By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Quick answers for Massachusetts CDL applicants
Use this page to answer the four searches most CDL applicants make before choosing a school or booking a test: what the state charges, which class of license the work needs, where the skills test is handled, and whether the state adds anything beyond federal ELDT.
- Published fee lines
- 11
- Skills testing
- the agency's own examiners
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
- License class
- A, B or C, set by the truck
Amounts below come from Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (MassDOT).
Booking points to mass.gov/info-details/commercial-class-a-b-or-c-road-tests.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Massachusetts CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (MassDOT) 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 (CLP) application
- $30 (180 days from the date of issue, renewable one time for another 180 days at no fee)The CLP page prices the Learner's Permit Application Fee at $30 each. A CLP expires 180 days from issue and can be renewed once for an additional 180 days for no fee, in person by appointment or by phone at 857-368-8000, and must be renewed within 30 days of expiration or the knowledge tests must be retaken. After the one renewal, a new permit means new tests plus the $30 fee again and any endorsement fees. The RMV fee schedule lists the same $30 line as a Permit Application for classes A, B, C, D and M with a 2 year notation; the CLP page's 180 day term is the one written for commercial permits.
- Class A, B or C commercial driver's license, 5 years
- $75 (5 years)The RMV fee schedule prices a Class A, B or C license at $75.00 for 5 years, the same for REAL ID and standard. The license is issued at an RMV Service Center after the road test is passed; fees may be prepaid online but the CDL itself cannot be issued online.
- Class A, B or C CDL renewal
- $75 (5 years)The renewal page prices the Class A, B and C CDL renewal at $75 each. Renewal is by appointment at an RMV Service Center, with the completed application, identification, the CDL self-certification form and the fee. Every endorsement renews with the license except hazmat (H), which needs a new TSA security threat assessment and a passed hazmat knowledge test. Unpaid fines or excise taxes block the renewal until paid. The new license arrives by mail in 10 to 14 days.
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.
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Test fees
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Other published fee lines
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Massachusetts prices the credential in small pieces: $30 for the permit, $10 per endorsement taken with it, $35 for the road test and $75 for the 5-year license, with the same $75 at renewal. Every figure comes from the RMV fee schedule revised May 2025 or the RMV's own CDL pages, which agree.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Massachusetts issues licenses against these three rather than writing its own. Pick the class by the heaviest combination you will actually operate, because the skills test is taken in a vehicle of that class.
- Class A
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of 26,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), inclusive of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds.
- Class B
- Any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing a vehicle not exceeding 10,000 pounds GVWR or gross vehicle weight.
- Class C
- Any single vehicle or combination that does not meet Class A or B but is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or transports placarded hazardous materials or select agents.
- Which class a hotshot needs
- A hotshot combination needs a Class A CDL when the greater of its GCWR or actual combination weight reaches 26,001 pounds and the greater of the towed unit’s rating or actual weight exceeds 10,000 pounds. Check Class B for a heavy single vehicle and Class C for passenger or hazardous-material use. Federal registration requirements depend separately on the operation.
Endorsements ride on whichever class you hold; the hazmat endorsement guide covers the one carriers ask about most, and CDL versus non-CDL driving covers the boundary case of trucks that stay under the threshold. If the plan is a specific vehicle rather than a license, hotshot trucking and the box truck business guide walk what each one requires end to end.
Who gives the skills test in Massachusetts
States split between running CDL skills tests themselves and certifying third-party testers; it changes where you book and who you pay.
- Testing model
- Knowledge tests are taken at an RMV Service Center by appointment when applying for the CLP. The Class A, B and C road tests are conducted by the State Police at state test sites (the RMV lists nine, among them MBTA Anderson/Woburn, Newbury DPW, Pittsfield, South Deerfield DPW and Springfield). The applicant supplies a vehicle that represents the class applied for, carries a valid registration and current inspection sticker, shows a GVWR, has no hazardous material on board and has a seat for the examiner, and brings a sponsor at least 21 years old who has held a CDL with the right endorsements for at least a year. The skills test follows the AAMVA 2022 Modernized CDL Skills Test, Version March 2025. The RMV verifies entry-level driver training before scheduling the skills test. No third-party skills tester program appears on any RMV CDL page read.
- Scheduling
- Commercial road tests are scheduled by calling (857) 368-7381, a line monitored by the State Police who conduct the tests; that line does not book Class D or M tests. The $35 fee can be paid online, but the license must be issued at an RMV Service Center after the test is passed. mass.gov/info-details/commercial-class-a-b-or-c-road-tests
- Before you apply
- A CLP applicant must be at least 18 for an intrastate (Massachusetts only) permit and at least 21 for an interstate permit, hold a Class D license valid for the whole permit term, prove lawful presence and a valid Social Security number, be a Massachusetts resident holding no other state's license, be clear of outstanding obligations to any state, meet the CDL medical standards, and pass the general knowledge test plus the combination test for Class A or the hazmat or passenger test for Class C. A CDL holder under 21 gets a K restriction (intrastate operation only). Every CLP and CDL holder self-certifies the type of commerce (interstate or intrastate) and medical status under 49 CFR 383.71 at issuance, renewal, upgrade and transfer. Drivers of commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds, and drivers of 15 or more passengers or placarded hazmat regardless of size, must carry a DOT medical certificate, except state or municipal employees in a state or municipal vehicle.
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 Massachusetts'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.
Massachusetts restates the federal entry-level driver training rule in 49 CFR part 380 subpart F and adds nothing of its own. Since February 7, 2022, training from a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry is required before the road test for a first Class A or B CDL, an upgrade from Class B to A, and a first passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement, and before the knowledge test for a first hazmat (H) endorsement. The RMV verifies completion before scheduling. No Massachusetts hour count, curriculum or provider list appears on the RMV pages read.
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: Massachusetts Commercial Driver's License Manual, Version March 2025. 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 Massachusetts.
If you searched for Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts startup sequence