How to Upgrade Your Class B to Class A CDL: Steps, Tests, and Costs

To upgrade your Class B to a Class A CDL, you need a new Commercial Learner’s Permit for the Class A vehicle group, federally required Entry-Level Driver Training through an FMCSA-registered provider, and a passing score on the three-part skills test in a Class A combination vehicle. A Class A license lets you drive combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating above 26,001 pounds where the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds, which covers the tractor-trailers a Class B does not.¹ Most drivers finish in a few weeks to a few months, depending on training program length and DMV scheduling.

Confirm You’re Eligible

Your existing Class B CDL is the starting point. Beyond that, federal rules set an age floor: 21 to cross state lines commercially, or 18 to drive commercially within your home state.² If you’re under 21, your upgraded license will carry an interstate restriction until your 21st birthday.

You also need a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate — the DOT medical card — issued by a certified examiner on FMCSA’s National Registry. A certificate is valid for up to two years.³ If yours expires before you finish testing, you’ll need a new exam. Keep your state DMV updated with each new certificate; letting it lapse can trigger a downgrade of your commercial privileges.⁴

Your driving record matters too. Federal law disqualifies you from holding any CDL for certain serious offenses. A first DUI in a commercial vehicle triggers a one-year disqualification; a second is a lifetime ban. The same one-year disqualification applies to leaving the scene of an accident, using a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, or causing a fatality through negligent driving. Offenses in your personal vehicle can count.⁵ Sort out any eligibility questions before you pay for training.

When you apply, you’ll also need to self-certify the type of driving you do. Most Class A upgraders fall into “interstate non-excepted,” which requires the federal DOT medical card.⁴ Pick the wrong category and you can find your privileges restricted at a roadside inspection.

Get a Class A Commercial Learner’s Permit

Even with a Class B CDL, you need a separate CLP for the Class A vehicle group before you can train or test in a combination vehicle on public roads.⁶ The CLP requires passing a written knowledge test at your DMV.

The new material is the Combination Vehicles exam, which covers coupling and uncoupling, combination vehicle air brakes, and the handling characteristics of articulated rigs. Because you already passed General Knowledge and Air Brakes for your Class B, many states won’t require you to retake those. Some do. Ask your DMV.

Once issued, the CLP is valid for up to one year.⁷ You must hold it for at least 14 days before you’re eligible for the skills test.⁶ While driving on the CLP, a licensed Class A CDL holder must ride in the front seat with you at all times.⁸ Don’t let the CLP expire before you test. If it does, you’ll retake the knowledge tests and restart the 14-day clock.

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Federal rules require Entry-Level Driver Training for anyone upgrading a Class B to a Class A CDL, provided the CLP was issued on or after February 7, 2022.⁹ If you obtained your CLP before that date and received your CDL before it expired, ELDT doesn’t apply. Everyone else must complete it before the skills test.

Training has to come from a provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.¹⁰ The provider reports your completion electronically, and that’s how your DMV confirms you’re eligible to test.

The upgrade curriculum has two parts. Theory covers combination-vehicle topics: coupling and uncoupling, shifting a heavier powertrain, backing and docking, skid control and jackknife recovery, and hours-of-service rules. Behind-the-wheel training splits between range exercises (vehicle inspection, straight-line backing, alley dock, offset backing, parallel parking, coupling and uncoupling) and public road driving (lane changes, turns, merging, railroad crossings, highway driving).¹¹ Because you’ve already trained for Class B, the upgrade theory is narrower than a first-time Class A course.

Federal ELDT rules set no minimum number of training hours. The standard is proficiency-based: your instructor must cover every required topic and document that you’ve demonstrated competence in each before signing off.¹¹ Some states add their own hour requirements. In practice, most upgrade programs run 80 to 160 hours of combined classroom and behind-the-wheel time.

Pass the Three-Part Skills Test

The skills test has three sections, taken in order. You must pass each before moving on, and all three before you earn the license.¹² You’ll need to bring a Class A combination vehicle; your school can usually arrange one, or your employer may provide it.

The vehicle inspection is a walk-around with the examiner. You point to or touch each component, name it, and explain what defect you’d be looking for. There are multiple test versions, and you won’t know which one you’ll get until it starts.

Basic vehicle control is a closed-course test of backing precision: straight-line backing, offset backing, and alley docking at a 45- or 90-degree angle. The examiner counts boundary encroachments and pull-ups; too many of either fails the exercise.¹² Backing a 53-foot trailer into a tight space is where most upgraders spend the bulk of their practice time.

