PA Commercial Drivers (CDL)

Operating those large semi-trucks and commercial vehicles that you see traveling the roads each day requires that you hold a special license: a CDL, or Commercial Driver’s License. This license proves that you have the skills and know-how to properly operate such a vehicle.

Get the PA Commercial Driver Manual

The best thing to do when preparing to obtain your CDL in PA is to check out what is held within the Commercial Driver’s Manual, of which you can obtain in three ways: online, in-person, or request by mail.

To get a manual by mail, simply contact your local DMV office and request that it is sent to your home address. If you wish to go in person to pick up your manual, you can just visit any DMV Office Finder in PA and pick it up.

This manual contains loads of information including:

  • Driver’s Safety
  • Air Brake Use and Checking
  • Tank Vehicles
  • Hazardous Material
  • Pre-trip Vehicle Inspection Test

Apply for PA CDL with PA Driver’s License

  1. You are required to already hold the standard PA driver’s license.
  2. Complete Non-Commercial Learner’s Permit Application.
  3. Pay both permit and licensing fee which is listed on application, as well as “increase fee” assessed for upgrading a standard license to CDL.
  4. Once information has been processed, you will receive Knowledge Test Authorization, or KTA, by mail. This provides proof of qualification by PennDOT for completion of CDL knowledge exam.
  5. Once required tests are passed (which depends on the endorsement and class of license you are after), you are issued a permit that allows operation of the truck type you are licensing for. You will be required to be accompanied by the same class CDL driver aged 21 or older any time you are behind the wheel.
  6. Hold learner’s permit for no less than 30 days while practicing driving skills, after which a road skills test can be scheduled.
  7. Complete and pass CDL road skills test.
  8. If road skills test is passed, you will receive camera card, which must be submitted to PennDOT photo licensing center, which you can find by visiting DMV Office Finder in PA at which point you will receive photo CDL after paying necessary licensing fees associated.

Apply for CDL with Out-of-State License

If you only have an out-of-state driver’s license yet want to obtain your Pennsylvania commercial license, you will follow the same steps above, in addition to the following:

  1. Visit driver and vehicle service center of PennDOT, which you can locate by visiting DMV Office finder in PA
  2. Surrender out-of-state license, no matter which type you hold.
  3. Show SSN.
  4. Provide proof of identification and 2 proofs of PA residency.
If you are surrendering an out-of-state commercial driver’s license, you won’t have to complete all the steps of receiving your CDL. Instead, you will be required to complete the vision test only – and any that may apply to school bus driving or hazardous material hauling, if applicable to your situation.

CDL Exams in PA

There are various tests required for different CDL drivers, which depends on the type of vehicle and hauling you plan to do. All questions within each test are derived directly from the Commercial Driver’s Manual in Pennsylvania, with rules that will be quite different than what is found in other states.

Once you arrive for testing, you must have your PA driver’s license handy, with your valid Social Security card.

Types of CDL Knowledge Exams

  • Class A Exam: 70 questions in total
  • Class B Exam: 50 questions in total
  • Class C Exam: 50 questions in total
  • Passenger CDL endorsement: 20 questions in total
  • School Bus CDL endorsement: 25 questions in total
  • Double/Triple CDL endorsement: 20 questions in total
  • Tank Vehicle CDL endorsement: 20 questions in total
  • HazMat CDL endorsement: 30 questions in total
  • Air-Brakes Restriction Removal from CDL: 25 questions in total

PA CDL Road Exams

There are two methods to scheduling an appointment for the road exam for your CDL, which is required to take the road exam after your permit has been held no less than 30 days.

Once you have arrived to take the road exam, the learner’s permit, registration of your vehicle, proof of valid PA auto insurance and your accompanying driver’s valid PA CDL are required. There are three parts to the exam:

  • Pre-trip vehicle inspection
  • Off-road maneuvering
  • On-road driving
For answers to questions you may have about these exams, you can call the PennDOT toll free at 1-800-932-4600, or you could mail your questions to:

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
CDL Unit
P.O. Box 68679
Harrisburg, PA 17106-8679

Federal Guidelines for PA CDL Drivers

There is a Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 in effect in Pennsylvania, enacted to serve two major purposes:

  • Ensure CDL drivers are appropriately qualified for operation of commercial vehicles.
  • Remove unsafe CDL drivers from PA highways.
While federal licensing is not required to operate a commercial vehicle, it is essential that the minimum standards of the state are met when the CDL is issued. This Act requires that all states upgrade existing programs in order to ensure federal standards are followed.

