How to Get a Commercial Driver’s License in Colorado

To get a commercial driver’s license in Colorado, you pass a DOT physical, apply in person at a Colorado DMV office for a Commercial Learner’s Permit ($19), complete federally required Entry-Level Driver Training, hold the permit at least 14 days, pass a three-part skills test at a state-approved third-party testing facility, and pay $17.50 for the license itself. Plan on several months from start to finish, and budget separately for the medical exam and training school tuition.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 18 to hold a Colorado CDL, be a Colorado resident, and already have a valid Colorado driver’s license. Residency means you have lived in the state continuously for at least 90 days or you work here, and you will need two documents showing your current Colorado address (a utility bill, bank statement, or lease all work).¹

Age matters more than you might expect. An 18-to-20-year-old CDL holder gets a “K” intrastate restriction and can only drive routes that stay inside Colorado.² To cross state lines, or to haul hazardous materials in placarded quantities, you have to be 21.³ The restriction drops automatically when you turn 21.

You will also need proof of your Social Security number and documents establishing identity and lawful presence. An unexpired U.S. passport, permanent resident card, or current Colorado driver’s license each cover both on their own; otherwise you combine documents from the DMV’s two lists.¹

Pass a DOT Physical and Self-Certify

Federal law requires a physical by a medical examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. Physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and doctors of chiropractic all qualify to perform it.⁴ If you pass, the examiner issues a Medical Examiner’s Certificate — the DOT medical card — and you give a copy to the Colorado DMV so it goes on your CDLIS record.⁵

When you apply, you self-certify what kind of driving you will do. The four options are interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, and intrastate excepted. Most commercial drivers are interstate non-excepted, which means you need to keep a current DOT medical card on file. Picking the wrong category delays your application, so confirm with your employer or intended carrier before you check a box.⁵

Pick the Right Class and Endorsements

Colorado issues three CDL classes. Class A covers combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds — tractor-trailers, basically. Class B covers single vehicles rated at 26,001 pounds or more, such as dump trucks and large buses. Class C covers vehicles that aren’t Class A or B but either carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or haul placarded hazardous materials. A Class A license also lets you drive Class B and C vehicles; Class B covers Class C.⁶ Pick the broadest class you realistically plan to drive, because moving up later means retesting.

Endorsements get added for specific cargo or passenger types: H (hazardous materials), N (tank vehicles), P (passenger), S (school bus), T (double/triple trailers), and X (combined tank and HazMat). Each has its own knowledge test. P and S also require a skills test in a matching vehicle. H requires a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting, which runs about $85.25. H, T, and X cannot be added to a learner’s permit; you have to wait until you hold the full CDL.⁷

Two Restrictions Worth Avoiding

Test in a vehicle with an automatic transmission and you get an “E” restriction limiting you to automatic-only commercial vehicles. Many trucking jobs want manual capability, and removing the restriction means a new CLP and a full skills retest in a manual vehicle of the same class.² Skip the air brake knowledge test or test in a vehicle without full air brakes and you get an “L” restriction barring air-brake-equipped vehicles — which covers most heavy commercial trucks. Clearing it also requires another written test and another skills test. If you have any choice in the matter, test in a manual vehicle with full air brakes.

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, every first-time Class A or Class B applicant has to finish Entry-Level Driver Training before taking the skills test. The same requirement applies the first time you add a P, S, or H endorsement. Colorado will not schedule your skills test until an FMCSA-registered training provider submits your completion to the federal Training Provider Registry.⁸

ELDT has a theory portion (vehicle inspection, controls, shifting, hazard perception, hours of service, post-crash procedures, and more) and a behind-the-wheel portion split between range exercises and public road driving. You need at least 80 percent on the theory assessment, and your instructor has to certify proficiency on every behind-the-wheel element — there are no federally set minimum hours, and simulators don’t substitute for range or road time.⁹

Before you pay tuition, verify the school appears on the Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov. Being listed doesn’t mean FMCSA endorses the school — providers self-certify — but training from an unlisted provider will not count.¹⁰ Professional programs generally run between $2,500 and $10,000 depending on length and class. If you held a CDL before February 7, 2022, you don’t have to go back and take ELDT; qualifying military drivers are also exempt.⁸

Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit

Apply in person at a Colorado DMV office. Bring your Colorado driver’s license, your identity and lawful presence documents, two proofs of Colorado address, proof of your Social Security number, and your DOT medical card. The CLP fee is $19.¹¹

At the counter you take written knowledge tests matched to your class. Everyone takes General Knowledge. Class A applicants add Combination Vehicles. Most Class A and B applicants also take Air Brakes unless they are willing to live with the L restriction. You can knock out most endorsement knowledge tests at the same visit; HazMat is the exception, since it can only go on a full CDL. The Colorado CDL Driver’s Manual covers the material on all of these.

Your CLP is valid for one year and cannot be renewed, so set a realistic training schedule. You have to hold the CLP for at least 14 calendar days before you can take the skills test, and while you have the permit you may only drive a commercial vehicle on public roads with a licensed CDL holder in the front seat next to you.¹²

Pass the Three-Part Skills Test

Colorado’s skills test is run by third-party testing facilities licensed by the state, not by the DMV itself. Schedule once your 14-day CLP hold is up and your ELDT provider has posted your completion to the federal registry.

Pre-trip inspection. You walk the vehicle with the examiner and identify safety components and defects — brakes, lights, tires, coupling, fluids. This is where most applicants underestimate the preparation needed.
Basic vehicle control. Straight-line backing, offset backing, and parallel parking in a controlled area. Class A adds 90-degree alley dock backing.
On-road driving. Real traffic. The examiner scores turns, lane changes, intersections, railroad crossings, highway merging, and your use of mirrors, signals, and speed.

Bring your CLP, your DOT medical card, and a commercial vehicle properly equipped for the class you are testing for. A licensed CDL holder has to accompany you to the test site, because you are still on a learner’s permit until you pass. Some testing facilities rent vehicles if you don’t have access to one.

Finalize the License and Keep It Current

After you pass, the testing facility uploads your results through the Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS). You then go back to a Colorado DMV office, finish the application, and pay the $17.50 CDL fee.¹¹ The license is valid for four years.¹³

Keep your DOT medical card current. If your certificate expires without a replacement on file, your commercial driving privileges get downgraded until you fix it. If your self-certification category changes — for example, from intrastate to interstate — update the DMV promptly.

You also need to register with the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse once you start job hunting. Employers must query the Clearinghouse before hiring and annually after, and the pre-employment query cannot be completed without your electronic consent. Create a Login.gov account and enter your CDL or CLP information at the Clearinghouse website; owner-operators with their own USDOT number register in both the driver and employer roles.¹⁴

What Can Cost You the License

A CDL carries tougher consequences than a regular license. The blood alcohol limit for operating any commercial vehicle is 0.04 percent, half the standard 0.08.¹⁵

Federal “major offenses” — DUI, a 0.04 BAC in a commercial vehicle, refusing an alcohol test, leaving the scene of a crash, using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, or causing a fatality through negligent operation — trigger a one-year disqualification on a first conviction, or three years if you were hauling hazardous materials. A second major offense in a separate incident is a lifetime ban. Using a commercial vehicle to manufacture or distribute controlled substances, or in connection with human trafficking, is a lifetime disqualification with no reinstatement.¹⁶

“Serious” violations include reckless driving, following too closely, speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, and texting while driving. Two in three years is a 60-day disqualification; three in three years is 120 days. These apply even if the violation happened in your personal vehicle while off duty.

1
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Required Identification Documents to Get Your Permit, Driver License, or ID Card
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. CDL Restrictions
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Colorado State Patrol. Driver Qualifications (FMCSR Part 391)
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DOT Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle Certification
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
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Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Drivers License Requirements
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Colorado Department of Revenue. Rules and Regulations for the Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Program
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Training Provider Registry. ELDT Entry-Level Driver Training Minimum Federal Curricula Requirements
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Training Provider Registry. Training Provider Registry
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. State DMV Fees
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Colorado Department of Revenue. First-time CDL Driver
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. CDL General Information
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Commercial Drivers License Drug and Alcohol ClearinghouseRegister
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Is a Driver Disqualified for Driving a CMV While Off-Duty With a Blood Alcohol Concentration
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eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers