By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Quick answers for Mississippi 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
- 5
- Skills testing
- agency offices or approved third-party testers
- Training rule
- Federal ELDT applies
- License class
- A, B or C, set by the truck
Amounts below come from Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), Driver Service Bureau.
Use the agency testing notes below.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Mississippi CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), Driver Service Bureau 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.
- CDL Learner's Permit
- $16 (Valid 6 months)Listed on the DSB fee sheet as CDL Learners Permit, Valid 6 months.
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.
Other published fee lines
Scroll sideways to see every column.
The DSB fee sheet publishes the CDL learner's permit and the five-year CDL; license and ID fees are payable in cash, debit or credit, with no personal checks.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Mississippi 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 Mississippi
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 Department of Public Safety gives CDL road tests at its driver license stations, scheduled by phone at (601) 487-7028, and publishes a list of certified third-party testers (the June 15, 2022 list names community colleges, truck driving schools and companies). To book a DPS road test you need a valid Mississippi license and a Mississippi CDL learner's permit for the class being tested. On test day bring the permit and the application filed for it, a valid medical card, a person licensed in the same class or higher, a vehicle that fits the class and can pass inspection, proof of insurance and registration, and the license fee. Cancel or reschedule with the station at least 48 hours ahead.
- Scheduling
- DPS takes CDL road test appointments by phone only, at (601) 487-7028; the page links no online scheduler for CDL road tests.
- Before you apply
- To apply, bring a completed and signed application, an original birth certificate or other acceptable document, a Social Security card or official correspondence showing all nine digits, two proofs of residency, legal documents for any name change, and a medical card (valid up to two years). The applicant then passes the CDL learner's permit written exam and the road skills test.
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 Mississippi'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.
The Driver Service Bureau restates the federal rule: since February 7, 2022, first-time Class A or B applicants, Class B to A upgrades, first-time P or S endorsement applicants and first-time hazmat applicants must finish Entry-Level Driver Training with a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry before testing. DPS lets an applicant book the road test before finishing ELDT, but cancels the test if the training is not done by test day.
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: Mississippi Commercial Driver's License Manual (AAMVA, version September 9, 2022, with supplement). 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 Mississippi.
If you searched for Mississippi 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 Mississippi startup sequence