Nevada Driver’s License Classifications: Classes, CDLs, and Fees

Nevada’s driver’s license classifications fall into five categories: a standard Class C for everyday passenger vehicles, a Class M for motorcycles and mopeds, and three commercial classes — Class A, Class B, and a commercial Class C — for heavy trucks, buses, and hazmat vehicles. Which one you need depends on the vehicle’s weight, whether it tows another unit, how many passengers it carries, and what it hauls.¹

Class C: Standard Vehicles

The noncommercial Class C is the license most Nevada drivers hold. It covers any vehicle that does not require a commercial license: cars, vans, SUVs, pickups, and small trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less. It also covers mopeds and low-speed vehicles. It does not authorize you to ride a motorcycle.²

You must be at least 18 to hold an unrestricted Class C. The application involves a vision screening, a written knowledge test on Nevada traffic laws, and a behind-the-wheel road test covering vehicle control, signal compliance, and real-world driving. The initial knowledge and skills testing fee is $25, with a $10 retest fee each time you fail either portion. The examiner can require a waiting period of up to 30 days before you try again.³

Class M: Motorcycles and Mopeds

Nevada issues motorcycle authority as a separate license class rather than an endorsement, though your Class C and Class M appear together on a single card.⁴

First-time applicants can either pass the DMV’s written and skills tests or complete a course certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The MSF completion certificate waives both DMV tests; you bring it and your existing Nevada license to a DMV office to have the Class M added. Adding the Class M costs $8.50 on top of any applicable testing fee.⁴¹

If you take the skills test on a moped with an engine under 50cc, your license carries Restriction Q, limiting you to 50cc or less. Helmets are required for all motorcycle, moped, and trimobile riders and passengers in Nevada.⁴

Commercial Driver’s Licenses

Nevada issues commercial driver’s licenses in three tiers, following federal standards set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The FMCSA sets the minimum requirements, and the state handles testing, fees, and issuance.⁵ Every CDL applicant passes both knowledge and skills tests; the specific tests depend on the class and any endorsements sought.

Class A CDL

A Class A CDL covers combination vehicles with a total gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds. Tractor-trailers, tanker trucks, and livestock carriers all fall here.⁶

Applicants pass a general knowledge test, a combination vehicle test, and an air brakes test if the vehicle has air brakes. The skills portion includes a pre-trip inspection, basic control maneuvers, and an on-road driving exam. Federal rules require all first-time Class A applicants to complete an Entry-Level Driver Training program from a provider listed on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry before the skills test.⁷

Class B CDL

A Class B CDL is for single vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where any towed unit does not exceed 10,000 pounds. Large buses, box trucks, and dump trucks are typical Class B vehicles.

Testing mirrors Class A minus the combination vehicle test: general knowledge, air brakes if applicable, and a skills exam covering pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving. Class B applicants must also complete ELDT before the skills test.⁷

Commercial Class C

The commercial Class C — a different credential from the noncommercial Class C — is required for vehicles designed to carry 16 or more passengers, driver included, or for vehicles hauling placarded hazardous materials. Shuttle vans, small passenger buses, and certain hazmat transport vehicles fall in this class.

Applicants pass a general knowledge test, any endorsement-specific exams, and a skills test. Unlike Class A and B, the base commercial Class C does not require ELDT. However, ELDT is required for a first-time passenger, school bus, or hazardous materials endorsement regardless of your CDL class.⁷

Age and Medical Requirements for a CDL

You must be at least 21 to hold a CDL for interstate commerce or to carry passengers or hazardous materials. Nevada does issue CDLs to applicants aged 18 through 20, but those licenses are restricted to intrastate commerce and cannot carry passenger or hazmat endorsements. Drivers must be at least 25 to receive an endorsement for vehicle combinations over 70 feet in length.⁸

Most CDL holders who drive in interstate commerce are classified as “non-excepted interstate” drivers and must maintain a valid Medical Examination Certificate on file with the DMV. As of June 2025, the Nevada DMV receives these certificates electronically from the FMCSA National Registry and no longer accepts paper copies.⁹ CDL holders self-certify into one of four federal categories (interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, or intrastate excepted), and that self-certification determines whether a medical certificate is required.¹⁰

A DUI conviction carries heavier consequences for CDL holders than for standard drivers: a one-year suspension for a first offense, three years if hauling hazardous materials, and a lifetime disqualification for a second offense.⁹

Endorsements and Restrictions

Endorsements expand what you can do with your CDL. The most common are:

Hazardous materials (H): required for hauling placarded hazardous materials. Involves a knowledge test and a TSA background check with fingerprinting.¹¹
Passenger (P): required for vehicles designed to carry 16 or more passengers, and involves an additional skills test.
School bus (S): required in addition to the passenger endorsement for school bus drivers.
Tank vehicle (N): required for transporting liquid or gaseous cargo in bulk tanks.
Double/triple trailer (T): required for towing multiple trailers.

Restrictions narrow your driving privileges. The most common is Restriction B for corrective lenses, meaning you must wear glasses or contacts whenever you drive.¹² Other restrictions may require periodic medical evaluations. Commercial drivers who take the skills test in an automatic vehicle receive a restriction barring them from operating manual-transmission trucks.

Honorably discharged veterans can add a veteran designation to any Nevada license by presenting a DD-214 or other separation documents at the DMV. There is no extra charge when the designation is added during a regular license transaction.¹³

Fees by Class

Fees vary sharply between a standard license and a CDL:

Class C (noncommercial), 8-year original or renewal: $41.50
Adding Class M (motorcycle): $8.50 plus any testing fees
CDL original or transfer (knowledge and skills tests): $141.50
CDL original or transfer (knowledge tests only): $111.50
Knowledge and skills testing fee, first attempt: $25
Retest fee, each attempt: $10

Most drivers under 65 receive an eight-year license. Drivers 65 and older receive a four-year license.¹⁴

1
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License/ID Fees and Exemptions
2
Cornell Law Institute. Nevada Admin Code 483.110 – Drivers Licenses Classifications Miscellaneous Restrictions and Endorsements
3
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Testing
4
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Motorcycles and Three-Wheeled Vehicles
5
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. States
6
Nevada DMV. CDL Flowchart for License Class
7
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 380 Subpart F – Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements On and After February 7, 2022
8
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Learner Permits
9
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Licensing
10
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
11
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
12
Cornell Law School. Nevada Admin Code 483.350 – Medically-Related Restrictions
13
Nevada Department of Veterans Services. State Benefits for Veterans
14
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License and ID Card Renewals