How to Add a Passenger Endorsement to Your CDL License

To add a passenger endorsement to your CDL, you complete FMCSA-registered entry-level driver training, pass a written knowledge test to obtain a commercial learner’s permit, hold that permit for at least 14 days, and then pass a three-part skills test in a passenger vehicle. Plan on a few weeks minimum. The vehicle you bring to the skills test will permanently shape what your license lets you drive afterward, so choose it before you start.

Before You Begin

You need a valid CDL in hand. Federal age rules apply to the underlying license: 21 to drive commercially across state lines, and generally 18 for intrastate driving.¹

You also need a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) from a provider on the FMCSA’s National Registry, and it must stay on file with your state’s licensing agency for as long as you hold the CDL. If the certificate lapses, your commercial driving privileges can be suspended even if your CDL card hasn’t expired.

Certain convictions block CDL endorsements. A first DUI, leaving the scene, or using a vehicle to commit a felony triggers a one-year disqualification (three years if hauling hazmat); a second major offense means a lifetime disqualification; and using a vehicle in connection with drug or human trafficking is a permanent lifetime ban with no reinstatement.²

Step 1: Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 7, 2022, anyone applying for a passenger endorsement for the first time must complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) through a provider on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry. Your state verifies your training record in that federal registry before letting you sit for the skills test, so this step cannot be skipped.³

The passenger curriculum has two pieces. Theory covers post-crash procedures, emergency management (fires, security breaches, evacuations, medical emergencies), the physical characteristics of buses and motor coaches, pre-trip and post-trip inspection techniques, and proper fueling. Behind-the-wheel training puts those concepts into practice with an instructor.⁴

Several online providers offer the theory portion for under $100, often finishable in a few hours. Behind-the-wheel costs vary widely by provider and location. Search tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov for registered providers near you.

Step 2: Pass the Knowledge Test and Get Your CLP

The written test for the P endorsement covers loading and unloading passengers, emergency exits and push-out windows, handling fires and unruly passengers, railroad crossings and drawbridges, braking, and general operating practices.⁵ If your intended test vehicle has air brakes, you’ll also answer air brake questions on the knowledge test.

Your state’s official CDL manual is the best study resource. It mirrors what the test asks, and many states publish free practice tests online.

You take the test at your state’s DMV or licensing agency. Bring your current CDL, proof of identity and residency, and your Medical Examiner’s Certificate. Passing earns you a Commercial Learner’s Permit with the passenger endorsement noted on it.⁶ Fees run roughly $10 to $100, sometimes bundled with the knowledge test fee and sometimes separate.

Step 3: Wait 14 Days and Practice

Federal law requires you to hold the CLP for at least 14 days before taking the skills test. Use the time to practice. While holding the CLP, you can drive a passenger vehicle but cannot carry actual passengers. The only people permitted on board are federal or state auditors and inspectors, test examiners, other trainees, and your supervising CDL holder. That supervisor must hold a valid CDL with a passenger endorsement and must sit directly behind you or in the first row behind the driver’s seat at all times.⁶

Step 4: Pass the Skills Test

The passenger endorsement requires both a knowledge test and a skills test under federal law.⁷ The skills test has three parts, taken in order:

Vehicle inspection. You walk around the vehicle and identify and explain each inspection point, including emergency exits, passenger seating, accessibility lifts, and any bus-specific equipment.
Basic vehicle control. You perform backing exercises in a controlled area, typically straight-line backing, offset backing, and similar maneuvers.
Road test. You drive in actual traffic while the examiner evaluates lane changes, turns, merging, railroad crossing procedures, and passenger-specific skills like smooth acceleration and braking.

Skills test fees range from $0 to $200 depending on the state. Third-party testing facilities often cost more but tend to have shorter scheduling waits. If you fail a portion, most states let you retake it after a short waiting period and an additional fee. Retake rules vary by state.

Pick Your Test Vehicle Carefully

The vehicle you use for the skills test permanently affects what your CDL lets you drive. Three restrictions in particular follow from that choice.

Automatic Transmission Restriction

Test in an automatic and your CDL will carry a restriction (commonly coded “E”) barring you from operating any commercial vehicle with a manual transmission. Many modern transit buses are automatics, but plenty of charter and coach operations still run manuals. If manual work is a possibility, test in a manual.

Vehicle Class Restriction

The passenger endorsement is class-specific. Test in a Class B passenger vehicle and your endorsement won’t cover Class A passenger vehicles (those involving a towing combination). Test in a Class C and you’ll be restricted from both Class A and Class B buses. Test in the largest class you expect to drive, or you’ll need to retest to move up.

Air Brake Restriction

If your test vehicle lacks air brakes, or if you fail the air brake portion of the knowledge test, your CDL will carry a restriction barring you from any commercial vehicle equipped with air brakes.⁶ Most full-size buses use air brakes, so this restriction closes off most passenger-vehicle jobs. Test in an air brake vehicle unless you’re certain your work will only involve smaller ones.

After You Pass

Your state’s licensing agency updates your CDL record once you pass. You’ll usually get a temporary document or on-the-spot confirmation, with the permanent card arriving by mail. Check the card when it arrives: the “P” endorsement should be listed, and the vehicle class and any restriction codes should match what you expected from your test vehicle.

The passenger endorsement renews with your CDL. Renewal cycles vary by state and generally fall between four and eight years. No separate renewal test is required for the P endorsement itself, but your Medical Examiner’s Certificate must remain valid and on file continuously; if it lapses, your state can downgrade or suspend your commercial driving privileges even though your CDL card shows a future expiration.

What the P Endorsement Does and Does Not Cover

The P endorsement by itself does not authorize you to drive a school bus on a school route. Transporting students between home and school, or to and from school-sponsored events, requires both the “P” endorsement and a separate “S” (school bus) endorsement, which has its own knowledge test, skills test, and ELDT requirement. A P alone is enough to drive an empty school bus, or to use a school bus to transport people to events that aren’t school-sponsored.⁸

The TSA background check and fingerprinting process is not part of adding a P endorsement. That requirement applies to the hazmat (“H”) endorsement. Individual employers may still run their own background checks as a hiring condition.

1
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is the Age Requirement for Operating a CMV in Interstate Commerce?
2
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
3
FMCSA – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ELDT Applicability
4
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 380 – Special Training Requirements
5
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.117 – Requirements for Passenger Endorsement
6
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP)
7
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.93 – Endorsement Testing Requirements
8
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Are Drivers Required to Have Both the P Passenger and S School Bus Endorsement?