How to Get Your CDL (and Actually Understand It)

May 12, 2025•8 min read

🧠 1. What Even Is a CDL? (And Why You Probably Want One)

Let’s get one thing straight: a CDL isn’t just a license—it’s your golden ticket to haul America’s weirdest cargo, survive off gas station burritos, and eventually judge every four-wheeler like they’re out to ruin your day. A CDL, or Commercial Driver’s License, is required if you plan on:

Driving a vehicle over 26,001 lbs
Hauling passengers (like a tour bus of screaming kids)
Transporting hazmat (explosives, fuel, or government secrets)
Towing trailers heavier than most people’s homes

There are three classes of CDL, and picking the right one is your first boss battle.

📦 2. The CDL Classes (A, B, C... and WTH)

Let’s break it down like you’re standing in the DMV parking lot with a Red Bull and regret:

🚛 Class A – “The Big Dog”

Required for combo vehicles with a trailer over 10,000 lbs.

Think semis, tractor-trailers, tankers, flatbeds
Bonus: Covers you for everything in Class B and C too
Why you’d want this: You want to make real money, travel far, and flex at truck stops

🚌 Class B – “The City Bruiser”

Straight trucks, buses, dump trucks
One big unit, no trailers
Why you’d want this: Tour buses, school buses, garbage trucks—local legend status

🚐 Class C – “The Oddball”

Smaller hazmat or passenger vehicles
Think: vans, shuttles, mystery barrels
Why you’d want this: For niche gigs or strange job offers

🎯 Pro Tip: Not sure what to get? Just go Class A. It’s CDL hard mode with all the perks.

📚 3. How to Study Without Crying

Time to get that brain in gear. Studying for the CDL isn’t impossible—but it ain’t your 6th grade spelling bee either.

🔑 Core Study Tips:

Download the CDL manual from YOUR state
Break it into chunks
Highlight, take notes, or yell into the void—whatever works

📱 Must-Have Study Apps:

CDL Prep App – Free & simple
DMV Genie – Premium stress simulator
High Road Training – Tracks your weak spots like a digital CDL coach

🚧 Endorsement Hack: Those apps also cover Hazmat, Passenger, Tanker, and Doubles. Get in there.

🤯 Bonus Memory Tricks:

Make flashcards (wrong answers too)
Use mnemonics like ABC = Air Brake Chamber
G.O.A.L. = Get Out And Look

📌 Endorsements Deep Dive

Want to make yourself more valuable (and hireable)? These add-ons unlock more jobs and more $$$:

🧨 H Endorsement – Hazmat

Haul explosives, fuel, etc.
Requires fingerprinting, TSA check
High risk = higher pay
Must renew every few years

🚛 N Endorsement – Tankers

Required for any liquid loads
Think: milk, fuel, bleach, mystery goop
Adds sloshy chaos to your life

❌ X Endorsement – Hazmat + Tanker

Both of the above. Boom + slosh = big bucks
Combo written test

🚌 P Endorsement – Passenger

Needed for vehicles carrying 16+ humans
Extra skills test
Used for buses, shuttles, airport runs

🚸 S Endorsement – School Bus

Special rules for transporting children
Background checks
Extra responsibility and training

📦 T Endorsement – Doubles/Triples

Needed to haul two or three trailers
No extra skills test—just written

🎯 Pro Tip: Knock out the written tests for endorsements when you take your permit. Saves you from more DMV pain later.

🎓 4. CDL School Showdown: Which Path Has the Least Regret?

You’ve decided to get trained. Now comes the question that’s ruined more credit scores than Vegas:

💼 Company-Sponsored Training

AKA: “They Train You, They Own You (Kinda)”

Here’s how it works:

Company fronts the cost
You sign a contract (8–24 months)
They deduct $50–$100/week from your check
Leave early? You might owe thousands

🎯 Fun twist: That $6,000 training “value”? They probably paid $3,200.

👀 Pro Tip: Ask for the contract in writing BEFORE you commit.

🧾 Private Schools

$3,000–$8,000
You pay, you pick your job
No contract, just freedom

🏫 Community College

Affordable ($1.5k–$4k)
Financial aid possible
Slower pace, but solid training

💸 Grants / WIOA

FREE if you qualify
Check with unemployment office or career centers
May include school costs, books, and testing fees

🚫 Craigslist Parking Lot Schools

If the “school” has one truck and accepts cash only... RUN

📝 5. Taking the Written Exam Like a Legend

Avoid the panic. Embrace the prep. Know what the hell a gladhand is.

The CDL written test is the first boss battle—and it’s got more sections than a truck stop buffet. Here's what to expect:

📑 What You'll Be Tested On:

General Knowledge
Air Brakes
Endorsements: Hazmat, Tanker, Doubles/Triples, Passenger, etc.

