How to Get a Commercial Driver’s License in Georgia

To get a commercial driver’s license in Georgia, you apply through the Department of Driver Services (DDS), pass a written knowledge exam to earn a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), hold that permit for at least 14 days while completing federally approved Entry-Level Driver Training, and then pass a three-part road skills test in a vehicle matching the class of license you want. Expect to pay $35 for the application, $10 for the learner’s permit, $50 per skills test attempt, and $32 for the license itself, plus $5 per endorsement.

Pick Your CDL Class

Georgia issues three CDL classes, defined in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-150 and mirrored on the federal vehicle groups in 49 CFR § 383.91. Choose based on what you plan to drive, because the class dictates your training, exams, and skills-test vehicle.¹

Class A covers any combination of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds. This is the license long-haul tractor-trailer drivers hold.
Class B covers any single vehicle rated at 26,001 pounds or more, or that vehicle towing a unit of 10,000 pounds or less. Dump trucks, large buses, and box trucks fall here.
Class C covers vehicles below the Class A and B weight thresholds that are either designed to carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or used to transport placarded hazardous materials.

A higher class authorizes the lower ones, so a Class A license lets you operate Class B and C vehicles if you hold the right endorsements for the cargo or passengers involved.

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 to apply, but applicants between 18 and 20 receive an “Intrastate Only” restriction limiting them to routes inside Georgia. The restriction lifts at 21, though you have to visit a DDS Customer Service Center to get it removed. Interstate driving, including hauling cargo that originated in or is bound for another state, requires you to be 21.²

You also need a valid Georgia non-commercial driver’s license before applying. Bring proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency (birth certificate, passport, or permanent resident card), Real ID-compliant identification, and proof of Georgia residency such as a utility bill, lease, or bank statement. Non-citizens must present documentation showing legal presence.

Certain criminal convictions disqualify you from holding a CDL. Drug offenses, felonies committed using a commercial vehicle, and DUI convictions carry the harshest consequences, including minimum one-year disqualification on a first offense and lifetime disqualification on a second major violation under O.C.G.A. § 40-5-151.³

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, first-time Class A or Class B applicants must complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) before taking the skills test. The same rule applies when upgrading from Class B to Class A or adding a school bus (S), passenger (P), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.⁴

Your training provider must appear on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, which you can search on the FMCSA website. The registry logs your completion, and DDS will not schedule your skills test (or the hazmat knowledge test) until that record posts.⁵ If you already held a CDL or the relevant endorsement before February 7, 2022, you are exempt.

Pass the Knowledge Exams and Get Your Learner’s Permit

The CDL process starts at a DDS Customer Service Center, where you complete a Commercial Application (CAP). The CAP fee is $35, waived for veterans and school bus drivers with the required documentation. One payment covers up to four test attempts within a rolling 360-day window; a fifth attempt or a gap over 360 days means a new application and another $35.

The knowledge exams you take depend on your class and endorsements. Class A applicants, for example, take general knowledge, air brakes, and combination vehicle tests. Every CDL knowledge exam requires a minimum score of 80%.⁶ Once you pass, you pay $10 for your Commercial Learner’s Permit, which is valid for 365 days. Fail an exam and the $10 is kept as a testing fee until you pass.

While you hold the CLP, a fully licensed CDL holder in the same vehicle class must sit beside you whenever you drive, and that person has to be physically capable of taking control. CLP holders cannot carry passengers or transport hazardous materials.

Get Your Medical Certificate and Self-Certify

Most CDL holders must carry a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate, commonly called a DOT medical card, from an examiner on the FMCSA’s National Registry.⁷ The exam covers vision, hearing, cardiovascular health, and general fitness under 49 CFR § 391.41. Federal standards require at least 20/40 distant visual acuity in each eye (with or without corrective lenses), a horizontal field of vision of at least 70 degrees in each eye, the ability to distinguish standard red, green, and amber traffic signals, and the ability to perceive a forced whisper at five feet or better in your stronger ear.⁸ A standard certificate lasts up to two years, though some conditions shorten that window.⁹

Every Georgia CDL holder must also self-certify to one of four categories of commercial operation, which tells DDS whether you need to maintain a federal medical certificate:

Non-excepted Interstate (NI): You drive across state lines or carry interstate cargo and must maintain a current medical certificate. This covers most CDL holders.
Non-excepted Intrastate (NA): You drive only within Georgia but still carry a medical certificate under state rules.
Excepted Interstate (EI): You cross state lines but only in exempt activities such as school bus operations, government work, or emergency vehicles. No federal certificate required.
Excepted Intrastate (EA): You drive only within Georgia in exempt activities such as operating a government vehicle. No state medical certificate required.

