To get a CDL in Illinois, you need to meet the age and medical requirements, pass written knowledge tests to receive a Commercial Learner’s Permit, complete federally required Entry-Level Driver Training, hold the permit for at least 14 days, and then pass a three-part skills test at an Illinois Secretary of State facility. Start to finish, most applicants spend several weeks to a few months on the process, and total costs run from a few hundred dollars in fees and medical charges to several thousand if you attend a private truck-driving school.
Who Can Apply
You must be at least 18 to drive a commercial vehicle within Illinois only. To drive across state lines, carry passengers, or haul hazardous materials, the minimum age is 21. You also need a valid, non-CDL Illinois driver’s license before you apply.
Your driving record has to be clean enough to hold the license. Certain convictions disqualify you outright, and the state pulls your record as part of the application.
DOT Medical Exam
Every applicant has to pass a Department of Transportation physical performed by an examiner listed on the FMCSA National Registry. Eligible examiners include physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and doctors of chiropractic.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DOT Medical Exam and Commercial Motor Vehicle Certification The exam checks vision, hearing, blood pressure, and other markers that affect your ability to operate a large vehicle safely. If you pass, you receive a Medical Examiner’s Certificate valid for up to 24 months.2eCFR. 49 CFR 391.45 – Persons Who Must Be Medically Examined and Certified Plan on paying roughly $60 to $150 out of pocket, since most health plans do not cover it.
Medical Self-Certification
Along with the physical, you file a self-certification with the Secretary of State declaring the type of commercial driving you do. The four categories are Non-Excepted Interstate, Excepted Interstate, Non-Excepted Intrastate, and Excepted Intrastate. Most drivers who make a living behind the wheel fall into Non-Excepted Interstate and must keep a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file. Let the certificate lapse and the state downgrades your license, stripping your commercial driving privileges until you file a valid one.3Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
Pick Your Class and Any Endorsements
The class you need depends on the size and type of vehicle you plan to drive. Federal regulations define three:4eCFR. 49 CFR 383.91 – Commercial Motor Vehicle Groups
- Class A: any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed vehicle weighs more than 10,000 pounds. This is the license most over-the-road truckers need.
- Class B: a single vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, or that vehicle towing a trailer of 10,000 pounds or less. Dump trucks, large buses, and straight trucks fall here.
- Class C: vehicles that fall below the Class A or B weight thresholds but are designed to carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or require hazardous materials placards.
A Class A license also lets you operate Class B and C vehicles. A Class B covers Class C but not Class A.
On top of the base class, you may need endorsements for specialized work: H for hazardous materials (written test plus a TSA background check), N for tank vehicles (written test), P for passenger vehicles (written and skills tests), S for school bus (written and skills tests plus additional Illinois background checks), T for double or triple trailers (written test), and X for hauling hazardous materials in a tanker, which combines the H and N requirements. You can add endorsements when you first apply or later, though adding one after issuance means returning for the written test and, for P or S, a new skills test.5Illinois Secretary of State. Commercial Driver’s License
Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit
You cannot take the CDL skills test without a Commercial Learner’s Permit. The CLP lets you practice on public roads under direct supervision. To apply, go to a Secretary of State facility with your current Illinois driver’s license, proof of identity, proof of residency, your Social Security card, and your Medical Examiner’s Certificate. The CLP fee is $50.6Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees
Written Knowledge Tests
Everyone takes the General Knowledge test, which runs 30 multiple-choice questions with an 80 percent passing score.7Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois CDL Study Guide Additional tests depend on what you are pursuing:
- Class A applicants take the Combination Vehicles test.
- Any applicant testing in a vehicle with air brakes takes the Air Brakes test. Skip it and you get an air brake restriction on your CDL.
- Each endorsement (H, N, P, S, or T) has its own written test.
The Illinois CDL Study Guide is free at Secretary of State facilities and online, and it covers every topic these tests address. Pass them and a temporary CLP is issued that day. The permanent card arrives by mail within about 15 business days.
What the Permit Lets You Do
A CLP is valid for one year from issuance.8eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learner’s Permit You must hold it at least 14 days before taking the skills test.9Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Get a Commercial Driver’s License While driving on a CLP, a qualified CDL holder with the correct class and endorsements must sit in the front passenger seat at all times. If the CLP expires before you finish the skills test, you start over with new knowledge tests and a new fee.
Complete Entry-Level Driver Training
Since February 7, 2022, anyone applying for a first-time Class A or Class B CDL, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding an H, P, or S endorsement must complete Entry-Level Driver Training with a provider registered on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training Drivers who already held a CDL or the affected endorsements before that date are not subject to the requirement retroactively.
Training has two parts: classroom theory and behind-the-wheel instruction. Federal rules do not set minimum hours for either part, but the provider must cover every required topic and document that you demonstrated proficiency in each one.11Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ELDT Entry-Level Driver Training Minimum Federal Curricula Requirements Theory covers vehicle inspection, safe operating procedures, hazard perception, hours-of-service rules, and post-crash procedures, and you must score at least 80 percent on written assessments to pass. Behind-the-wheel training happens in two stages: range work on backing, alley docking, parallel parking, and coupling and uncoupling, then public road work on turns, lane changes, highway merging, speed and space management, and night driving. Simulators are not allowed for either stage. Your instructor documents the clock hours you spend behind the wheel.
You can search for approved providers at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov. Once you finish, your provider submits your certification to the registry by midnight of the second business day.12Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry The state checks that database when you arrive for the skills test, so confirm your record is in before you schedule. Full programs at private schools typically cost several thousand dollars, with Class A programs often running $3,000 to $7,000 depending on length. Some employers and community colleges offer training at reduced cost or with tuition reimbursement.
Pass the Skills Test
The skills test has three parts, taken in a set order: pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic control skills, and the on-road drive.13Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois CDL Skills Test Guide You schedule it at a Secretary of State facility or with an authorized third-party tester.14Legal Information Institute. Illinois Code 92 1030.60 – Third-Party Certification Program
During the pre-trip inspection, you walk around the vehicle pointing out and explaining safety-related items: brakes, tires, lights, fluid levels, coupling devices, and other components specific to the vehicle you brought. The examiner expects you to know why each item matters. Basic control skills cover maneuvers like straight-line backing, offset backing, and alley docking in a controlled area, where precision counts more than speed. On the road, you drive in real traffic while the examiner evaluates turns, lane changes, highway entries, signaling, speed management, and overall control.
Fail one section and you keep credit for what you already passed. At your next appointment you pick up at the section you failed, as long as you complete all three before your CLP expires.13Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois CDL Skills Test Guide
On test day, bring your valid CLP, proof of insurance for the commercial vehicle, and the vehicle itself. The vehicle must match the class you are testing for. A Class A test requires a combination vehicle; a straight truck will not work. Make sure the vehicle is in good working order, because a failed pre-trip ends the test before you drive.
Fees and License Issuance
After you pass all three sections, you return to a Secretary of State facility to finish the paperwork and receive your license. The state fees are:6Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees
- Commercial Learner’s Permit: $50, paid when you first apply for the CLP.
- Commercial Driver’s License: $60.
A portion of each fee goes to the CDLIS/AAMVAnet/NMVTIS Trust Fund and the Motor Carrier Safety Inspection Fund. You will have a new photo taken, and a temporary CDL is typically issued the same day. The permanent card arrives by mail within a few weeks.
What Can Keep You From Getting Licensed
Beyond your driving record and medical status, one federal system can block your CDL before you ever hold it: the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse tracks drug and alcohol violations by CDL holders and applicants nationwide.15FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Welcome to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Every employer that hires CDL drivers must query the Clearinghouse before extending an offer and at least once a year for every current CDL driver. A full query needs your electronic consent through the system. Refuse consent and the employer cannot verify your record, which bars you from driving commercially for that employer.
As of November 18, 2024, state licensing agencies are required to downgrade or deny a CDL for any driver whose Clearinghouse status is “prohibited.”16FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Clearinghouse II Begins If a violation puts you in prohibited status, you cannot drive commercially until you complete the return-to-duty process with a DOT-qualified Substance Abuse Professional, finish any recommended education or treatment, and produce a negative return-to-duty test.17FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The Return-to-Duty Process and the Clearinghouse Register for a Clearinghouse account before you start applying for jobs, since employers will need to send consent requests through the system.
Federal disqualifications also apply the moment you hold a CDL. A first conviction for driving under the influence, refusing an alcohol test, leaving the scene of an accident, using the vehicle in a felony, or several similar offenses triggers a one-year disqualification, and a second conviction across any of those categories is a lifetime disqualification.18eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers Hauling hazardous materials at the time of a first offense raises the disqualification to three years. Knowing where the lines are before you drive commercially matters more than knowing them after.