Washington CDL: Requirements, Permit, Skills Test, and Costs

To meet Washington CDL requirements, you need to be old enough to drive commercially, choose the license class and endorsements that match the vehicle and cargo you plan to handle, pass a knowledge test for a commercial learner’s permit, complete federally required entry-level driver training, and then pass a three-part skills test at a Department of Licensing office. The DOL issues the license under federal standards set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, so a Washington CDL works in every state once you meet the age rules.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 18 and hold a valid Washington driver license. At 18, your commercial driving is limited to trips that stay inside Washington. You have to be 21 before you can cross state lines in a commercial vehicle, haul hazardous materials, or carry passengers for hire.¹

Some drivers do not need a CDL at all. Farmers hauling their own agricultural products within 150 miles of the farm are exempt, as are firefighters and law enforcement officers operating emergency equipment after approved training, active-duty military driving for military purposes, and anyone driving a personal recreational vehicle.²

Pick Your Class and Endorsements

Washington uses the three federal CDL classes, keyed to vehicle weight and configuration. You only test on the highest class you plan to drive, because a higher class covers the ones below it.³

Class A covers combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit is heavier than 10,000 pounds. Most tractor-trailers fall here.
Class B covers single vehicles rated at 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing a unit of 10,000 pounds or less. Straight trucks, large buses, and dump trucks are typical.
Class C covers smaller vehicles that are either designed to carry 16 or more people (including the driver) or used to haul placarded hazardous materials.

Endorsements sit on top of your class and authorize specific vehicles or cargo. Washington issues passenger (P), school bus (S), tank vehicle (N), hazardous materials (H), doubles/triples (T), and a combined hazmat-tank (X) endorsement. Each endorsement adds a knowledge test; the H and S endorsements also add a skills test. A hazmat endorsement triggers a separate TSA background check that costs $85.25 and is good for five years.⁴⁵

Documents You Need to Bring

DOL will not start a CDL application without three things in hand.

First, proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency. A valid U.S. passport, government-issued birth certificate, permanent resident card, certificate of naturalization or citizenship, or consular report of birth abroad will do.⁶

Second, one document proving your current Washington address and full name. Acceptable options include a utility bill, bank statement, cell phone bill, vehicle registration, pay stub, W-2, property tax document, or renter’s insurance policy.⁶

Third, your Social Security number and your existing Washington driver license. If any name does not match DOL’s records, bring the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order that explains the change.¹

Self-Certification and the Medical Card

Every CDL holder has to self-certify into one of four categories that describe how and where they drive. The choice matters because it decides whether you have to keep a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file with DOL.

Non-excepted interstate: you drive across state lines and must provide a Medical Examiner’s Certificate. This is the most flexible option and qualifies you for any commercial driving.
Excepted interstate: you cross state lines but qualify for a federal medical exemption (certain government or agricultural operations).
Non-excepted intrastate: you drive only in Washington and must meet the state’s medical certification rules.
Excepted intrastate: you drive only in Washington in a role the state has determined does not require medical certification.

If more than one category could apply to you, pick the non-excepted version so you stay qualified for both kinds of work.⁷⁸

The Medical Examiner’s Certificate must come from a DOT-registered examiner. The standard card is valid up to two years, though some health conditions shorten that window. If you are in a non-excepted category and let the certificate lapse without updating DOL, your commercial driving privileges get downgraded until you fix it.

Entry-Level Driver Training

Federal rules in effect since February 2022 require Entry-Level Driver Training before you can take the CDL skills test or certain endorsement tests for the first time. ELDT applies when you are obtaining a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a school bus, passenger, or hazardous materials endorsement for the first time.⁹

Your provider has to be listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. Once you finish, the provider uploads your completion to the registry by the second business day. DOL will not schedule your skills test until that record appears.¹⁰

The Commercial Learner’s Permit

With your documents assembled, you take the general knowledge test at a DOL office, plus a knowledge test for each endorsement you want. The CLP itself costs $40, and the knowledge test is $35.¹¹

The CLP is good for 180 days and can be renewed once. You have to wait at least 14 days after getting the CLP before taking the skills test, and the same 14 days apply after upgrading the permit to a new class or adding endorsements.¹²

While driving on the permit, a licensed CDL holder with a credential valid for your vehicle class has to sit in the passenger seat with you at all times. You cannot carry anyone except that supervising driver, examiners, and other trainees. A CLP holder with a tank endorsement cannot operate a tank that previously held hazardous material unless it has been fully purged.

The Skills Test

The skills test has three parts, given in order. Fail one and the examiner stops; you reschedule for another day.

Vehicle inspection: you walk around the vehicle and explain what you are checking and what a defect would look like, demonstrate the lighting components, perform the air supply and in-cab checks, and inspect the rest of the vehicle.
Basic vehicle control: a set of backing maneuvers, including straight-line backing, offset back/right, and alley docking, scored on how accurately you place the vehicle without crossing boundary lines.
Road test: a prescribed route in real traffic covering lane changes, turns, merging, and speed management. Any accident or moving violation is automatic failure.

The skills test costs $175, or $100 if you are testing only for a school bus endorsement. You schedule it at least three days ahead, and if you fail there is a three-day wait before you can test again.¹³¹¹

Bring your Washington driver license with the CLP, proof of insurance, and an unloaded commercial vehicle of the type that matches your permit class. Miss any of these and the examiner will turn you away.¹³

What It Costs to Get Licensed

Once you pass all three parts, you book an appointment at a DOL office to have the CDL issued. The CDL is added as an endorsement to your Washington driver license. The add-on cost runs from $37 to $156, calculated as a $20 license fee plus $17 for each year still left on your current license. Each special endorsement, such as doubles/triples, costs $20 to add.¹¹

If you already hold a CDL from another state and are transferring, Washington charges $213 for six years or $267 for eight. Renewals of an existing Washington CDL are $163 for six years or $217 for eight.¹¹

What Can Take Your CDL Away

Washington treats commercial driving violations harshly. A first offense for any of the following disqualifies you from commercial driving for at least one year: driving any vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, operating a commercial vehicle at a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or higher, refusing a breath or blood test, leaving the scene of an accident, using a vehicle to commit a felony, driving a commercial vehicle while your CDL is already suspended or revoked, or causing a fatality through negligent operation of a commercial vehicle.¹⁴

If any of these happen while you are hauling hazardous materials, the disqualification jumps to at least three years. A second offense from that list, even a different violation than the first, is a lifetime disqualification. Using any vehicle in a drug trafficking felony is a lifetime disqualification with no reinstatement. Two or more serious traffic violations within three years, such as reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, or using a phone while driving commercially, also trigger a disqualification.¹⁵

Separately, every CDL holder is tracked in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Employers must query it before hiring and once a year after. A violation keeps you off the road until you complete evaluation, treatment, and the return-to-duty process, and owner-operators are not exempt — they must register and comply as well.¹⁶

1
Washington State Department of Licensing. Getting a Commercial Driver License (CDL)
2
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25.050 – Commercial Driver License Required, Exceptions
3
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25 – Commercial Driver Licenses
4
Washington State Department of Licensing. Endorsements and Restrictions
5
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
6
Washington State Department of Licensing. CDL-Approved Documents
7
Washington State Department of Licensing. Medical Certificates and Self-Certification
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation I Should Self-Certify To
9
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
10
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Training Provider Registry
11
Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees
12
Washington State Department of Licensing. Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP)
13
Washington State Department of Licensing. CDL Skills Test
14
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.25.090 – Disqualification
15
Washington State Department of Licensing. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Disqualifications
16
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse