How to Get a Passenger Endorsement in California

To get a passenger endorsement in California, you complete FMCSA-approved Entry-Level Driver Training, apply for a commercial learner’s permit by passing the passenger knowledge test at the DMV, hold that permit for at least 14 days, and then pass a three-part skills test in a passenger vehicle. Adding a P endorsement to a Class A or B CDL costs $100.¹ The endorsement is required for any commercial vehicle designed to carry more than 10 people, including the driver.²

What the P Endorsement Covers

The P endorsement attaches to whatever CDL class you already hold. A Class B CDL with a P endorsement covers standard buses and farm labor vehicles; a Class A CDL with a P endorsement is what you need for a trailer bus.³ The threshold is the vehicle’s design capacity: more than 10 people, counting you.

If the vehicle is a school bus, the P endorsement isn’t enough on its own. You also need an S endorsement, and certain vehicle certificates such as school bus (SCH), farm labor vehicle (F/L), and general public paratransit vehicle (GPPV) require a criminal background check and ongoing record review through the DMV.⁴ The P endorsement alone does not trigger a background check.

Before You Start

Three things need to be in place before you apply.

You need a valid California CDL of the appropriate class. Class A or Class B covers most passenger vehicles you’d add a P endorsement to.⁵

You must be at least 18 to drive commercially within California, and at least 21 to cross state lines or carry interstate passengers.⁶

You need a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) from a provider on the FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.⁷ You can find one through the registry’s search tool.⁸

When you apply, the DMV will ask you to self-certify a commerce category. Most passenger drivers pick Non-Excepted Interstate (crossing state lines) or Non-Excepted Intrastate (staying inside California).⁹ If you operate in both excepted and non-excepted commerce, you must certify in the non-excepted category. The wrong choice can put your CDL status at risk, so pick carefully.¹⁰

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, any first-time P endorsement applicant must finish Entry-Level Driver Training with an FMCSA-registered provider before taking the skills test.¹¹ California enforces this. If you skip it, the DMV will not let you test.

The curriculum has two parts. Theory instruction covers post-crash procedures, pre-trip and en-route inspections, passenger management, ADA compliance, hours-of-service rules, railroad crossings, and roadside inspections. Behind-the-wheel training covers vehicle orientation, inspections, passenger management, and railroad crossing exercises in a passenger vehicle of the same group you plan to drive. There are no mandated minimum hours, but you must score at least 80% on the theory assessment.¹²

Find a provider through the “Find a Provider” tool on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov, filtering by “Passenger” and your location. Before you pay, check the registry’s public lists of providers that have been issued removal notices or already removed. After you finish, your provider has two business days to submit your certification electronically; use “Check Your Record” on the registry to confirm it went through.¹³

A few people are exempt from ELDT. If you already held a P endorsement before February 7, 2022, you don’t need ELDT for renewal. Neither do you if you obtained a CLP before that date and earned your CDL before that permit expired. Military members who qualify for a testing waiver are also exempt.¹¹

Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit

At the DMV, apply for a commercial learner’s permit with a P endorsement and take the written knowledge test. It covers Sections 2 and 4 of the California Commercial Driver Handbook: safe loading and unloading, emergency procedures, vehicle inspections, and passenger management. If your passenger vehicle has air brakes, you also take a knowledge test on Section 5.²

Once you have the CLP, one restriction matters immediately: you cannot carry passengers in a commercial vehicle. The only people allowed on board are federal and state auditors, inspectors, test examiners, other trainees, and the licensed CDL holder who must accompany you.¹⁴

Wait 14 Days, Then Take the Skills Test

You must hold the CLP for at least 14 days before you can take the skills test. The same waiting period applies if you’re upgrading your CDL class or adding an endorsement that requires a skills test.¹⁵ Use that time to practice in an actual passenger vehicle with a qualified CDL holder along for the ride.

The skills test has three parts, all set by 49 CFR 383.113:

Pre-trip inspection. You walk through the vehicle and verbally identify each safety-related part, explaining what you’d check to confirm it’s safe to operate. That covers the engine compartment, cab, steering, suspension, brakes, wheels, sides, rear, and any bus- or transit-specific features.¹⁶
Basic vehicle control. Starting and shutting down, accelerating and stopping smoothly in both directions, backing in a straight line, making left and right turns, and shifting gears appropriately for road conditions.
On-road driving. Real traffic, with the examiner watching your visual search habits, lane changes, speed control, and following distance.

Test in the same type of passenger vehicle you plan to drive. Practicing in one class and testing in another is a common way to fail. You get three attempts, and each retake costs a separate fee.¹⁵

What You’ll Pay

The DMV fees are fixed and nonrefundable:

Adding a P endorsement to a Class A or B CDL: $100.¹
Adding a P endorsement to a Commercial Class C CDL: $59.¹
Skills test retake, any commercial class: $46 per attempt.¹

Those are just the DMV charges. Your real total also includes ELDT tuition, which varies by provider, and the medical exam, typically a few hundred dollars depending on the examiner. If your vehicle type also requires a separate certificate (SCH, F/L, GPPV), add fees for that too. Budget at least a few hundred dollars beyond the DMV fees.

Military Waiver

If you’re a current or former U.S. Armed Forces member with qualifying commercial vehicle experience during your service, you may be able to skip both the knowledge test and the skills test. California Vehicle Code Section 15250 authorizes the DMV to accept federal military waivers under the conditions in 49 CFR 383.77.⁵ A skills test waiver also exempts you from ELDT.¹¹ Contact your local DMV office to confirm eligibility and find out what documentation to bring.

Keeping the Endorsement Valid

Your P endorsement stays valid as long as your underlying CDL stays current. California CDLs are generally valid for five years, and the endorsement renews with the license, provided your medical certification is still active and you haven’t been disqualified. If your medical certificate lapses, the DMV can downgrade your CDL, which effectively suspends the endorsement along with it. Track your certificate’s expiration date and schedule your next exam well before it runs out. Drivers who let the endorsement lapse for an extended period or who have been disqualified may have to retest.

1
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Licensing Fees
2
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Handbook – Section 4 Transporting Passengers Safely
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. California Driver License Classes
4
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Certificates and Endorsements
5
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 15250
6
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Information
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiner’s Certificate (MEC), Form MCSA-5876
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
9
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
10
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 13 Section 28.19
11
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
12
Training Provider Registry. ELDT Curricula Summary
13
Training Provider Registry. Training Provider Registry
14
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP)
15
California DMV. Commercial Driver’s Licenses
16
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.113 – Required Skills