Before this Act was in place, there were commercial drivers out there travelling in vehicles they weren’t fully trained or qualified to operate. Even those states that offered different classes of licensing weren’t properly testing for the type of vehicle the driver would be operating, therefore leaving other drivers in danger.

Now, however, all commercial drivers of any state are required to be tested and qualified for the exact type of vehicle, whether a truck or bus, which drivers intend to operate.

This Act did also have an impact on standard licensing requiring that all states ensure only one license is issued per driver. You may not hold both the standard license and a CDL at the same time. You may only have one PA driver’s license of any type, but you may not hold a license from multiple states. This is in effect to ensure that bad drivers aren’t able to simply drive in another state to avoid the penalties of their poor driving in one state.

PA Commercial License Classes

If you want to be eligible for your commercial driver’s license, you are bound by various regulations:

  • Must carry clean driver’s record.
  • Must pass physical exam biannually.
  • Must be at least age 21 to operate in interstate commerce. Other states may allow those aged 18 to obtain a CDL.
  • Must be able to fluently read and speak the English language.
These rules ensure that you are truly qualified to perform the work entailed by driving a commercial vehicle, including comprehending and reading signs, reports, and other information.

The previously discussed Act helped to establish three different CDL classes. Every state follows these guidelines, which includes:

  • Class A CDL: Operation of any combination of motor vehicles reaching GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, provided that this GVWR of any vehicle towed is over 10,000 pounds.
  • Class B CDL: Operation of any single motor vehicle with GVWR of 26,001 pounds or greater, or any vehicle that is towing a vehicle with GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less.
  • Class C CDL: Operation of any single motor vehicle, or any combination of motor vehicles, which doesn’t meet definition of either Class A or B, but is designed either for transport of 16 passengers or more, which includes the driver, or if there is a placard for hazardous material transport.
There are exceptions when it comes to farm, snow removal, fire and emergency, and even some military motor vehicles in many states.

CDL Endorsements

There are some vehicles that require extra testing for licensing. If passed, you are issued endorsement for your CDL. There are 5 endorsements you may apply for, each requiring one to five written exams, and two of these endorsements requiring a driver’s skill road exam.

  • T Endorsement: Double and triple trailers – written exam required
  • P Endorsement: Passenger – written and road exams required
  • N Endorsement: Tank Vehicle – written exam required
  • H Endorsement: Hazardous Materials – written exam required
  • S Endorsement: School Buses – written and road exams required

Medical Certification Requirements

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also known as the FMCSA, has regulated interstate commercial drivers’ medical fitness requirements in the interest of the public safety upon highways of all states. These requirements ensure that CDL drivers are fit by medical standards to operate the commercial vehicles, which can be much larger than standard vehicles, safer and more competently. You will be required to complete a physical exam, as well as carry a U.S. DOT medical certificate if the following pertains to you:

  • You are operating motor vehicle with GVWR, GCWR, GVW, or GCW reaching 10,0001 pounds, or 4,536 kilograms, or more within interstate commerce.
  • You are operating motor vehicle that is designed or operated in order to transport 9 to 15 passengers, with direct compensation, over 75 air miles from regular work-reporting location, within interstate commerce.
  • You are operating motor vehicle that is designed or operated for transport of 15 or more passengers, which includes the driver, within interstate commerce.
  • You are transporting hazardous materials that are hauled in quantities that require the appropriate placard, within interstate commerce.
You are required to carry a valid and current copy of medical exam certificate any time you are behind the wheel. As long as U.S. medical requirements are met, CDL drivers driving in the U.S. but residents of Canada or Mexico may use a certified doctor in their own country.

Background Checks for Hazmat

In most states TSA is utilized in order to obtain background checks of CDL drivers. However, Pennsylvania CDL driver background checks are done differently, and will forward a background check to the Department of Homeland Security, which is required federally.

  1. Get your commercial license or permit, requesting the hazmat endorsement exam.
  2. Once test is passed, apply for background check at Driver’s License Center.
  3. Show proper proof of legal citizenship and CDL or permit.
  4. Complete Hazardous Materials Background Check form
  5. Pay $60 fee for background check, as well as fingerprinting, of which you will receive a list of fingerprinting locations in office.
Once your background check and your fingerprints are verified and approved, a CDL with the Hazmat endorsement and photo is mailed to your home address.