How to Get a Virginia Commercial Driver’s License

To get a Virginia commercial driver’s license, you choose a license class, complete federally approved entry-level driver training, pass a written knowledge exam to earn a Commercial Learner’s Permit, hold that permit at least 14 days, submit a DOT medical certificate, and pass a three-part skills test at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. A standard eight-year CDL costs $64, with endorsements, training, and medical and background-check fees adding to the total.¹

Pick the License Class You Need

Virginia issues three CDL classes, matching the federal framework, and the class dictates both the vehicles you can drive and the training you’ll need to complete.²

Class A covers combination vehicles over 26,000 pounds gross combination weight rating where the towed unit itself weighs more than 10,000 pounds. Tractor-trailers sit here.
Class B covers single vehicles over 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, towing nothing heavier than 10,000 pounds. Straight trucks, dump trucks, and large buses fall here.
Class C covers vehicles below those weight thresholds that carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or haul placarded hazardous materials.

A higher class lets you drive vehicles in the classes below it, so a Class A holder can operate Class B and C vehicles, though endorsements may still be required based on what the vehicle carries.

Confirm You Meet the Basic Requirements

You must be at least 18 to hold a Virginia CDL, but drivers under 21 are limited to intrastate work only; Virginia adds a “K” restriction to any CDL issued to someone under 21, and federal law reserves interstate driving, interstate freight, and hazardous materials transport for drivers 21 and older.³ You also need a valid Virginia driver’s license and proof of identity, Social Security number, and Virginia residency when you visit a DMV office.¹

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 2022, federal rules require Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) before you can take the CDL skills test. The requirement applies to anyone obtaining a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a school bus, passenger, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time.⁴ Training must come from a provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. Programs not on the registry don’t count toward the requirement.

ELDT covers theory instruction (classroom or online) and behind-the-wheel training (range and public road driving). The federal curriculum sets required topics but does not mandate minimum hours; providers must cover every topic and certify that the student demonstrated proficiency before signing off.⁵ In practice, Class A programs typically run several weeks, while endorsement-only training is shorter.

Three groups are exempt from ELDT: active-duty military personnel, farmers operating within certain agricultural exemptions, and firefighters.⁶ Anyone who obtained their CLP before February 7, 2022, and completed the CDL before that CLP expired is grandfathered in.⁴

Pass the Knowledge Exam and Get Your Learner’s Permit

The first testing hurdle at the DMV is a written knowledge exam covering the CDL class you want and any endorsements you plan to add. Questions are drawn from the Virginia Commercial Driver’s License Manual and cover vehicle inspection, safe driving practices, and federal regulations. Passing earns you a Commercial Learner’s Permit, which costs $3.⁷

Two federal timing rules apply to the CLP. You cannot take the skills test during the first 14 days after the CLP is issued, and the permit expires one year from its initial issue date.⁸ While holding a CLP, you must always have a licensed CDL holder in the passenger seat when driving a commercial vehicle.

Get Your DOT Medical Card and Self-Certify

Most CDL holders need a Medical Examiner’s Certificate (the DOT medical card) issued by a healthcare provider listed on FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.⁹ The physical exam covers vision, hearing, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and screening for conditions like diabetes and epilepsy. Exams typically cost between $50 and $200 depending on the provider.

After the exam, you submit the certificate to the Virginia DMV and complete a self-certification form indicating which type of driving you do. Virginia recognizes four categories: non-excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate, excepted interstate, and excepted intrastate. The excepted categories cover drivers in certain exempt operations who don’t need a medical card.¹⁰

The standard medical certificate is good for 24 months. Some conditions shorten that window. Drivers with insulin-treated diabetes or certain vision deficiencies must recertify annually, and drivers whose blood glucose monitoring records don’t meet federal standards may be limited to three-month certificates.¹¹

Pass the Three-Part Skills Test

The CDL skills test has three parts, taken in the vehicle class you intend to be licensed for.¹²

The pre-trip inspection asks you to walk around the vehicle and demonstrate that you know what to check and why: brakes, tires, fluid levels, coupling devices, lights, and safety equipment.
The basic control portion tests low-speed maneuvers like straight-line backing, offset backing, and parking.
The on-road driving assessment puts you in real traffic to evaluate lane changes, turns, merging, and general vehicle control.

Miss a scheduled skills test appointment without notifying the examiner and the DMV charges a $50 missed-appointment fee.¹²

Choose Your Test Vehicle Carefully

The vehicle you bring to the skills test determines what you can legally drive afterward. Testing in a vehicle with limited equipment locks restriction codes onto your CDL until you retest in a properly equipped vehicle.¹³

Restriction E (no manual transmission) is placed on your license if you test in an automatic.
Restriction L (no full air brakes) applies if you fail the air brake knowledge test, cannot identify air brake components during the pre-trip inspection, or test in a vehicle without full air brakes.
Restriction Z (no full air brakes, air over hydraulic) applies if you test in a vehicle with air-over-hydraulic brakes rather than full air.
Restriction O (no fifth-wheel connection) is placed on a Class A license if you test with a pintle hook or other non-fifth-wheel hitch.

