By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 9, 2026
Quick answers for Indiana CDL applicants
Use this page to answer the three searches most CDL applicants make before choosing a school or booking a test: what the state charges, where the skills test is handled, and whether the state adds anything beyond federal ELDT.
- Published fee lines
- 6
- Skills testing
- state-certified third-party testers
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
Amounts below come from Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Booking points to in.gov/bmv/licenses-permits-ids/files/cdl-skills-test-sites.pdf.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
What an Indiana CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles 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 driver's license
- $35 (Four years, expiring on the holder's birthday)The BMV fee chart carries one commercial driver's license line and does not price an original license differently from a renewal.
- Commercial driver's license renewal
- $35 (Four years; renewal is accepted at any BMV branch up to one year before the license expires)Renewing after the birthday expiry date adds the administrative late-renewal penalty listed below. If the birthday falls on a day BMV branches are closed, the license stays valid until the end of the next business day.
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Test fees
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Other published fee lines
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Every amount here is read from the BMV fee chart revised January 1, 2026. That chart prints no separate line for an original versus renewal CDL, no per-endorsement pricing, and no exam fee.
Who gives the skills test in Indiana
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 CDL skills exam must be taken at a BMV-authorized examination site and has three parts: a pre-trip inspection exam, a control skills exam, and the road trip exam. Authorized examination sites transmit the results to the BMV electronically. An applicant must hold the commercial learner's permit for 14 days before attempting the skills exam.
- Scheduling
- Appointments are booked with the approved third-party CDL skills test site at least two days before the exam date, not through a BMV branch. The BMV publishes the list of authorized examination sites at in.gov/bmv/licenses-permits-ids/files/cdl-skills-test-sites.pdf
- Before you apply
- Before the skills exam an applicant needs a valid Indiana driver's license, a Social Security number, citizenship or lawful permanent residence (or a non-domiciled CDL), a passed DOT physical with the Medical Examination Report and Medical Examiner's Certificate on file with the BMV, and a commercial learner's permit. A CDL is required for a commercial motor vehicle rated over 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, designed to carry 16 or more passengers including the driver, or of any size carrying placarded hazardous materials. A CDL left expired, disqualified, canceled, revoked, surrendered, relinquished or invalidated for longer than three years has to be applied for from scratch, exams included.
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 Indiana'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.
Indiana adds a state training step on top of the federal entry-level driver training rule. Since July 1, 2023 every first-time CDL applicant must watch an instructional video on recognizing, preventing and reporting human trafficking and attest to having watched it when applying. On the federal rule itself the BMV restates FMCSA's terms: training applies to a first Class A or Class B license, a Class B to Class A upgrade, and a first school bus, passenger or hazardous materials endorsement, and is not retroactive for a permit or license obtained before February 7, 2022. Branch staff verify hazardous materials training before giving that knowledge exam, and the third-party skills test site verifies Class A, Class B, school bus and passenger training before scheduling the 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: Indiana Commercial Driver's License Manual (version September 9, 2022), issued with the Indiana Specific CDL Manual. 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 Indiana.
If you searched for Indiana 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 Indiana startup sequenceFrequently asked questions
Who gives the CDL skills test in Indiana?
- The CDL skills exam must be taken at a BMV-authorized examination site and has three parts: a pre-trip inspection exam, a control skills exam, and the road trip exam. Authorized examination sites transmit the results to the BMV electronically. An applicant must hold the commercial learner's permit for 14 days before attempting the skills exam.
Does Indiana require training beyond the federal ELDT rule?
- Indiana adds a state training step on top of the federal entry-level driver training rule. Since July 1, 2023 every first-time CDL applicant must watch an instructional video on recognizing, preventing and reporting human trafficking and attest to having watched it when applying. On the federal rule itself the BMV restates FMCSA's terms: training applies to a first Class A or Class B license, a Class B to Class A upgrade, and a first school bus, passenger or hazardous materials endorsement, and is not retroactive for a permit or license obtained before February 7, 2022. Branch staff verify hazardous materials training before giving that knowledge exam, and the third-party skills test site verifies Class A, Class B, school bus and passenger training before scheduling the skills test.
Where do the Indiana CDL fees on this page come from?
- Every dollar amount renders from Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles'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.