How to Get a CDL in Maryland

For Maryland drivers

Updated September 28, 2026

The MVA spreads its CDL rules across several pages. This guide puts them in order, from permit to test day to your card in the mail. Each rule links to the MVA page it came from.

Maryland CDL Requirements

Before you apply, the MVA says you must:

• Hold a valid, full Maryland driver’s license
• Be at least 18 to drive commercially inside Maryland only
• Be at least 21 to drive across state lines, haul hazmat, or carry passengers
• Prove your identity, age, Social Security number, and Maryland residency
• Pass a DOT physical with an examiner on the National Registry

Your examiner sends your medical certificate to FMCSA, and it reaches the MVA from there. You do not mail it in. When you apply, you also tell the MVA what kind of driving you will do. This is called self-certification. If you will drive across state lines under the full federal rules, you pick non-excepted interstate. Our DOT physical guide covers the exam.

Car haulers need a Class A. The MVA defines it as a combination of 26,001 pounds or more, with a trailer rated over 10,000 pounds.

Getting Your Maryland Commercial Learner’s Permit

1. Book a CDL permit appointmentMake it at an MVA branch office.
2. Bring your documentsBring the ID documents the MVA asks for.
3. Pass the knowledge testsTake a test for your vehicle class and each endorsement you want. You can take them in English or Spanish.
4. Pay for the permitThe MVA charges $106 for a CDL learner’s permit.

Train before you test. The MVA will not let you take the skills test until you finish entry-level driver training. The school must be on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. In Maryland, training also comes before the hazmat knowledge test.

For how these steps fit together, see how long it takes to get a CDL.

Skills Test Day at the MVA

Book the skills test through your myMVA account. It has three parts: a pre-trip inspection, basic control skills such as backing, and a drive on public roads.

Bring with you:

• Your valid Maryland CLP for the class you are testing
• Your medical certificate, plus any medical waiver
• Glasses or contacts, if you need them to pass vision
• The truck’s registration card and proof of insurance

Your test truck. You provide it, and it must match the class you are testing for. It needs a visible VIN plate, and so does the trailer. A placarded hazmat vehicle cannot be used. If it is a rental, your name must be on the rental agreement.

Driving the truck to the test. If you drive the test truck to the site on your permit, you need a qualified supervising driver. That person must be at least 21, have a medical certificate, and have held a CDL of the same class or higher for at least three years.

Test rules. The skills test is given only in English, and no interpreter may help. A backup camera or audio backup warning is allowed, but automatic parking features are not.

If You Fail, and After You Pass

• First fail: you can retest one day later, if appointments are open.
• Second fail or later: you wait at least seven days.
• Pay first: retest or no-show fees must be paid before you book again. The MVA lists the skills retest at $20.
• Watch your permit date: if your CLP expires first, you apply for a new permit, retake the knowledge tests, and pay again.

Testing in another state. A Maryland CLP holder can take the skills test in another state, if the permit stays valid until the Maryland CDL is issued. Check with that state first. The MVA does not skills-test permit holders from other states.

After you pass, the MVA checks your documents and gives you an interim license. Your CDL comes in the mail in 7 to 10 business days.

Maryland CDL Fees

The MVA notes that some commercial fees may be prorated by year. It takes cards, cash, mobile wallets, and checks made out to the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Study guide. The MVA’s Commercial Driver’s License Manual (DL-151) is a free PDF on its CDL page. The MVA says it has what you need to prepare for the skills tests.

Disqualification and Reinstatement

A high blood alcohol citation in a commercial vehicle, a refused or failed chemical test, or certain convictions can disqualify a Maryland CDL. If you get a notice, you have 15 days to return it to the MVA. You can ask for a hearing or give up the CDL. After a disqualification under one year, you can reinstate without retesting. After one year or more, you retake the tests. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Driving a Truck in Maryland

Two Maryland facts matter on day one. The height limit for a vehicle and its load is 13 feet 6 inches. And the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police run 13 truck weigh and inspection stations with permanent scales, plus four more that use portable scales. Our guide to weigh stations for truckers explains what happens when you pull in.

Car Hauling Out of Baltimore

Baltimore gives Accelerated two kinds of steady freight: the Mercedes-Benz vehicle preparation center and the Port of Baltimore. Drivers haul finished and processed vehicles from both, inland to dealers and rail. A TWIC card is useful, but you do not need one to apply. Our TWIC card guide explains how to get one.

To drive with us, you need 3 years of CDL-A driving and 1 year of verifiable 9-car experience. New to the trade? How to become a car hauler lays out the path.

Sources

Last checked September 28, 2026. Fees and rules change. Confirm each step with the MVA before you apply. This guide is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

1. MVA, Get or Renew a CDL
2. MVA, CDL Skills Test
3. MVA, License and ID Fees
4. MVA, CDL Classifications, Endorsements and Restrictions
5. MVA, CDL Medical Certification Requirements
6. MVA, CDL Disqualification and Reinstatement
7. MVA, Commercial Driver’s License (manual DL-151)
8. MDOT SHA, Truck Weigh and Inspection Stations