Removing any of these requires passing a new skills test in a vehicle equipped with the feature. Picking the right test vehicle the first time avoids paying for and scheduling a second round later.

Pay the Fees and Add Any Endorsements

Once you pass, the standard eight-year CDL with no endorsements costs $64. Each endorsement adds $1 per year to the license cost.¹ Virginia offers six endorsement types:¹⁴

H (hazardous materials) for hauling placarded hazardous cargo.
N (tank vehicles) for driving cargo tank vehicles.
P (passenger) for vehicles carrying 16 or more passengers. Requires a knowledge exam and a skills test in the type of vehicle you plan to drive.
S (school bus) for school bus operations. Requires both a knowledge exam and a skills test.
T (double/triple trailers) for pulling double or triple trailer combinations.
X (combination) covering both hazardous materials and tank vehicles.

Most endorsements require only a written knowledge exam; passenger and school bus endorsements also require a skills test in the appropriate vehicle.¹⁵

The hazardous materials endorsement adds a separate layer. You must pass a Transportation Security Administration security threat assessment that includes fingerprinting and a federal background check. Virginia runs this process through your local DMV rather than a separate TSA application center.¹⁶ The H endorsement cannot be transferred from another state; you must complete the knowledge exam and background check in Virginia even if you held it elsewhere.¹⁵

As of January 2025, the TSA background check fee is $85.25, or $41 if you already hold a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential. TSA recommends applying at least 60 days before you need the endorsement, as processing times can exceed 45 days during busy periods.¹⁶ The background check is valid for five years.

Shortcuts for Military Drivers

Current and former service members with heavy-vehicle experience may skip part of the testing process. The Military Skills Test Waiver exempts qualified military drivers from the CDL skills test. You need at least two years of safe military driving experience with no disqualifications, suspensions, or license revocations, and you must apply within one year before or after leaving a military position that required operating a commercial motor vehicle.¹⁷ Virginia runs this through its Troops to Trucks program at the DMV.¹⁸

The Even Exchange program waives the knowledge test as well, but must be used alongside the skills test waiver. You must be currently licensed and employed (or employed within the past 12 months) in a military position requiring operation of a vehicle equivalent to a commercial motor vehicle. Eligible specialties include Army Motor Transport Operators (88M), Marine Corps Motor Vehicle Operators (3531), Navy Equipment Operators (EO), and several Air Force vehicle and fueler classifications.¹⁹

Keep the License Once You Have It

A Virginia CDL is valid for up to eight years, though drivers age 75 and older receive a maximum five-year license.²⁰ Two routine lapses are the most common ways new holders lose their privileges.

Letting your medical certificate lapse is the fastest. Virginia law requires the DMV to mark your record as “not certified” and begin downgrading your CDL after just 30 days of expiration.²¹ A downgraded CDL means you can no longer legally operate a commercial vehicle, and if the downgrade lasts more than a year, you have to retake both the knowledge and skills exams to get your CDL back. The same one-year rule applies if you simply let the CDL itself expire.²² Set a calendar reminder well before either date.

Driving without a CDL when one is required is itself a traffic violation, and repeat offenses can carry criminal penalties.²³ Convictions in a commercial vehicle for DUI at 0.04% BAC or higher, refusing a chemical test, leaving the scene of an accident, or using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony trigger a minimum one-year disqualification, extended to three years if you were hauling placarded hazardous materials at the time.²⁴ The standard is stricter than for a regular Virginia driver’s license, and that is the point: the license you worked to earn is tied directly to how you drive from here on.

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Commercial Driver’s License or Commercial Learner’s Permit
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver’s Licenses
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia Commercial Driver’s License Manual
4
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ELDT Curricula Summary
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Section 380.603 Applicability Guidance QA Question 2 – Who Is Exempt From Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Requirements
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
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eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learners Permit
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Self-Certification
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eCFR. 49 CFR Part 391 Subpart E – Physical Qualifications and Examinations
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Skills Tests
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Drivers
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-341.16 – Vehicle Classifications, Restrictions, and Endorsements
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. CDL Classifications, Endorsements and Restrictions
16
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
17
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Military Driver Programs Brochure
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Troops to Trucks
19
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Even Exchange Program (Knowledge Test Waiver)
20
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-330 – Expiration and Renewal of Licenses; Examinations Required
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Medical Certification FAQs
22
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) – Section: Retaking Tests
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-341.7 – Commercial Driver’s License Required; Penalty
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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 Over 0.04 Percent