By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 26, 2026
Quick answers for Utah 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
- agency offices or approved third-party testers
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
- License class
- A, B or C, set by the truck
Amounts below come from Utah Driver License Division (Department of Public Safety).
Booking points to dld.utah.gov/cdl-skills-test-scheduling.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What an Utah CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Utah Driver License Division (Department of Public Safety) 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 with written knowledge test (Class A, B, or C; the appointment where the commercial learner permit issues)
- $52The DLD fee table prices the 'CDL with Written Knowledge Test (Class A, B, or C with a 5-year expiration)' line at this amount, and the original CDL page instructs applicants to pay it, take the required written knowledge tests, and receive the commercial learner permit.
- CDL with driving skills test (Class A, B, or C)
- $78 (5 years)The completed license is mailed in approximately four to six weeks and expires in five years. The original CDL page prices the appointment at the written-knowledge amount plus each endorsement fee, with the motorcycle endorsement at its own rate.
- CDL renewal (written knowledge test line; the driving skills test line costs more)
- $52 (5 years)The renewal block of the fee table lists the same two CDL lines as the original block, one for the written knowledge test and one for the driving skills test, so the renewal cost depends on the testing your renewal requires. CDL holders cannot renew online. A license expired more than six months requires all written knowledge and driving skills tests again, and the hazmat and school bus written tests repeat at every renewal.
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.
Test fees
Other published fee lines
The fee table prices the two CDL transactions by the test involved and publishes no separate term for endorsements. A hazmat endorsement also carries the federal TSA background check cost, which the DLD pages do not price.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Utah 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 Utah
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 DLD administers CDL driving skills tests by appointment at its own offices (Brigham, Ogden, Draper, Taylorsville, Springville, Vernal, Nephi, Richfield, Price, Cedar City, Moab, and Dixie per the CDL Skills Test Scheduling page), and a separate CDL Third-Party Tester program under 49 CFR 383.75, Utah Code 53-3-407.1, and Rule R708-21 authorizes approved companies to sponsor examiners who give the same test. Third-party results are submitted electronically to the DLD.
- Scheduling
- Before the driving skills test you must have held the CDL learner permit for 14 days, completed the ELDT course, and read sections 11 through 13 of the CDL Handbook. The Farmington, Logan, and Tooele offices do not process CDLs. dld.utah.gov/cdl-skills-test-scheduling
- Before you apply
- Age 18 or older with a Class D license held for one year; U.S. citizens apply for the original CDL while non-citizens apply for the non-domiciled version; the Medical Examiner's Certificate must be submitted electronically by your doctor; a self-certification form is required; a valid CDL from another state transfers on surrender.
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 Utah'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 DLD restates the federal rule with nothing added on top: entry-level drivers must complete Entry-Level Driver Training before obtaining a CDL, and the original CDL page requires the course before the driving skills test.
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: Utah CDL Handbook (CDL Manual PDF). 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 Utah.
If you searched for Utah 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 Utah startup sequence