In Nevada, everything you need to do to get your CDL will be done with the Department of Motor Vehicles at a CDL office, with the exception of your Medical Examiner’s Certificate. You must be at least 21 years of age to be issued a CDL to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce and to receive endorsements for passengers or hazardous materials, and must be at least 25 to receive an endorsement for vehicle combinations over 70 feet in length. CDLs issued to applicants age 18 to 20 will contain Restriction R (no passengers or hazmat) and Restriction 2 (intrastate commerce only).
You must be a Nevada resident and provide a Nevada street address to obtain a driver license, and may not hold licenses or ID cards from multiple states. Active duty military members, their spouses, dependents and others living temporarily in Nevada are not required to transfer their license and registration. Licenses are not issued to visitors. Foreign nationals may or may not be eligible for a license or a driver authorization card depending on their specific immigration status. You can contact the Nevada DMV to find out more information about how your personal circumstances are related to residency requirements.
To begin the commercial licensing process, you must present proof of identity, Social Security Number and proof of Nevada residency if you have never had commercial driving privileges in Nevada, or if you are upgrading your existing CDL to a Real ID (beginning October 1, 2020, this will be required nationwide to be able to enter a federal building or board a plane). You must also list all states where you have held any commercial or non-commercial driver’s license in the past ten years. Your driving history in each state will be checked. All applicants must complete an Application for Commercial Driving Privileges (Commercial Learner’s Permit). This is where you will select your intended CDL classification, endorsements, veteran status, and personal information.
See complete details regarding residency requirements
A Commercial Learner’s Permit is necessary not only for new drivers who do not yet have a CDL, but also if you are upgrading an existing CDL to a higher class, adding an endorsement or removing a restriction that requires a skills test, and the upgrade requires a skills test; as well as in the event that your CDL privileges have been invalid for more than 4 years.
You will need to pass all applicable tests including a vision test, written tests, and skills tests including pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic controls skills, engine start and in-cab inspection, and a road test. The CLP must be held for at least 14 days prior to taking CDL testing and is valid for 180 days. If it has been expired for more than 30 days, all tests must be re-taken. CLPs will have a class and may have endorsements and restrictions.
CDL Classes available:
CDL Endorsements available:
Note that the only endorsements allowed for a Commercial Learner’s Permit are Passenger, School bus, and Tank vehicle.
There are extensive restrictions possible. Some common and applicable CDL restrictions include: L (no air brakes), O (no tractor-trailer), S (no passengers), and K (intrastate only).
See the complete list of restrictions
You must pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) medical examination. Only a licensed medical examiner may conduct your examination.
Certified medical examiners can be found on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry. Medical examiner’s certificates are valid for a maximum of 2 years.
By regulation, Specific Medically Disqualifying Conditions Found Under 49 CFR 391.41 are Hearing Loss, Vision Loss, Epilepsy and Insulin Use. Drivers who require a Diabetes or Vision exemption to safely drive a CMV in addition to those pre-printed on the certification form are disqualified until they receive such an exemption.
Visit the FMCSA’s website for detailed information on medical requirements
All Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders are required (under federal regulation) to inform the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles of the type of commerce they plan to operate within (interstate or intrastate) and whether or not they are required to hold a medical certificate. This notification is called self-certification. It is called self-certification because the driver alone needs to determine the self-certification category he/she falls into based on his/her driving information.
See complete medical self-certification procedures for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
Common CDL costs in Nebraska are:
Testing locations:
CDL testing will be scheduled through your local CDL office. You may only schedule CDL testing if you already hold a Commercial Learner’s Permit, which is obtained by applying with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
In order to obtain a Nevada CDL there are a list of requirements that must be met, and getting your Nevada CDL involves several steps. There are medical requirements and residency requirements, along with knowledge and skills requirements. The basic requirements for getting your cdl in Nevada include:
Below we will list more general requirements, qualifications, disqualifications, and restrictions for getting a CDL in Nevada.
You will need a CDL to operate any of the following vehicles:
Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight of 26,001 pounds or more, with trailer(s) weighing 10,000 pounds or more.
Any single vehicle having a gross weight of 26,001 pounds or more, or any such vehicle towing another weighing 10,000 pounds or less.
Any vehicle or combination of vehicles not meeting the definition of Class A or Class B, designed to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver), or any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded to carry hazardous material:
Many states issue a “Class D” license, which is not part of the FMCSA standards. Some use it to classify regular, passenger car drivers licenses, while some use it to classify specific weights or types of vehicles. This varies from state-to-state.
Each basic knowledge test covers the 20 general areas outlined in 49 CFR 383.111(a). The knowledge test shall contain at least 30 items. A separate test for drivers seeking to operate CMV’s with air brakes in Nevada must cover the 7 areas outlined in 49 CFR 383.111(b).
To pass the knowledge tests (general and endorsement); applicants must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions.
To pass the Nevada CDL skills test, applicants must successfully perform all the required skills (listed in 49 CFR 383.113 through 49 CFR 383.123). The skills test must be taken in a vehicle representative of the type of vehicle that the applicant operates or expects to operate.
Federal standards require the state of Nevada to issue CDLs to certain commercial motor vehicle drivers only after the driver passes the knowledge and skills tests administered by the State. The vehicle you take the CDL test in must also relate to the type of vehicle the driver expects to operate.
Restrictions are placed on a Nevada CDL when a driver takes the Skills Test in a vehicle which lacks critical equipment present in particular types of CMVs. Therefore, to avoid restrictions, drivers should take the Skills Test in the same type of vehicle for which they are seeking a Nevada CDL to operate.
