within Texas. Crossing state lines, transporting hazardous materials, or carrying passengers in interstate commerce requires you to be 21. You need a valid Texas driver’s license and must prove U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, along with two documents verifying your name and residential address, such as a current deed, mortgage statement, residential lease, or utility bills.4Legal Information Institute. 37 Tex. Admin. Code 16.7 – Proof of Domicile

DOT Physical

Every CDL applicant must pass a Department of Transportation physical conducted by a certified medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. The exam covers vision, hearing, cardiovascular health, and general fitness to operate a commercial vehicle.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical After passing, you receive a Medical Examiner’s Certificate that must stay valid the entire time you hold a CDL. If it lapses, DPS downgrades your license.6Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Medical Certification Requirement

You also have to tell DPS which of four self-certification categories applies to your driving: non-excepted interstate, excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate, or excepted intrastate. Most commercial drivers fall into non-excepted interstate, which requires a current medical certificate on file with DPS.7Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operation I Should Self-Certify To

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, first-time Class B CDL applicants must complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) through a provider registered on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. The same requirement applies if you later upgrade to Class A or add a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time.8Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)

ELDT has three parts: classroom theory, behind-the-wheel range training, and behind-the-wheel public road training. The federal rule sets no minimum hours, but providers must cover every required topic and document your proficiency in each skill. You need at least 80% on the theory assessment. Range training covers vehicle inspections, straight-line backing, alley dock backing, offset backing, and parallel parking. Road training covers turns, lane changes, highway driving, speed and space management, and hours-of-service rules.9Training Provider Registry. ELDT Entry-Level Driver Training Minimum Federal Curricula Requirements

Verify any school you’re considering by searching the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry before you enroll and pay.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry When you finish, the provider submits your certification directly to the FMCSA, and you become eligible to take the CDL skills test.

Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit

With training lined up or completed, you apply at a Texas DPS office for a Commercial Learner’s Permit. You take written knowledge tests covering general commercial driving knowledge, Texas commercial rules, and air brakes if you plan to drive vehicles equipped with them. Each section requires at least 80%. The CLP costs $25 and is valid for 180 days.1Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees

About air brakes: if you skip that knowledge test or take your skills test in a vehicle without air brakes, your CDL will carry a restriction barring you from driving air-brake-equipped vehicles. Removing the restriction later takes a separate test but not another round of ELDT.11Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry – Frequently Asked Questions Since most commercial vehicles have air brakes, testing with them from the start is usually the right call.

Pass the Skills Test

You must hold the CLP for at least 14 days before taking the skills test. The test vehicle must represent the type of commercial vehicle you intend to operate. The test has three parts:

  • Pre-trip inspection, where you walk around the vehicle and show you can identify key components and tell whether they’re in proper working order.
  • Basic vehicle control, where you perform exercises like backing, turning, and parking in a controlled setting.
  • Road test, where you drive in real traffic while an examiner evaluates how you handle intersections, lane changes, and standard driving situations.

Active-duty service members and veterans who operated equivalent military vehicles may qualify to skip the skills test. You must have been regularly employed in a military driving position within the past 12 months and have at least two years of military driving experience immediately before discharge. The written tests still apply.12Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Application for Military Skills Test Waiver

Fees

  • Commercial Learner’s Permit: $25, valid 180 days
  • CDL issuance, ages 18–84: $97, valid eight years
  • Adding or removing endorsements or restrictions: $11

These are the DPS fees only.1Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees They don’t include ELDT tuition, which varies widely by provider. A hazardous materials endorsement adds a TSA security threat assessment fee of $85.25, or $41 if you already hold a valid TWIC card.13Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement

Endorsements You May Need

A Class B by itself covers the vehicle. If you plan to carry passengers, children, bulk liquids, or hazardous cargo, you need endorsements on top of the base license, and each requires its own knowledge test, skills test, or both.

  • Passenger (P): required for any vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, such as city transit buses and charter coaches.
  • School Bus (S): required in addition to the Passenger endorsement to drive a school bus; involves extra training and a background check.
  • Tanker (N): required to haul liquids or gases in bulk tanks rated at 1,000 gallons or more.
  • Hazardous Materials (H): required for any cargo needing hazmat placards; triggers a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting and a federal background check.
  • Combination (X): the Tanker and Hazardous Materials endorsements combined.

The hazmat endorsement is the most involved. In Texas you apply through your local DPS office rather than a TSA enrollment center, and you’ll provide fingerprints along with ID such as a current U.S. passport or a driver’s license paired with a birth certificate. TSA recommends starting at least 60 days before you need the endorsement, because some background checks take more than 45 days. The assessment fee is non-refundable and the clearance lasts five years.13Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement

What Can Keep You From Getting or Keeping a CDL

CDL disqualifications are stricter than the rules for a regular license, and they apply even for offenses committed in your personal vehicle. A first conviction for driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, or using a vehicle to commit a felony brings a minimum one-year disqualification, three years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials. A second major offense means a lifetime disqualification.14Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Disqualifications

Two categories carry permanent bans with no reinstatement: using a commercial vehicle in a felony involving manufacture or distribution of controlled substances, and using a commercial vehicle in a severe human trafficking offense.15eCFR. Disqualification of Drivers Serious traffic violations, such as speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, or texting while driving a commercial motor vehicle, add up: two within three years brings a 60-day disqualification, and three within three years brings 120 days. A suspended license or recent impaired-driving conviction on your regular driving record can also keep you from being issued a CDL in the first place.