By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026
Quick answers for Georgia 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
- 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 Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).
Booking points to dds.georgia.gov/testing-and-training/road-test.
State-specific ELDT notes are cited below.
Federal definitions, rendered below with the fee and test facts.
What a Georgia CDL costs
These are the license-side fees Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) 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 (Class AP, BP)
- $10 (365 days for a permit issued on or after July 1, 2021)The permit fee is due before the knowledge test begins, is not refunded after a failed test, and has to be paid again before every testing attempt. A driver holds the commercial instructional permit for 14 days before applying for the full CDL.
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
Other published fee lines
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Georgia splits the price of a first CDL across three lines instead of one: the application fee, the road skills test fee, and the license fee. Add the learner permit fee, charged again before every knowledge testing attempt, and the sticker price on the fee table understates what a first-time applicant actually pays.
Which class of CDL the work needs
The class is set by what you drive, and the definitions are federal: Georgia 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 Georgia
States split between running CDL skills tests themselves and certifying third-party testers; it changes where you book and who you pay.
- Testing model
- DDS examiners give CDL road skills tests by appointment at the department's own testing sites, and DDS also licenses CDL training programs to test their own students through the CDL Third Party Testing Program. A school qualifies only after holding DDS certification for at least two years with no compliance violation, posting a surety bond for each location, running a paved testing range, and having its examiners pass DDS instructor training. Accredited board of education programs and state, county, or municipal colleges qualify on the same program.
- Scheduling
- Road skills tests are appointment only, booked through DDS Online Services. Bring paper copies of the vehicle registration, the insurance card, and the medical certificate, and expect a DDS safety inspection of the test vehicle before the test begins. DDS publishes its state testing sites and the independent third-party sites on one list. dds.georgia.gov/testing-and-training/road-test
- Before you apply
- A Georgia CDL applicant is at least 18, holds a valid Georgia driver's license, obtains a Class AP or BP instructional permit and holds it at least 14 days, completes entry-level driver training, and passes the written knowledge exams before the road skills test. CDL written exams have to start at least 45 minutes before the customer service center closes.
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 Georgia'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.
DDS restates the federal entry-level driver training rule and publishes no Georgia addition on top of it. Since February 7, 2022, a driver applying for a first Class A or Class B CDL, upgrading an existing CDL to a higher class, or adding a school bus, passenger, or hazmat endorsement for the first time completes the training with a provider listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before taking the skills test or the hazmat knowledge 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: Commercial Driver's Manual (Georgia CDL study guide). 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 Georgia.
If you searched for Georgia 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 Georgia startup sequence