If more than one category fits, you certify under the more restrictive one: interstate beats intrastate, and non-excepted beats excepted. Letting your medical certificate lapse without updating your category can downgrade your CDL to a non-commercial license.¹⁰

Pass the Road Skills Test

You can schedule the road skills test after holding your CLP for at least 14 days.¹¹ The fee is $50 per attempt.¹² The test has three parts:

Pre-trip inspection: You walk around the vehicle and show you can identify mechanical problems and verify safety equipment.
Basic control skills: You perform maneuvers like straight-line backing, offset backing, and docking in a controlled area.
On-road driving: You drive in real traffic while the examiner evaluates lane changes, turns, merging, speed management, and overall vehicle control.

You must bring a vehicle that matches the CDL class you are testing for. DDS does not provide one. A third failure of any section triggers a mandatory seven-day waiting period before you can retest, and a fourth failure means filing a new CAP and paying the $35 fee again. Once you pass, the license issuance fee is $32.¹³

Add Any Endorsements You Need

Endorsements let you operate specialized vehicles or haul specific cargo. Each requires its own exam, and some add background screening on top.

H (Hazardous Materials): Knowledge test only. Requires a TSA background check and fingerprinting. First-time applicants must also complete ELDT.
P (Passenger): Knowledge and skills tests. For vehicles designed to carry 16 or more passengers.
S (School Bus): Knowledge and skills tests, plus additional background screening.
N (Tank Vehicle): Knowledge test only. Available for Class A and B.
T (Double/Triple Trailer): Knowledge test only. Class A only, and you must already hold a full CDL. It cannot be added at the CLP stage.

If you need both H and N, Georgia issues a combined X endorsement, though you still pass both knowledge tests.¹⁴ For hazmat, TSA recommends starting the background check at least 60 days before you need a determination, because processing can exceed 45 days.¹⁵ Endorsements added after the initial license costs $5 each.

What You’ll Pay in Total

Budget for the whole sequence rather than one fee at a time:

Commercial Application (CAP): $35, good for up to four test attempts in 360 days
Commercial Learner’s Permit: $10
Road skills test: $50 per attempt
License issuance: $32
Each endorsement added later: $5
DOT medical exam: paid directly to the certified medical examiner

Veterans and school bus drivers can get the CAP fee waived with the right documentation, and veterans with combat status on their license may have additional fees waived.

Military Skills Test Waiver

Active-duty service members and veterans who recently operated military commercial vehicles can skip the road skills test. You must have operated a vehicle in the same CDL class for at least two years immediately before discharge, or before your application date if still serving, and you must apply within one year of an honorable discharge.⁶

The waiver covers only the skills test. You still pass the knowledge exams at 80%, submit medical certification, and pay the $35 application fee plus the $32 license fee. Your commanding officer must complete and sign a Certificate of Commercial Driving Experience verifying your record. Allow at least 30 days for DDS to process the application.

Register for the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

Before you can be hired, you will need an account in the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the federal database that tracks drug and alcohol testing violations for CDL holders. Employers must query the Clearinghouse before hiring any CDL driver and at least once a year for every CDL driver on staff.¹⁶

Registration itself is not legally required, but the pre-employment “full query” an employer must run needs your electronic consent through a registered account. Without one, the hiring process stalls.¹⁷ Any violation recorded against you, such as a positive drug test or a refusal to test, stays visible to every prospective employer until you complete the required return-to-duty process.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-150 – Contents of License; Classifications
2
Georgia Department of Driver Services. CDL Permit
3
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-151 – Disqualification From Driving Commercial Motor Vehicle
4
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
5
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
6
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Apply for a Military CDL Skills Test Waiver or Even Exchange
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. For How Long Is My Medical Certificate Valid?
10
Georgia Department of Driver Services. CDL Med Cert
11
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Commercial Driver’s License Requirements in Georgia
12
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Section 1 Continued
13
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Renew a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
14
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Adding CDL Endorsements
15
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
16
FMCSA Clearinghouse. Query Requirements and Query Plans
17
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Are CDL Drivers Required to Register for the Clearinghouse?