By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Quick answers for Montana 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
- 4
- 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 Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division (Driver Services).
Booking points to mvdmt.gov/cdl.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Montana CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division (Driver Services) 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)
- The MVD CDL manual says a CLP is issued once the applicant passes the vision and written tests and presents a valid medical examiner's certificate, and that it is valid for one year, but it prints no CLP price, and the MVD fee pages could not be read this pass. The CLP must be held at least 14 days before the skills test (testing is allowed on the 15th day).Term: 1 year from the issue date
- Interstate CDL, ages 21 to 71 (any class)
- $41.72 (4 years)The MVD manual's fee table prices an Interstate CDL at 41.72 dollars for ages 21 to 71 and for 75 and older, valid 4 years, or 43.78 dollars with a motorcycle endorsement. Shorter terms at lower fees apply at ages 72, 73 and 74. The rate is set in Mont. Code Ann. 61-5-111(6)(a)(iii)(A) at 10 dollars a year or fraction of a year; the manual's total is the MVD's current charge, and the manual notes fees are subject to change.
- CDL renewal (any class)
- The manual says a renewal fee must be paid and a valid medical examiner's certificate must be on the Montana driving record, and that the hazmat written test is required at renewal. It publishes no separate renewal price, so none is recorded; the fee table above lists the charge by age and license type. Mont. Code Ann. 61-5-111(4)(d) caps a CDL at 8 years, and 61-5-111(3)(d)(v)(B) bars renewing a CDL with a hazmat endorsement by mail or online.Term: Up to 8 years under statute; the manual's fee table shows 4-year terms for ages 21 to 71
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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Montana prices the CDL by the year in statute, at different rates for interstate and intrastate licenses, and the MVD's fee table turns that into a total by age.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Montana 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 Montana
States split between running CDL skills tests themselves and certifying third-party testers; it changes where you book and who you pay.
- Testing model
- MVD driver examiners give the vision and written tests at any driver exam station, and Class A road tests by appointment at selected sites. The driving demonstration runs in three steps in order: a pre-trip inspection, four control skills exercises, and an on-road test; a failed step ends the test and a retest is at least 1 day later, or at least 7 days after a failed road test. The applicant supplies a registered, insured vehicle of the class sought. Under Mont. Code Ann. 61-5-118 the department may also certify third-party testing programs (employers, private driver training schools, postsecondary institutions, and local or tribal government agencies), which must give the same skills test the department does, to applicants who have passed the knowledge test and hold a Montana CLP.
- Scheduling
- Appointments are needed for Class A, B and C driving tests and can be booked only after passing the required written tests; the manual points applicants to mvdmt.gov to schedule online. A failed written or endorsement test can be retaken the next working day the station is open. mvdmt.gov/cdl
- Before you apply
- Proof of identity, authorized presence and Montana residence; a Social Security number that matches SSA records; a medical examiner's certificate sent electronically from the National Registry (MVD no longer accepts paper cards as of June 23, 2025) unless excepted; the vision and written tests for the CLP; at least 14 days on the CLP; ELDT where it applies; then the three-part skills test in a vehicle you supply.
- Intrastate medical waiver
- A driver who cannot meet the federal medical standard but can meet Montana's medical requirements is issued a Montana medical card allowing driving in Montana only, and holds an intrastate license; the manual points to 49 CFR 391.41 and ARM 23.3.506. An intrastate CDL holder cannot haul products moving in interstate commerce, and these applicants file additional medical statements with the application. The minimum age is 18 for an intrastate CDL and 21 for an interstate CDL.
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 Montana'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 manual restates the federal ELDT rule effective November 13, 2023: first-time Class A or B applicants, a Class B to A upgrade, and first-time School Bus, Passenger or Hazardous Materials endorsements must complete Entry-Level Driver Training, and it points applicants to FMCSA's ELDT page. It adds no Montana training requirement.
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: Montana Commercial Driver License Manual (Revised June 2026). 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 Montana.
If you searched for Montana 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 Montana startup sequence