Michigan's CDL process has one unusual feature: your road test is not at the Secretary of State office. If you want to know how to get a CDL in Michigan, the sequence below is the one the Michigan Department of State, through the Secretary of State, lays out. Eight steps, in this order.
How to get a CDL in Michigan: the eight steps
- Meet driver record eligibility requirements.
- Pass the required knowledge tests and the vision test.
- Complete any required Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). For a hazmat endorsement, the hazardous portion must be finished before the knowledge test.
- Receive your commercial learner permit (CLP) after passing the knowledge tests.
- Practice under a CDL holder's supervision for at least 14 days.
- Schedule and pass the on-road skills test with an approved driver testing business, at least 2 days ahead of your eligibility date.
- Visit a Secretary of State office to get a temporary CDL permit, which lets you drive commercially until your photo CDL arrives by mail.
- Return to a Secretary of State office to add your group designation and endorsements to your license.
Where do you apply for a Michigan CDL, and what do you bring?
You must apply in person at a Secretary of State office. Bring your current valid Michigan driver's license, proof of legal presence in the United States and proof of your Social Security number. An expired Permanent Resident Card is not accepted, even with an extension notice. Michigan also checks the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before it issues, renews, transfers or upgrades a CLP or CDL.
Michigan CDL knowledge tests: length and passing score
All tests are taken on a computer at a testing station. You need at least 80 percent on each, and you may take only one test per day in each testing category. After a fail, you wait one day before each retake.
- Group A: 70 questions, plus a 20-question combination vehicle test.
- Group B and Group C: 50 questions each.
- T, P, S and N endorsements: 20 questions each.
- H endorsement: 30 questions.
- Air brakes: 25 questions.
Group A, B or C: which Michigan CDL group do you need?
- Group A: any combination with a GCWR of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed vehicle has a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more. It also lets you drive Group B and C vehicles with the right endorsements.
- Group B: a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or one towing a vehicle of 10,000 pounds or less.
- Group C: vehicles that fit neither A nor B but are designed for 16 or more people including the driver, or that carry placarded hazardous materials.
Michigan ELDT: what you must finish and when
ELDT applies to first-time Class A or B applicants, applicants upgrading a CDL, and first-time applicants for H, P or S endorsements. Training must come from a provider registered with FMCSA, and Michigan sets no minimum number of hours. Completion is recorded automatically through the federal testing system.
Non-hazmat applicants can take knowledge tests and get a CLP before finishing ELDT, but must finish it before scheduling a skills test. Existing CDL holders adding N or T do not need ELDT, but those adding an original H do. Renewing a CDL that already has H does not require it.
The Michigan CDL skills test
A CLP is required before the range or road skills tests, and the skills test is required for Group A, B and C and for the P and S endorsements. Tests are given by approved public or private driver testing businesses, and Michigan does not set their fees. The vehicle must have air brakes. If you fail the air-brake portion or do not bring a properly equipped vehicle, you are restricted from air-brake vehicles.
Skills test results are valid for one year from the test date. If you do not apply for your CDL in that year, you must retake and pass all required tests.
Book the testing business early and confirm the truck they allow. Two days ahead of your eligibility date is the minimum notice, not a goal.
Michigan hazmat and farm questions
The H endorsement requires proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status through the federal SAVE application, which may take more than one day. It also requires a federal background record check: preregister with Universal Enrollment Services, then get fingerprinted at a TSA-approved office. Apply about 45 to 60 days before you need the endorsement.
An F farm endorsement is not a CDL. It is for farmers operating combinations with a towing vehicle of 26,001 pounds GVWR or more, requires a knowledge test but no skills test, and does not cover placarded hazmat. Farmers operating within 150 miles of their farm do not need a CDL.
How old do you have to be to get a CDL in Michigan?
Drivers 18 to 21 can operate a commercial vehicle only within Michigan. You must be 21 to cross state lines or haul placarded hazardous materials.
How long do I need to practice with a CLP in Michigan?
At least 14 days under a CDL holder's supervision before the skills test.
Where do I take the Michigan CDL skills test?
With an approved public or private driver testing business, not at the Secretary of State office.
How long are Michigan CDL skills test results valid?
One year from the test date.
Are triple trailers allowed in Michigan?
No. Triple trailer combinations are not permitted in Michigan.
Steps and rules change, so confirm everything with the Michigan Secretary of State before you start.