In New Jersey, commercial licenses are issued by the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). The path is: choose your commerce category, complete entry-level driver training (ELDT) where required, pay for and pass the knowledge test, pass the vision test, receive a commercial learner's permit (CLP), wait at least 14 days, and pass the road test. This guide follows the MVC's own pages. Check them before you act, because fees and forms change.
Age and commerce categories
You must be at least 18 to apply for a New Jersey CLP. Applicants under 21 may drive only intrastate, meaning within New Jersey, and must choose category 3 or 4 on the CDL Holder Self-Certification form. For interstate driving, hazmat, school bus or passenger work, the MVC says you must be at least 21 (with three years of driving experience listed for those uses).
Every applicant signs the CDL Holder Self-Certification form, and the MVC says failing to submit it results in denial of the CLP. The four categories are:
- Category 1: non-excepted interstate
- Category 2: excepted interstate
- Category 3: non-excepted intrastate
- Category 4: excepted intrastate
Vision and medical requirements
The MVC lists 20/40 vision in each eye with or without glasses, 70 degrees of peripheral vision in each eye, and the ability to recognize red, green and amber.
For categories 1 and 3, you need a valid, fully completed medical examiner's certificate on file electronically at the FMCSA National Registry, from a federally certified examiner. Categories 2 and 4 need only the self-certification, unless you hold a passenger (P) endorsement, in which case the electronic certificate is required regardless. Any federal medical variance must be submitted to the MVC before the CLP is issued.
Step 1: Entry-level driver training (ELDT)
Since February 7, 2022, ELDT has been required from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry. The MVC says the timing is:
- Before the hazmat knowledge test, for a hazmat endorsement.
- Before the skills test, for first-time Class A, B or C applicants.
- Before the skills test, for first-time applicants for any endorsement.
- Before the skills test, for a CDL upgrade.
The registry is the same federal list our New Jersey school directory is built from. See the CDL tuition report for which schools have published prices.
Step 2: Test receipt and knowledge test
Make an appointment through the MVC's online portal and bring your 6 Points of ID. The MVC says the test fee is $125 and that the fee is non-refundable; the FAQ also says a test receipt renewal is $125 when the 180-day receipt expires. You tell the MVC your vehicle type and endorsements so you receive the right exams.
- Format: the general knowledge test is 50 questions, with separate tests for each endorsement. You need at least 80 percent to pass. It is computer-based and multiple choice, with no audio or oral version and no interpreters.
- Language: English or Spanish, except the hazmat test, which is English only.
- Retakes: there is no limit within the 180-day receipt period, but you must wait seven days after a failure. The general test must be passed before any endorsement test.
- Score validity: CDL test scores (written, vision and road) are good for 360 days.
Step 3: Get the CLP
After passing, have your test receipt validated at a licensing center and submit it with your self-certification form and, if required, evidence of a medical certificate on file at the National Registry. You also take the vision test and purchase the CLP. The MVC no longer issues paper CLPs; the digital CLP is valid for 180 days, and you must carry your New Jersey driver's license with it when operating a commercial motor vehicle. CLP holders face the same enhanced penalties for moving violations as CDL holders. The MVC pages I reviewed do not state a CLP price, so use its current fee page.
Step 4: The 14-day wait and the road test
The MVC says you must wait at least 14 days after receiving the CLP before the road test, and that an appointment is required. A safety specialist rides along and scores three parts: pre-trip, basic skills and road skills.
- Your vehicle: the MVC does not supply one. It needs a current inspection sticker, valid registration, an insurance card (unless covered by PUC or federal DOT rules), legible GVWR placards and no cargo, and you need a licensed driver qualified to operate it.
- Retakes: wait at least two weeks after a failure. After several failures the MVC may require a six-month wait.
- Banking scores: you must pass the pre-trip portion to bank scores, and banked results last one CLP cycle of 180 days.
- Transmission: testing in an automatic-transmission vehicle puts an E restriction on the license.
- Air brakes: if the special air brake road test is not taken and passed, an L restriction is added.
After passing, take your permit and authorization slip to a licensing center to get the license.
Endorsements
The MVC lists T (double and triple trailers, requires Class A), P (passenger, requires a road test and a fingerprint application), S (school bus, requires a road test and the P test), N (tank vehicle) and H (hazardous materials). It says hazmat drivers must be retested every two years. For TSA background-check requirements on hazmat, the MVC points to federal requirements; check the TSA before paying for an H test.
DUI and disqualification
The MVC FAQ says a CDL may be obtained after a DUI suspension period is served, but the passenger endorsement is not available for three years. Separately, federal rules apply: under 49 CFR 383.51, a first conviction for DUI of alcohol or a controlled substance, or for refusing an alcohol test, disqualifies you from driving a CMV for 1 year, or 3 years if you were hauling hazmat, and a second conviction in a separate incident of any combination of the offenses in that table is a lifetime disqualification. Convictions count whether they occurred in a CMV or a personal vehicle.
Step-by-step checklist
- Pick your commerce category and, if needed, get a medical certificate from a National Registry examiner.
- Complete ELDT with a registered provider (before the road test; before the knowledge test for hazmat).
- Book a knowledge test, bring 6 Points of ID, and pay the $125 test fee.
- Pass the 50-question general test and any endorsement tests at 80 percent.
- Pass the vision test, validate the receipt and purchase the CLP.
- Wait 14 days, book the road test and arrange a qualifying vehicle.
- Pass the road test and collect the license at a licensing center.
Choosing a school
Start at the New Jersey hub or browse by city: Newark, Edison, Paterson and Jersey City have free and funded training guides. We show a price only when a school has told us one; otherwise it reads "Not published, call to confirm."
Compare FMCSA-registered CDL schools in New Jersey →
What schools actually charge: CDL School Tuition Report 2026.