New Hampshire CDL Manual: Classes, Endorsements & Testing

The New Hampshire CDL Manual is the free study guide published by the state Division of Motor Vehicles that covers every topic on the commercial driver’s license knowledge and skills exams. You can download it as a PDF from the DMV website or pick up a printed copy at any DMV office at no charge.¹ A separate CDL Manual Supplement goes deeper on the skills test and is available the same way. No account or registration is required for the digital files.

What follows is a plain overview of what the manual tells you about getting and keeping a New Hampshire CDL, so you know what to focus on before you start reading.

License Classes

The manual sorts commercial vehicles into three classes, and the class you want determines which chapters matter most for your written test.

Class A: Combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed unit alone exceeds 10,000 pounds. This is the typical long-haul tractor-trailer license.²
Class B: Single vehicles weighing 26,001 pounds or more, like dump trucks, large buses, and straight trucks. A Class B holder can tow a trailer up to 10,000 pounds.³
Class C: Vehicles under 26,001 pounds that would not otherwise require a CDL, except they carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or haul placarded hazardous materials.⁴

A Class A license covers all three classes. A Class B covers B and C. Class C covers only Class C.

Endorsements and the Air Brake Restriction

On top of your base class, the manual explains the endorsements you can add to drive specific kinds of commercial vehicles or cargo. Each endorsement requires an additional knowledge test, some require a skills test, and each one costs $10 in New Hampshire.³

H (Hazardous Materials): For placarded hazmat loads. Requires a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting and a federal background check, plus a separate federal fee of about $86.50. Allow several weeks.⁵
N (Tank Vehicles): For hauling liquids in tankers, including the surge and stability issues that come with them.
P (Passenger): For vehicles built to carry 16 or more passengers.
S (School Bus): For school bus loading, unloading, and safety procedures.
T (Double/Triple Trailers): For pulling more than one trailer.

The air brake chapters deserve extra attention. If you fail the air brake knowledge section, or if you take your road test in a vehicle without air brakes, your license carries an “L” restriction that bars you from driving any air-brake-equipped commercial vehicle.² That restriction mirrors federal rules and stays on the license until you pass the required tests.⁶ Since most commercial vehicles use air brakes, the restriction effectively locks you out of most jobs.

Who Can Apply

Age

Federal rules set the minimum age at 18 for driving commercially within New Hampshire only and 21 for crossing state lines or hauling interstate freight.⁷ Between 18 and 20, you can hold a New Hampshire CDL, but your work is limited to in-state routes until you turn 21.

Entry-Level Driver Training

Before you can take the skills test, federal law requires you to complete Entry-Level Driver Training through a provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.⁸ This covers first-time Class A and Class B applicants, Class B holders upgrading to Class A, and anyone adding a P, S, or H endorsement for the first time. Your training provider uploads your completion electronically, and the DMV checks the registry before letting you schedule the skills test.⁹ Drivers using a military skills test waiver or only removing an existing restriction are exempt.

Medical Certification

Every CDL holder in non-excepted commerce must be medically certified as physically qualified to drive a commercial vehicle.¹⁰ You’ll need a Medical Examiner’s Certificate from a provider on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The exam covers vision, hearing, blood pressure, and other health factors.¹¹ Certificates are typically valid for two years, though the examiner can set a shorter period.

Self-Certification

Your application includes a self-certification where you declare what kind of driving you’ll do: non-excepted interstate, excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate, or excepted intrastate.¹² Most drivers fall in one of the two non-excepted categories.¹³ The wrong choice creates medical certification problems later, so get it right the first time.

Application Paperwork

The core form is the Commercial Driver License Application (DSMV 312). It asks for your personal information, every state where you’ve held a license in the past 10 years, and any driving convictions or suspensions.¹⁴ The DMV runs a background check against your driving record. Inaccuracy can disqualify your application.

Fees

New Hampshire charges a base license fee of $60 for any class. The Commercial Learner’s Permit adds $20. Each endorsement is another $10.³ The hazmat TSA fee of roughly $86.50 is separate and goes to the federal government. Training costs vary by provider and are not included in state fees.

The Testing Process

Knowledge Test and Commercial Learner’s Permit

Once your paperwork is accepted and fees are paid, you take the written knowledge test at a DMV office. The test pulls from the general knowledge chapters plus any endorsement sections that apply to you. Pass it and you receive a Commercial Learner’s Permit, which lets you practice on public roads with a licensed CDL holder in the passenger seat.¹⁵

You must hold the CLP for at least 14 days before you can take the skills test, under both federal rule and New Hampshire scheduling practice.¹⁶¹⁵ Fourteen days is the floor, not the target.

Skills Test

The skills test has three parts, all done the same day: a pre-trip vehicle inspection where you point to and explain each safety item, a basic control segment with low-speed maneuvers like straight-line and offset backing, and an on-road drive in real traffic.¹⁷ Fail one part and you reschedule to retest that part.

Military Waiver

Active-duty service members and veterans within 12 months of honorable or general discharge can apply to waive the skills test. You must be a New Hampshire resident, submit a Commanding Officer’s certification (Form DSMV 609) verifying your military driving experience, pass the knowledge exams, and have no alcohol-related or major driving offenses in the past two years on either your civilian or military record.¹ The knowledge test is never waived, so you still study the manual.

After You Pass

The DMV issues a temporary paper license on the spot, and it’s legally valid for commercial driving while the permanent card is produced. The plastic card can take up to 60 days to arrive by mail, though most people see it in roughly 45.¹⁸ Keep the paper license and your medical card with you whenever you drive commercially during that window.

Keeping the License

Medical Certificate

Your medical certificate must stay current for as long as you hold a CDL. If it lapses and you don’t file a new one, the state must begin downgrading your CDL to a non-commercial license within 60 days.¹⁹ A downgrade can mean retesting to get your commercial privileges back. Track that expiration date yourself and book the next exam early.

Renewal

CDL renewal happens in person at any DMV office when the expiration date (printed in red on the card front) approaches. Bring a completed DSMV 312, your current CDL, and a valid medical card, and expect a vision screening. The hazmat endorsement requires a new TSA clearance and a hazmat knowledge retest at renewal, and the school bus certification requires proof of current employment on a school bus company roster plus a knowledge retest.¹ If your license has been expired more than a year but less than three, additional requirements apply.

Disqualifications

Federal law defines “serious traffic violations” to include speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, texting while driving a commercial vehicle, and using a hand-held phone while driving. Two of those within three years cost you at least a 60-day disqualification. A third within three years of the second runs at least 120 days.²⁰ Major offenses such as DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, or using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony carry much longer disqualifications, including lifetime bans for repeat majors. The manual explains these so you know the stakes before you’re on the road.

1
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Licenses
2
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. License Classifications, Restrictions and Endorsements
3
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Licensing Fees
4
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver’s License Manual
5
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Hazmat Endorsement
6
Legal Information Institute. NH Admin Code Saf-C 1807.01 – Commercial Driver License Restrictions
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FAQs
8
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 380 Subpart F – Entry-Level Driver Training
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
10
eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers
11
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.71 – Driver Application and Certification Procedures
12
FMCSA. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation I Should Self-Certify To
13
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. CDL Medical Card Update
14
State of New Hampshire Department of Safety Division of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License Application
15
NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Learner Permit
16
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learner’s Permit
17
New Hampshire Department of Safety. NH CDL Manual Supplement
18
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Paper License
19
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.73 – State Procedures
20
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers