Michigan Class C CDL Requirements: Tests, Endorsements, and Fees

To get a Group C commercial driver’s license in Michigan, you need to be at least 18, hold a valid Michigan driver’s license, pass a DOT physical, pass the required written knowledge tests at a Secretary of State office, hold a Commercial Learner’s Permit for at least 14 days, complete entry-level driver training if you’re adding a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsement for the first time, and pass a skills test given by an approved third-party examiner. The Michigan Group C CDL requirements below walk through each step in the order you’ll hit them.

What a Group C CDL Covers

Group C is the CDL category for commercial vehicles that don’t hit the weight thresholds for Group A or Group B but still require a CDL for one of two reasons: the vehicle is designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, or it’s used to haul hazardous materials that must be placarded under federal hazmat rules.¹² Shuttle buses, large passenger vans, small transit buses, and vehicles hauling placarded flammable liquids, explosives, or poisonous gases are typical Group C vehicles.³

Age and License Prerequisites

You must be 18 or older to apply for any Michigan CDL, and you must already hold a current, valid Michigan driver’s license. Any tier (operator, chauffeur, or their enhanced versions) works as the underlying license.

Age also controls what you can do with the CDL once you have it. Drivers between 18 and 20 are limited to commercial operation inside Michigan. At 21 you can cross state lines and haul placarded hazardous materials.⁴ Because most Group C jobs involve hazmat routes or interstate passenger work, 21 is the effective minimum age for many positions.

Documents You Need to Bring

Michigan tightened its document rules on September 29, 2025. To be issued a Commercial Learner’s Permit or CDL after that date, you must present one of the following legal presence documents:

A valid, unexpired U.S. passport
A certified birth certificate issued by your state of birth, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of Homeland Security
A Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship issued by DHS
A valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (I-551). An expired card cannot be used, even with an I-797 extension notice.

You also need proof of your Social Security number, usually your Social Security card. If you’re applying for a hazmat endorsement, add proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status verified through the federal SAVE system and a completed TSA security threat assessment.⁴

DOT Medical Exam and Self-Certification

Every CDL applicant must pass a physical given by a provider listed on the FMCSA’s National Registry and carry a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate. The exam looks at vision, hearing, cardiovascular health, and several other areas. The thresholds that most often trip applicants up:

Vision of at least 20/40 in each eye (with or without correction), at least 70 degrees of peripheral vision in each eye, and the ability to distinguish standard red, green, and amber traffic signal colors
Ability to perceive a forced whisper at five feet, or average hearing loss below 40 decibels on an audiometric test
Insulin-treated diabetes handled under a separate federal exemption process

These standards apply to all CDL groups.⁵ Expect to pay $75 to $225 for the exam, separate from state licensing fees.

When you apply, you also self-certify into one of four operating categories: interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, or intrastate excepted. If you operate in both excepted and non-excepted commerce, you must pick non-excepted.⁶ Most Group C drivers hauling hazmat or carrying passengers land in interstate non-excepted, which means the state must have your current medical card on file. Getting the category wrong can trigger a downgrade of your CDL.

Written Knowledge Tests and the Commercial Learner’s Permit

Knowledge testing happens at a Secretary of State branch. Everyone takes the general CDL knowledge test, plus endorsement-specific tests for what you plan to drive. You need at least 80 percent to pass each test, you can attempt only one test per category per day, and you must wait at least one day before retaking a failed test.⁴

A catch for first-time hazmat applicants: you must complete the hazmat portion of entry-level driver training before the state will let you sit for the hazmat knowledge test.⁴

Passing the written tests gets you a Commercial Learner’s Permit. The CLP lets you practice driving under the direct supervision of someone who already holds a CDL with the right endorsements. You must hold the CLP for at least 14 days before you’re eligible for the skills test.⁷

Entry-Level Driver Training

Federal entry-level driver training (ELDT) is required for Group C applicants seeking a passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time.⁸ Training must come from a provider on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry, and the provider has two business days after you finish to upload your completion record.⁹ Michigan checks the registry before letting you move forward. You can look up your own status in the registry if you’re unsure whether your provider filed the record.

Skills Test with a Third-Party Examiner

Michigan does not give CDL skills tests at Secretary of State offices. All skills testing is handled by approved third-party driver testing businesses, and you have to contact one directly to schedule.¹⁰ You can only take the test after the 14-day CLP holding period is up and any required ELDT is complete.

The exam has three parts: a pre-trip vehicle inspection, a basic vehicle control test in a controlled area, and an on-road driving test. If you’re seeking a passenger or school bus endorsement, you must take the skills test in the type of vehicle you plan to drive.¹¹ After passing, return to a Secretary of State branch to pay your fees and pick up a temporary permit. Your permanent CDL card arrives by mail.

