By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026
Quick answers for Rhode Island 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
- 10
- 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 Rhode Island Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (CDL Office).
Booking points to dmv.ri.gov/licenses-permits-ids/real-id/make-reservation.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Rhode Island CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Rhode Island Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles (CDL Office) 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.
- New commercial learner's permit (CLP)
- $73.50 (One year, not renewable)$73.50 on the DMV Commercial Fees page, which states that every listed fee includes a $3.50 technology surcharge. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.3-20(8) sets the statutory permit fee at $60 and § 31-10.3-20(6) charges $10 for each written examination. A CLP expires one year from issue (§ 31-10.3-23) and cannot be renewed; after it expires every knowledge exam must be retaken and the fees paid again. A CLP update or duplicate is $23.50.
- First commercial driver license
- The DMV Commercial Fees page lists no line for issuing a first CDL after the skills test. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.3-20(1) sets the statutory fee for every commercial operator's first license at $30, and the DMV's published counter prices add a $3.50 technology surcharge, so confirm the amount with the CDL Office before the visit. Under § 31-10.3-23 a first commercial license expires on the licensee's birthday in the second year after issue; later licenses run to the birthday in the fifth year.Term: Expires on the licensee's birthday in the second year after first issuance
- Commercial driver license renewal
- $103.50 (5 years)$103.50 for a five-year renewal on the DMV Commercial Fees page, including the $3.50 technology surcharge; drivers 70 and older renew for two years at $49.50. A CDL can be renewed only within 45 days before it expires (§ 31-10.3-24 and the DMV fee page), with a completed application. Online renewal is offered through ri.gov. § 31-10.3-20(2) sets the statutory commercial renewal fee at $50; the DMV page does not itemize the rest of the $103.50.
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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Rhode Island's DMV publishes CDL counter prices that already include a $3.50 technology surcharge, while R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.3-20 sets the underlying statutory fees: $60 for the learner permit, $30 for a first license, $50 for a renewal, $10 per written exam, $10 per change of endorsement, classification or restriction, and $100 for the DMV to administer the skills test. A credit card payment adds a third-party service fee of at least $1.55, or 2.40 percent on transactions of $65 and over.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
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 Division of Motor Vehicles gives every CDL test. Knowledge exams are at the Cranston DMV by appointment. All CDL skills tests are given by the DMV at its CDL test range at Quonset, 400 Romano Vineyard Way, North Kingstown, by appointment only, in the order § 31-10.3-19 sets: pre-trip vehicle inspection (including the in-cab air brake test), the vehicle control skills test, then the on-road test; failing one segment ends the test, but passed segments stay valid until the CLP expires. The applicant must have held the CLP at least 14 days, have completed entry-level driver training, bring hard copies of the CLP and license, a valid medical card and a sponsor holding a CDL of the same or higher class, and arrive in an empty vehicle with valid registration, an active inspection sticker and proof of insurance. After passing, the applicant returns to the Cranston DMV to be issued the CDL. § 31-10.3-19(c) allows the department to adopt third-party skills testing rules, but the DMV pages read name no third-party tester.
- Scheduling
- Skills tests are booked online only, as a Full Test (vehicle inspection, control skills and road test), a Modified Test (control skills and road test) or a Road Test alone, one appointment at a time; booking the wrong test type means no test. Cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours ahead online or through the CDL Test Site at 401-667-2882 (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays), or pay the skills test fee again. dmv.ri.gov/licenses-permits-ids/real-id/make-reservation
- Before you apply
- Rhode Island's eligibility rules for a CDL or CLP, as the DMV states them under 280-RICR-30-05-1: at least 18 for an intrastate-only CDL and 21 for interstate driving; a licensed driver for at least two years before applying, not counting suspensions; no three or more moving violations within a 12-month period in the last two years; no suspension for a moving violation and no reckless driving or eluding conviction in the last three years; and no drug or alcohol conviction in the last five years. A DOT medical examination must be passed before the CLP issues, along with a birth document and proof of Rhode Island residence.
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 Rhode Island'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.
Rhode Island applies the federal entry-level driver training rule to drivers as written: training with a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry comes before the CDL skills test, or before the knowledge test for a hazardous materials endorsement, for a first Class A or B CDL, a Class B to Class A upgrade, or a first S, P or H endorsement, and the DMV checks the registry before testing. The state adds its own layer for trainers. Providers must also file a Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner exemption request and a DMV affidavit, renewed every year, and since June 13, 2025 every CDL training program must teach recognizing, preventing and reporting human trafficking (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10.3-13.1).
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: Rhode Island Commercial Driver License Manual (Modernized Version). 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 Rhode Island.
If you searched for Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island startup sequence