By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Quick answers for Maryland CDL applicants
Use this page to answer the four searches most CDL applicants make before choosing a school or booking a test: what the state charges, which class of license the work needs, where the skills test is handled, and whether the state adds anything beyond federal ELDT.
- Published fee lines
- 10
- Skills testing
- the agency's own examiners
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
- License class
- A, B or C, set by the truck
Amounts below come from Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).
Booking points to mymva.maryland.gov/go/web/CDLSkillsTestAppointment.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Maryland CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) publishes; training tuition is a separate, school-set cost covered in our CDL training cost guide. A line reading "Not confirmed" means the agency publishes no figure; the note beside it says what the agency does say.
- CDL Learner's Permit
- $106The License & ID Fees page lists the CDL Learner's Permit at $106 with no separate term line. The get-or-renew and skills test pages state the permit must be held at least 14 days before the skills test, and the skills test page adds that an expired CLP means reapplying for a new permit.
- Original Maryland CDL (first license after the skills test)
- The fee schedule's Commercial licenses table carries no separate new-CDL line for first-time in-state applicants: it prices the CDL Learner's Permit, renewal, out-of-state conversions, duplicate, correction, retest and hazmat lines only. The CLP fee is paid up front, and after passing the skills test the MVA verifies documents and issues the CDL, mailed within 7 to 10 business days. Rather than infer which line covers a first license, this page records no amount and points at the fee table and the CLP line.Term: Commercial driver licenses are valid for a maximum of 8 years
Endorsement fees
Endorsements ride on the base license; hazmat also carries a federal background check handled outside the license fee. Our hazmat endorsement guide covers that federal layer.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Test fees
Other published fee lines
Scroll sideways to see every column.
All amounts come from the MVA License & ID Fees page, Commercial licenses section, marked effective as of September 1, 2025. The table states fees may be prorated per year and that commercial driver licenses are valid for a maximum of 8 years.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Maryland issues licenses against these three rather than writing its own. Pick the class by the heaviest combination you will actually operate, because the skills test is taken in a vehicle of that class.
- Class A
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 26,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), inclusive of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds.
- Class B
- Any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing a vehicle not exceeding 10,000 pounds GVWR or gross vehicle weight.
- Class C
- Any single vehicle or combination that does not meet Class A or B but is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or transports placarded hazardous materials or select agents.
- Which class a hotshot needs
- A hotshot combination needs a Class A CDL when the greater of its GCWR or actual combination weight reaches 26,001 pounds and the greater of the towed unit’s rating or actual weight exceeds 10,000 pounds. Check Class B for a heavy single vehicle and Class C for passenger or hazardous-material use. Federal registration requirements depend separately on the operation.
Endorsements ride on whichever class you hold; the hazmat endorsement guide covers the one carriers ask about most, and CDL versus non-CDL driving covers the boundary case of trucks that stay under the threshold. If the plan is a specific vehicle rather than a license, hotshot trucking and the box truck business guide walk what each one requires end to end.
Who gives the skills test in Maryland
States split between running CDL skills tests themselves and certifying third-party testers; it changes where you book and who you pay.
- Testing model
- The MVA administers the CDL skills test itself, by appointment only, scheduled online through a myMVA account. The test has three parts: a pre-trip vehicle inspection with a 45-minute time limit, a vehicle control skills portion with a 10-minute limit per maneuver, and an on-road driving test. The applicant must hold the CLP for at least two weeks, complete Entry-Level Driver Training first, and bring a safe representative vehicle matching the class being tested, with a valid registration card, proof of insurance and a visible VIN plate (trailers too); placarded hazardous materials vehicles cannot be used. A qualified accompanying driver who brings the test vehicle to the site must be 21 or older with three years of a same-or-higher-class CDL. After a first failed attempt the retest can be booked one day later; after a second or later failure the wait is at least seven days, and retest or no-show fees must be paid first. Maryland accepts completed skills tests from other states for Maryland permit holders (except K-restriction intrastate-only holders, who may not operate out of state), but does not test other states' permit holders.
- Scheduling
- Rescheduling must happen at least 24 hours ahead to avoid a no-show fee. CDL permit appointments are booked separately through the myMVA CDL permit appointment flow. mymva.maryland.gov/go/web/CDLSkillsTestAppointment
- Before you apply
- Applicants must already hold a valid full Maryland driver's license, be at least 18 to operate commercially within Maryland only, and be at least 21 to cross state lines, transport hazardous materials or transport passengers. Proof of identity, age, Social Security number and Maryland residency is required, and medical certification comes from a National Registry examiner whose certificate is sent to the MVA by FMCSA. After passing the skills test the driver carries an interim license document while the CDL is mailed within 7 to 10 business days.
Every applicant also needs a current medical certificate; our DOT physical guide covers the exam that produces it. Not sure your truck even needs a CDL? Start with CDL vs non-CDL.
The federal training rule, then Maryland's position
Entry-level driver training (ELDT) is federal: it applies in every state before the tests it gates, and the training must come from a provider on FMCSA's registry. The full walkthrough lives in our how to get a CDL guide.
- Who must train
- First-time Class A or Class B applicants; Class B holders upgrading to Class A; First-time S, P, or H endorsement applicants
- Registry requirement
- Entry-level driver training means training received from an entity listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, completed before taking the CDL skills test for a first or upgraded Class A or Class B CDL, before the skills test for a first P or S endorsement, or before the knowledge test for a first H endorsement. You must complete training with a provider listed on the registry.
- States may add more
- States with training requirements that exceed the federal minimum standard may prohibit you from taking the skills test, or the knowledge test for the H endorsement, until you meet their state requirements as well as the federal ones. Federal rules also allow you to receive training and take the CDL skills test in a state other than the state you are licensed in.
The MVA restates the federal Entry-Level Driver Training rule with no Maryland addition on top: training from a provider listed in FMCSA's Training Provider Registry must be complete before the CDL skills test, and before the hazmat knowledge test, for first-time Class A or B applicants and for first-time Passenger, School Bus or Hazardous Materials endorsements. The MVA notes drivers who already held a CDL, including lapsed and out-of-state holders, do not repeat training to regain the same class.
The official manual and where this fits
The knowledge tests come straight from the state's own manual, so study the agency's current edition: Commercial Driver's License Manual (DL-151). The CDL licenses you as a driver; if the plan is your own trucks and your own freight, the business side runs on its own track through start a trucking company in Maryland.
If you searched for Maryland CDL requirements, go here next
Still deciding if you need a CDL?
Start with the vehicle weight and use case. The national guide explains the CDL threshold before you pay for a permit or training.
Compare CDL vs non-CDLReady to drive under your own authority?
The CDL is the driver credential. Operating authority, IRP, IFTA, insurance, and permits are the business credential stack.
See the Maryland startup sequence