How to Get Your CDL License in Washington State

To get your CDL in Washington state, you apply through the Department of Licensing in a set sequence: choose the license class that fits the vehicle you’ll drive, pass a DOT medical exam, complete federally mandated Entry-Level Driver Training, pass the written knowledge tests to earn a Commercial Learner’s Permit, hold that permit for at least 14 days of practice, and then pass a three-part skills test. Plan on several weeks to a few months from start to finish.

Pick the Right Class and Endorsements First

Your class determines what training you need and what vehicle you must bring to the skills test, so decide this before you spend any money. Washington uses the standard federal classes:¹

Class A: Combination vehicles with a gross combined weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds. Think tractor-trailer.
Class B: Single vehicles rated at 26,001 pounds or more, such as dump trucks or large buses.
Class C: Smaller vehicles that carry 16 or more people (including the driver) or that haul hazardous materials.

Class A covers B and C; Class B covers C.¹

Endorsements get added to the base license for specialized work: H (hazardous materials), N (tank), P (passenger), S (school bus), T (double or triple trailers), and X (combined hazmat and tank).² If you want the H endorsement, start the TSA background check early. It requires fingerprinting at an application center, costs $85.25 (or $41 with a valid TWIC), and TSA recommends enrolling at least 60 days ahead because processing alone can exceed 45 days.³

Confirm You’re Eligible

You must be a Washington resident and already hold a valid non-commercial Washington driver’s license. You can apply at 18 if you’ll drive only within Washington. If you plan to cross state lines or haul hazardous materials, you must be at least 21.⁴

Non-domiciled CDLs are narrow. Only holders of H-2A, H-2B, or E-2 visas qualify in Washington, and under federal rules taking effect in March 2026 any non-domiciled CDL issued past the holder’s lawful status must be revoked.⁵ No other immigration categories qualify.

Bring proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency (a valid U.S. passport or government-issued birth certificate are standard options), your Social Security number, and your current Washington driver’s license. Photocopies aren’t accepted.⁶

Pass the DOT Physical and Self-Certify

You need a physical exam from a provider on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. A passing exam gets you a Medical Examiner’s Certificate valid for up to two years, though the examiner can shorten that window if a health condition warrants closer monitoring.⁷

After the physical, self-certify with the DOL by choosing one of four categories: non-excepted interstate, excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate, or excepted intrastate. Drivers who cross state lines usually fall into non-excepted interstate and have to keep a current medical card on file.⁸ If your medical status lapses to “not certified,” Washington must downgrade your CDL within 60 days.⁹

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

This is the step most first-timers underestimate. Since February 7, 2022, federal law requires anyone getting a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, upgrading between classes, or adding a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement to complete Entry-Level Driver Training from a provider listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.¹⁰ The state will not let you take the skills test until your provider uploads your completion record.

Class A and B programs include both classroom theory and behind-the-wheel instruction. Passenger and school bus endorsements require both components; the hazmat endorsement requires theory only. You have one year to finish all portions after you begin.¹⁰ Your provider must upload your certification by midnight of the second business day after you complete the program.¹¹ Program prices vary widely; budget anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for a full Class A program.

Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit

Once ELDT theory is done, visit a DOL office to take the written tests. Everyone takes a general knowledge exam, plus an additional test for each endorsement you want. The CLP costs $40 and the knowledge test fee is $35.¹²

After you pass, federal rules require you to hold the CLP for at least 14 days before taking the skills test.¹³ Two weeks is the floor, not a realistic prep window. Use the time to finish behind-the-wheel ELDT and log practice hours.

What You Can and Can’t Do on a CLP

A licensed CDL holder with the correct class and endorsements must sit in the front passenger seat whenever you drive (or in the first row behind you for passenger vehicles). Beyond that, a CLP with a P or S endorsement doesn’t let you carry passengers other than examiners, trainees, or your accompanying CDL holder. A CLP with an N endorsement limits you to empty tanks, and the tank cannot contain unpurged hazmat residue. You cannot haul hazardous materials on a CLP under any circumstances.¹³

Pass the Three-Part Skills Test

Washington uses third-party examiners for skills testing, and you’ll need to schedule at least three days ahead. The three parts run in order:¹⁴

Vehicle inspection: Walk around the vehicle, identify safety-related components, and explain what to check on each. If the vehicle has air brakes, demonstrate the air brake inspection and tests.
Basic controls: Perform maneuvers like straight-line backing, offset backing, and parking in a controlled area.
Road test: Drive in real traffic while the examiner evaluates your turns, lane changes, intersections, and speed control.

The test runs roughly two hours and costs $175, or $100 for a school bus endorsement skills test.¹²¹⁵

Test in the exact type of vehicle you intend to drive. If you take the skills test in a vehicle without a manual transmission or without air brakes, your CDL will carry permanent restrictions preventing you from operating vehicles with that equipment.¹⁶

What It Costs in Total

Washington’s CDL fees stack across the process:¹²

Commercial learner’s permit: $40
Knowledge test: $35
Skills test: $175
First driver license: $111 for six years or $131 for eight years
Adding an endorsement to an existing license: $20 plus $17 per remaining year
Transferring an out-of-state CDL: $213 for six years or $267 for eight years

Training and the DOT physical are separate costs you pay to outside providers. After you pass the skills test, the DOL hands you a temporary paper credential; the permanent card arrives by mail within about 7 to 10 days.¹⁷

What to Know Once You’re Licensed

Keeping your medical certificate current is the biggest ongoing obligation. If it lapses, Washington must downgrade your CDL within 60 days, and you lose commercial privileges until you get recertified and file fresh paperwork.⁹ Hazmat endorsements require a new TSA background check every five years, independent of your license renewal cycle.³

Every CDL holder is also subject to the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Employers query it before hiring and once a year for current employees.¹⁸ Since November 2024, a “prohibited” status triggers an automatic state downgrade, and you can’t restore your CDL until you finish the full return-to-duty process, which includes evaluation by a substance abuse professional and follow-up testing.¹⁹

Washington imposes a one-year disqualification for a first offense of serious violations including DUI (0.04 BAC in a commercial vehicle or any measurable THC), refusing a drug or alcohol test, leaving the scene of an accident, using any motor vehicle to commit a felony, causing a fatality through negligent operation, or driving while already disqualified. The minimum jumps to three years if the offense occurred while hauling hazmat. A second qualifying offense is a lifetime disqualification, and using a commercial vehicle in a drug or human trafficking felony is an automatic lifetime ban with no reinstatement.²⁰

1
Washington State Department of Licensing. Types of CDLs
2
Washington State Department of Licensing. Endorsements and Restrictions
3
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
4
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25.060 – Knowledge and Skills Examination, Exemptions, Fee Distribution
5
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Non-Domiciled CDL 2026 Final Rule FAQs
6
Washington State Department of Licensing. CDL-Approved Documents
7
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 391 – Qualifications of Drivers and Longer Combination Vehicle (LCV) Driver Instructors
8
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 With My State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA)?
9
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25.075
10
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 380 Subpart F – Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements
11
Training Provider Registry. Training Provider Registry
12
Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees
13
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25
14
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.113
15
Washington State Department of Licensing. CDL Skills Test
16
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Drivers
17
Washington State Department of Licensing. Get a Driver License
18
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
19
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FMCSA Shares Updates on the Second Clearinghouse Rule
20
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25.090