Endorsements You Actually Need

A Group C CDL without endorsements has little practical use. The endorsements that matter for Group C drivers:

Passenger (P): required for carrying 16 or more passengers. Knowledge test plus a skills test in a passenger vehicle.
School bus (S): required to drive a school bus. Knowledge test, skills test, and additional background screening.
Hazardous materials (H): required to haul placarded hazmat. Knowledge test and a TSA security threat assessment.
Tank vehicle (N): required for tank vehicles. Knowledge test only.
Combination hazmat/tank (X): combines H and N for hauling hazmat in tank vehicles.

Only the passenger and school bus endorsements add a skills test beyond the base exam.¹¹

The hazmat endorsement carries a separate federal step. TSA runs a security threat assessment covering a criminal background check and an immigration status review. As of December 2024, the standard TSA fee is $57.25, up from $34, with a reduced renewal fee of $31.¹² The background check can run several weeks, so start early.

Fees and Total Out-of-Pocket Cost

State fees at the Secretary of State are limited:

Commercial Learner’s Permit: $25
Each endorsement (Passenger, School Bus, or Tank): $5

Those are state fees only.¹³ Add the DOT physical ($75 to $225), the TSA threat assessment if you need a hazmat endorsement ($57.25), and the skills test fee charged by your third-party examiner, which varies by provider.

Restrictions to Watch For

Restrictions get printed on your license as codes and limit what you’re allowed to drive. The ones most likely to affect Group C holders:

Air brake restriction: if you fail the air brake knowledge section or take your skills test in a vehicle without air brakes, you cannot operate any commercial vehicle with air brakes.¹⁴
Air-over-hydraulic restriction: testing in a vehicle with air-over-hydraulic brakes restricts you from driving vehicles with full air brakes.
Intrastate only: automatically applied to drivers under 21 and removed when you turn 21 and update your license.
Medical variance (V): indicates you hold a medical exemption or waiver. Drivers with this code cannot operate a commercial vehicle in Canada under the U.S.–Canada agreement.

The air brake restriction is the easiest to avoid: test in a vehicle equipped with air brakes and pass the air brake knowledge section. If you already carry the restriction, you can remove it by scheduling a new skills test in the right vehicle.

Disqualifications You Need to Know About Before Applying

CDL holders are held to a stricter standard than regular drivers, and the rules bite even when you’re driving your personal car. The blood alcohol limit for operating a commercial vehicle is 0.04 percent, half the standard 0.08.¹⁵

Federal minimum disqualification periods that Michigan must enforce:

First major offense: one-year disqualification. Major offenses include DUI, refusing an alcohol test, leaving the scene of an accident, using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, and causing a fatality through negligent operation.
First major offense while hauling hazmat: three-year disqualification.
Second major offense: lifetime disqualification.
Drug trafficking with a commercial vehicle: lifetime disqualification with no reinstatement.

These periods apply even when the underlying conviction happened in your personal vehicle.¹⁶ Operating a commercial vehicle without the correct CDL or endorsement carries a federal civil penalty of up to $7,155 per violation as of February 2026.¹⁷

Since November 2024, Michigan must also check the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before processing any CDL or CLP transaction. Unresolved violations in the clearinghouse block issuance or renewal until they’re cleared, and the database is federal, so violations from any state follow you.¹⁸

Renewal Basics

Michigan allows CDL renewal online or in person, with one exception: hazmat endorsement holders must renew in person, retake the written hazmat knowledge test, and provide a current TSA background check. Everyone must pass a vision test at renewal. Non-excepted interstate drivers must present a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate, uploaded digitally for online renewals or brought with the self-certification form for in-person renewals.¹⁸ If your medical card lapses between renewals, Michigan will downgrade your CDL to a non-commercial license until you submit a new one.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.7a – Commercial Motor Vehicle Defined
2
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.91 – Commercial Motor Vehicle Groups
3
eCFR. 49 CFR 172.504 – General Placarding Requirements
4
Michigan Department of State. Applying for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
5
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Get a Commercial Driver’s License
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
10
Michigan Department of State. Driver Testing Businesses and Examiners
11
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.93 – Endorsements
12
Federal Register. Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) Threat Assessment Program Security Threat Assessment Fees
13
Michigan Department of State. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Information
14
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.95 – Restrictions
15
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
16
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
17
Legal Information Institute. 49 CFR Appendix B to Part 386 – Penalty Schedule: Violations and Monetary Penalties
18
Michigan Department of State. Renewing Your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)