Each section is multiple choice, 20–50 questions depending on your state. Score 80% or higher to pass. So no, randomly guessing “C” won’t cut it.

🧠 How to Actually Pass:

Use your state’s CDL manual
Practice daily on apps until you’re hitting 90%+
Learn stuff like tire tread depth and brake PSI like your life depends on it (it kind of does)

📱 App Game Strong:

CDL Prep
DMV Genie
High Road CDL Training
YouTube instructors who break it down like a comedy roast with facts

🔥 Andrew’s Rant: If you don’t understand air brakes, don’t fake it. Watch a dang video. This ain’t a guessing game at 70 MPH.

🧰 6. The Pre-Trip Inspection

"Name every bolt on Earth in the right order while a stranger silently judges you."

You’ll walk around the truck pointing at parts and talking about them like you’re narrating a truck documentary.

🛠️ What You’ll Inspect:

Suspension
Brakes
Lights, reflectors, tires
Coupling system (fifth wheel, kingpin)
Inside the cab (gauges, wipers, heater, safety gear)

🎭 Pro Tips:

Say it OUT LOUD
Use the DMV’s magic phrases: “Secure, not cracked, bent, or broken”
Visualize the truck every night before bed
Record yourself. Practice like you’re summoning a CDL demon

🎯 Pro Trick: “That’s the drive shaft” won’t cut it. Say:

“Drive shaft is properly mounted, not bent, cracked, or broken, and has no foreign objects.”

🌀 7. Skills Test Madness

AKA: Parallel Parking for Giant Machines While Someone Watches

Welcome to the cone graveyard. Here’s what you’ll be judged on:

🧪 Maneuvers:

Straight Line Backing
Offset Backing
Alley Dock
Parallel Parking
Pull-Ups (limited!)
Cone Hits (automatic regret)

🎯 Pro Tip: Use G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Look). It’s legal. It’s smart. Use it before you clip a cone and your ego.

💡 Strategy:

Practice with trash cans if you don’t have access to a yard
Learn mirror reference points
Don’t oversteer—it’s a test, not Fast & Furious: CDL Edition

🚦 8. The Road Test

"Drive like your grandma is in the back seat... with a clipboard."

You’ll take the truck into live traffic with an examiner watching your every move.

🛣️ What They’re Watching:

Mirror checks
Lane usage
Railroad crossings (window down, look both ways, narrate it)
Gear shifting (especially in manuals)
Full 3-second stops
No coasting in neutral

😬 Don’t Say “I’m experienced.” That’s an auto-jinx.

🎙️ Railroad Crossing Script:

“I’m slowing, window down, listening, looking left/right—clear—crossing now.”

⚖️ 9. Rule Changes You Should NOT Ignore (2024–2025 Edition)

The DMV Strikes Back

🚨 ELDT: Entry-Level Driver Training

Required before you test. Must complete it at a certified provider.
No ELDT = No test.

⚙️ Automatic Restriction

Test in an automatic? You get an “E Restriction” on your CDL. That means:
You can’t legally drive a manual truck.
Train in a manual if you want more job options.

🧾 Hazmat Crackdown

TSA Background check
Fingerprints
May take 60–90 days to process

📅 DMV Scheduling

No more walk-ins in most states.
Schedule months in advance—especially for the skills test.

🔌 10. CDL Tech Corner

Your digital cheat codes to pass faster, smarter.

📱 Best Apps:

CDL Prep App
DMV Genie
High Road Training

📺 Best YouTube Content:

Pre-trip walkthroughs
Skills test demos
Real exam ride-alongs

🧠 Other Tools:

Quizlet/Anki flashcards
VR Simulators (some schools offer them)
Discord CDL Study Groups for real-time help + memes

😵‍💫 11. Top 10 Reasons People Fail Their CDL Test

Learn from their pain so you don’t join them.

Hitting cones like it’s dodgeball
Rolling stop signs
Not checking mirrors
Grinding gears
Freezing on pre-trip
Not narrating actions (especially RR crossings)
Speeding or coasting
Testing in an automatic and getting restricted
Saying “I got this” then stalling
Skipping the DMV appointment and showing up like it’s 1995

🎯 Tattoo this list on your steering wheel if needed.

💸 12. How Much It All Costs (And How to Not Go Broke)

ItemCost RangeCDL School (Private)$3,000 – $8,000Company-Sponsored“Free” (but deducted)Community College$1,500 – $4,000DOT Physical + Med Card$75 – $150CDL Permit & Skills Test$100 – $450 totalHazmat Background Check$86.50Fingerprinting$20 – $40License Fee$50 – $100

💡 Pro Hack: Apply for WIOA or Veteran grants—they can cover 100% of your training.

🎙️ 13. Voices from the Road

Saul the Safety Guy:
“I passed my skills test with a bus that had no AC and a raccoon under the dash. If I can do it, so can you. Just don’t hit the cones—they remember.”