Drivers are required to obtain and hold a CDL in Nevada if they operate in interstate, intrastate, or foreign commerce and drive a vehicle that meets one or more of the classifications of a CMV are also described below.
The state of Nevada has the authority to substitute two years of experience safely operating trucks or buses equivalent to civilian commercial vehicles for the skills test portion of the Nevada commercial driver license (CDL) test. U.S. Military drivers must apply within one year of leaving a military position requiring operation of a commercial vehicle. The latest information (February 2017) indicates that more than 19,000 current and former military have taken advantage of the Skills Test Waiver, making them immediately eligible for employment.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 49 CFR 383.77, requires the applicant to certify to an SDLA:
Here you will find the Application for Military Skills Test Waiver form
All commercial drivers of vehicles in interstate commerce with a maximum gross vehicle weight rating of over 10,000 pounds are required to obtain and maintain a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate (ME Certificate). CDL holders in Nevada must provide their SDLA with a copy of their ME Certificate.
All Nevada CDL holders must declare to their State Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA) that they only operate or expect to operate commercially in 1 of 4 possible categories with their CDL. This process is called self-certification. The four categories are:
A person is physically qualified to drive a CMV if that person: First perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear at not less than five feet with or without the use of a hearing aid or if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels at 500Hz, 1000HZ and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to the American National Standard Z24.5-1951.
You must meet the following vision requirements:
Your urine sample will be tested in a lab for blood, sugar, and protein, which might indicate hidden health problems.
Drivers with physical impairments, which affect their ability to safely operate CMVs, must obtain a “variance” from the state of Nevada in order to be approved to drive commercially. The variance document must be carried with the commercial driver whenever they are operating a commercial motor vehicle. A Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) is a special type of “variance” required for drivers with impaired or missing limbs (e.g., a hand or finger, an arm, foot, or leg). Drivers with missing limbs, if eligible, must obtain an SPE certificate. The commercial driver must always carry the SPE certificate at all times.
The Skill Performance Evaluation program is for CMV drivers who drive in interstate commerce. The SPE certification allows drivers with missing or impaired limbs to drive CMVs across state lines if they have been fitted with (and are wearing) the right prosthetic device, and the driver can demonstrate the ability to drive the truck safely by completing on-and off-road activities. If the driver passes the Nevada commercial vehicle driving test, he or she will receive a SPE certificate. Over the years, FMCSA has granted more than 3,000 SPE certificates to truck drivers who have shown that they can drive safely on the nation’s highways.
Any person who holds a Nevada CDL is considered to have consented to such testing as is required by the state of Nevada or any State or jurisdiction in the enforcement of being under the influence of a controlled substance or using alcohol, be under the influence of alcohol, or have any measured alcohol concentration or detected presence of alcohol, while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle. Consent is implied by driving a commercial motor vehicle.
Although the driver has a legal prescription, he/she may be disqualified if the medication could adversely affect the driver’s ability to drive a CMV safely.
FMCSA regulations specifically exempt only military personnel with comparable safe-driving experience from getting CDL’s. States are authorized to provide exemptions for the rest of the following at their own discretion:
The state of Nevada must exempt individuals who operate vehicles for military purposes from the requirements for CDL drivers. This exemption includes active military, reserves and members of the National Guard. This exception does not apply to U.S. Reserve technicians.
Service members who are or were employed within the past year (12 months) in a military position requiring the operation of a military motor vehicle equivalent to a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) and who want to drive CMV’s in civilian life can apply for a Skills Test Waiver to get their CDL.
See Also: Military Skills Test Waiver
Covering actual farm-to-market operations, not commercial grain haulers. Drivers must be 21 years old, and vehicle must have farm plates. Farm workers are not required to have a CDL to operate vehicles:
Those who operate CMV’s necessary to preserving life or property, or performing emergency governmental functions, have signals that can be seen and heard, and are not subject to normal traffic laws. These include fire trucks, foam or water transport trucks, police SWAT team vehicles, ambulances and any other emergency vehicles.
Drivers operating recreational vehicles (RV’s) for their own non-commercial use can be exempted from CDL requirements.
Many states will have specific CDL exemptions that apply to workers in smaller towns or to state and local government employees in general. You will have to check with your specific state regulations.
The FMCSA regulations specify certain circumstances that will disqualify a driver from legally operating a CMV, temporarily or permanently.
Issues resulting in disqualification apply only to CDL or CLP holders, or those required to have a CLP or CDL in the vehicle they are operating. Tickets, DUI or DWI, and other legal issues that happened before a driver was issued a CDL or CLP, or to non-CDL or CLP holders, who were not required to have one, will affect drivers only as far as company policy, with the exception of getting the Hazmat endorsement.
See Also: TSA Disqualifying Offenses & Factors
In extreme cases, the FMCSA may disqualify drivers deemed to be an “imminent hazard”, and remove them from the road.
See Also: Disqualification of drivers determined to constitute an imminent hazard.
Some circumstances will result in a lifetime disqualification from operating CMV’s, with some being eligible for reinstatement after 10 years. A driver who uses a CMV in the commission of a felony involving manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance is disqualified for life with no possibility of reinstatement.
An out-of-service order stipulates that a CDL or CLP holder not drive a commercial vehicle for a certain period of time, or until such time as they are re-instated to service.
In addition to disqualification, drivers who violate out-of-service orders will be fined a civil penalty of at least $2,500 for the first offense, and $5,000 for any additional offenses.