Who gives the CDL skills test in Illinois?

The Secretary of State administers CDL testing at its own CDL facilities. Knowledge tests run on a computerised system of randomised questions in English only, with an audio option and an oral test available through facility management. The General Knowledge test is 30 multiple-choice questions and is required of every applicant obtaining a CLP or transferring a CDL, with classification, air brake, and endorsement knowledge tests layered on according to the vehicle. The pass mark is 80 percent, except the school bus test, which requires 90 percent, and knowledge tests stay valid for at most one year. Every CLP holder, whether initial, renewing, or upgrading an existing CDL, must hold the CLP for a minimum of 14 calendar days before taking the skills and road tests, which run over a predetermined route set by the CDL facility. Alongside that, the Secretary licenses Third-Party Certifying Entities under the administrative rules, whose licensed safety officers administer the CDL skills tests specified in subparts G and H of 49 CFR 383. The Illinois third-party route is narrower than it first looks: a safety officer tests that entity's own employees or members, not the general public.

Where do the Illinois CDL fees on this page come from?

Every dollar amount renders from Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department's own published fee schedule, cited beside the figure. When the agency publishes no figure for a line, this page shows the agency's own note instead of a guess.

Do I need my CDL before starting a trucking company?

They are separate tracks: the CDL licenses the driver, while operating authority licenses the business. Most owner-operators finish the CDL first because revenue depends on it, then file the business-side registrations. The state startup guide linked on this page covers that second track in order.

Illinois CDL: Requirements, Cost, and Testing

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 26, 2026

What an Illinois CDL costs

These are the license-side fees Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department 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.

Commercial learner's permit for the holder of an Illinois non-CDL driver's license: $50 (1 year)The same $50 applies to renewing an original CLP. The statute breaks the amount into $6 for the CDLIS/AAMVAnet/NMVTIS Trust Fund, $20 for the Motor Carrier Safety Inspection Fund, and $24 for the CDL classification. A CLP requires a base Illinois CDL or non-CDL license that stays valid for the whole CLP period, so a base license expiring inside that year has to be renewed first.
Original commercial driver's license: $60 (4 years)The Secretary of State's published CDL fee list prints the $60 line only for a renewal or an out-of-state transfer. The statute carries the original license at the same amount, itemized as $6 for the CDLIS/AAMVAnet/NMVTIS Trust Fund, $20 for the Motor Carrier Safety Inspection Fund, $10 for the driver's license, and $24 for the CDL. The Secretary may prorate the $24 CDL component to line the CDL up with the expiration of the applicant's Illinois driver's license.
CDL renewal, or transferring in an out-of-state CDL: $60 (4 years)Illinois requires renewal every 4 years before the expiration date for the license to stay valid for any vehicle, which matches the general 4-year driver's license term the statute sets. A license that also carries an L or M motorcycle classification renews at $65 instead, because the motorcycle class adds its own charge on top of the CDL fee.

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.

Illinois CDL endorsement fees
Endorsement	Fee	Notes
CDL holder adding or changing an endorsement or restriction where no CLP is required	$5
CDL holder upgrading a CDL classification or adding an endorsement, and obtaining an original CLP	$5	The statute prices this as a commercial learner's permit issued to someone who already holds a valid Illinois CDL for the purpose of making a change in classification, endorsement, or restriction.
CLP holder adding or changing an endorsement or restriction where a corrected CLP is required	$5
Adding a school bus permit to a CDL or non-CDL license	$9	This is the amount the Secretary of State's CDL fee list prints for adding a school bus permit. The separate general driver's license fee page prices an original, duplicate, or corrected school bus permit at a lower figure, so the CDL page's line is recorded here because it is the one written for CDL transactions.

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Other published fee lines

Other Illinois CDL fee lines
Item	Fee	Notes
CDL renewal, or transferring in an out-of-state CDL, where the license carries a motorcycle class	$65	The motorcycle classification is charged in addition to the regular license fee, which is why this line runs above the plain CDL renewal.
CDL duplicate or corrected license	$5	The fee for a duplicate license or permit is waived for anyone who produces a police report showing it was stolen, and for anyone age 60 or older whose license or permit was lost or stolen.

Scroll sideways to see every column.

Illinois itemizes no separate knowledge-test or skills-test charge. The written and road tests are part of the CLP and CDL transactions priced above, so no test fee line is recorded rather than one being inferred. Two Illinois habits are worth reading carefully before budgeting: the published CDL fee lines are written around the transaction (renewing, transferring in, upgrading, adding an endorsement) rather than around the credential, and most of the amounts are fixed in statute rather than set by the agency, so they move only when the General Assembly moves them.