The on-road driving portion puts you in live traffic. The examiner directs you through turns, intersections, lane changes, curves, railroad crossings, and highway driving. Points come off for jerky stops, wide turns that swing into adjacent lanes, and missed mirror checks.

Avoid Restrictions That Undercut the Upgrade

The vehicle you test in determines what appears on your license. Two restrictions cause the most trouble.

An E restriction (no manual transmission) is applied if you test in a vehicle with an automatic or automated transmission. Many newer trucks use automated manual transmissions, which count as automatic for testing. Removing the restriction later means retaking the skills test in a vehicle with a true manual gearbox.¹³
An L restriction (no air brakes) is applied if you don’t pass the air brakes knowledge test or you test in a vehicle without air brakes. Since almost every Class A tractor-trailer uses air brakes, this restriction closes off most combination-vehicle jobs.

Test in a manual-transmission combination vehicle with a full air brake system. Starting without restrictions saves a retest, and employers strongly prefer unrestricted licenses.

Add Endorsements While You’re There

A Class A alone covers standard freight. Specialized loads need endorsements, and it’s cheaper to stack them into one DMV trip.

Tanker (N) is required for liquid or gaseous cargo in bulk tanks and involves a written knowledge test.
Doubles/Triples (T) lets you pull two or three trailers behind one tractor. It requires a written knowledge test and is only available with a Class A.
Hazardous Materials (H) requires both a written knowledge test and a TSA security threat assessment with fingerprinting and a background check. The current TSA fee is $85.25 for new applicants, or $41 if you already hold a valid TWIC card in a participating state. TSA recommends starting at least 60 days before you need the endorsement, since processing can exceed 45 days.¹⁴

Combining Tanker and Hazmat gives you the X endorsement, which qualifies you to haul hazardous liquids in tanker trucks. If tanker work interests you at all, adding both during the upgrade saves a second DMV visit.

Military Skills Test Waiver

If you’re a current service member or veteran with at least two years of safe experience operating heavy military vehicles, you may qualify to skip the CDL skills test entirely. FMCSA’s Military Skills Test Waiver Program is offered in every state and has helped more than 40,000 service members move to civilian commercial driving.¹⁵

Timing is the catch: you must apply within one year of leaving a qualifying military driving position. The application requires certification of your safe driving record, confirmation you haven’t had a license suspended or revoked, and an endorsement from your commanding officer.¹⁵ The waiver covers only the driving portion; you still need to pass the knowledge tests and meet every other requirement.

What the Upgrade Costs

Budget for three things. Training tuition is the largest. A full Class A program at a private school typically runs $4,000 to $7,000, but upgrade-specific programs for existing Class B holders are shorter and generally cost less. Get quotes from two or three FMCSA-registered providers before you commit.

State DMV fees for the permit, skills test, and license issuance range from roughly $25 to $300, and some states charge separately for each component. If your state uses third-party skills examiners, their fees typically run $100 to $500 on top of the DMV’s. Some endorsement knowledge tests carry additional fees.

Financial help is available. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds career training for eligible job seekers, and CDL programs frequently qualify. WIOA services run through local American Job Centers, where a case manager can determine your eligibility and potentially cover tuition through an Individual Training Account.¹⁶ Dislocated workers, veterans, and low-income adults tend to receive priority. Funding is limited and approval takes time, so start early.

Some trucking companies offer tuition reimbursement or employer-sponsored training in exchange for a commitment to drive for them, often one to two years. Read the contract closely; early termination usually means repaying some or all of the tuition.

After You Pass

When you clear all three sections, the DMV issues a temporary Class A CDL on the spot. The temporary document lets you legally operate Class A combination vehicles while the permanent card is mailed, which typically takes a few weeks.

Then keep your Medical Examiner’s Certificate current. It expires every two years, and failing to give an updated certificate to your DMV before expiration will trigger a downgrade of your commercial privileges, meaning you can lose the Class A status you just earned.⁴ Set a reminder well ahead of each expiration. A lapsed medical card is one of the most common and most preventable ways drivers lose CDL privileges.

1
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A Driver Operates a Combination Vehicle With a GCWR of 26,001 Pounds or More
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is the Age Requirement for Operating a CMV in Interstate Commerce
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. For How Long Is My Medical Certificate Valid
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
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eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Get a Commercial Driver’s License
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Commercial Learner’s Permit Validity
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eCFR. 49 CFR 383.25 – Commercial Learner’s Permit
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ELDT Applicability
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. ELDT Curricula Summary
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Commercial Driver’s License Manual
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eCFR. 49 CFR Part 383 – Commercial Driver’s License Standards, Requirements and Penalties
14
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
15
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Military Skills Test Waiver Program
16
U.S. Department of Labor. WIOA Workforce Programs