Who gives the skills test in Illinois

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 Secretary of State administers CDL testing at its own CDL facilities. Knowledge tests run on a computerised system of randomised questions in English only, with an audio option and an oral test available through facility management. The General Knowledge test is 30 multiple-choice questions and is required of every applicant obtaining a CLP or transferring a CDL, with classification, air brake, and endorsement knowledge tests layered on according to the vehicle. The pass mark is 80 percent, except the school bus test, which requires 90 percent, and knowledge tests stay valid for at most one year. Every CLP holder, whether initial, renewing, or upgrading an existing CDL, must hold the CLP for a minimum of 14 calendar days before taking the skills and road tests, which run over a predetermined route set by the CDL facility. Alongside that, the Secretary licenses Third-Party Certifying Entities under the administrative rules, whose licensed safety officers administer the CDL skills tests specified in subparts G and H of 49 CFR 383. The Illinois third-party route is narrower than it first looks: a safety officer tests that entity's own employees or members, not the general public.
Scheduling: Skills and road testing is by appointment, booked online through the Secretary of State's CDL appointment system or by calling 1-800-252-8980 and selecting option 3, then option 5. No video or recording device is allowed on the pre-trip, skills, or driving test. Renewal applicants aged 75 and older must complete the pre-trip, skills, and driving tests rather than renewing on the written test alone. ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers-license/cdl/il-fast-pass.html
Before you apply: An applicant must be at least 18 to hold an Illinois CDL or CLP for intrastate driving, and at least 21 to operate in interstate commerce or to carry passengers. Proof of legal presence is required to obtain, transfer, renew, or upgrade the credential. Every applicant self-certifies which of the four driving categories applies, and a non-excepted interstate driver must file an acceptable medical certificate. Tanker, passenger, and school bus are the only endorsements Illinois allows on a CLP.

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 Illinois'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.

Illinois writes the federal entry-level driver training rule into its own statute rather than merely pointing at it, and adds nothing to it. The statute bars an original CDL, an upgraded CDL, or a school bus, passenger, or hazardous materials endorsement unless the applicant has completed ELDT taught by a provider listed on the federal Training Provider Registry, exempts anyone covered by 49 CFR 380.603, protects applicants who held a CLP before the federal rule took effect so long as they finish before that CLP expires, and carries the federal one-year window between the theory portion and the behind-the-wheel portion for everyone except hazardous materials applicants. The statute records the effective date as February 7, 2020; the Secretary of State's CDL page states February 7, 2022 for the passenger endorsement. Both dates are recorded as each source states them rather than reconciled here. No Illinois training requirement beyond the federal rule was found.

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 Study Guide. 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 Illinois.

Frequently asked questions

Who gives the CDL skills test in Illinois?: The Secretary of State administers CDL testing at its own CDL facilities. Knowledge tests run on a computerised system of randomised questions in English only, with an audio option and an oral test available through facility management. The General Knowledge test is 30 multiple-choice questions and is required of every applicant obtaining a CLP or transferring a CDL, with classification, air brake, and endorsement knowledge tests layered on according to the vehicle. The pass mark is 80 percent, except the school bus test, which requires 90 percent, and knowledge tests stay valid for at most one year. Every CLP holder, whether initial, renewing, or upgrading an existing CDL, must hold the CLP for a minimum of 14 calendar days before taking the skills and road tests, which run over a predetermined route set by the CDL facility. Alongside that, the Secretary licenses Third-Party Certifying Entities under the administrative rules, whose licensed safety officers administer the CDL skills tests specified in subparts G and H of 49 CFR 383. The Illinois third-party route is narrower than it first looks: a safety officer tests that entity's own employees or members, not the general public.
Does Illinois require training beyond the federal ELDT rule?: Illinois writes the federal entry-level driver training rule into its own statute rather than merely pointing at it, and adds nothing to it. The statute bars an original CDL, an upgraded CDL, or a school bus, passenger, or hazardous materials endorsement unless the applicant has completed ELDT taught by a provider listed on the federal Training Provider Registry, exempts anyone covered by 49 CFR 380.603, protects applicants who held a CLP before the federal rule took effect so long as they finish before that CLP expires, and carries the federal one-year window between the theory portion and the behind-the-wheel portion for everyone except hazardous materials applicants. The statute records the effective date as February 7, 2020; the Secretary of State's CDL page states February 7, 2022 for the passenger endorsement. Both dates are recorded as each source states them rather than reconciled here. No Illinois training requirement beyond the federal rule was found.
Where do the Illinois CDL fees on this page come from?: Every dollar amount renders from Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department's own published fee schedule, cited beside the figure. When the agency publishes no figure for a line, this page shows the agency's own note instead of a guess.
Do I need my CDL before starting a trucking company?: They are separate tracks: the CDL licenses the driver, while operating authority licenses the business. Most owner-operators finish the CDL first because revenue depends on it, then file the business-side registrations. The state startup guide linked on this page covers that second track in order.

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.