Costs

CDL training cost in California

License fees and school charges are different bills. The fee lines below are copied from the California licensing source opened October 29, 2026. They are not a tuition estimate, and they are not added together into one “total cost.”

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License fees on the official page

CLP fee

The fee page does not list a separate commercial learner permit amount. It lists a commercial Class A or B original application at $100. The CDL page says that application fee is nonrefundable and valid for 12 months.

CDL fee

Commercial Class A or B original is $100. Renewal is $59. Replacement of a lost or stolen commercial license is $44.

Skills-test fee

The fee page lists a commercial driving or skill retest at $46. It does not list a separate fee for the first skills test.

The full licensing notes, including age, entry-level training, and the medical card, are on how to get a CDL in California.

Named program charges

• Shasta College Class A course: $3,500 course fee. Theory completion and other prerequisites come before registration. The course fee excludes required pre-registration fees. The page also publishes a $500 fee for an additional driving-test attempt. Checked 2026-10-26. This is that program’s published charge, not a California average.
• 1 on 1 Truck Academy standard Class A program: $7,500 standard program charges. The page describes 120 hours and says registration is included. The same standard total applies to the 90-hour Class B program. A scheduled DMV drive-test appointment after the first is $645: $600 for the vehicle and instructor and $45 for the DMV fee. A conditional promotional price is advertised separately. Checked 2026-10-29. This is that program’s published charge, not a California average.
• 1 on 1 Truck Academy standard Class B program: $7,500 standard program charges. The page says this 90-hour Class B program uses the same $7,500 standard total as the 120-hour Class A program. Registration is included. A scheduled DMV drive-test appointment after the first is $645: $600 for the vehicle and instructor and $45 for the DMV fee. A conditional promotional price is advertised separately. Checked 2026-10-29. This is that program’s published charge, not a California average.
• Allan Hancock College Community Education, Commercial Truck Driving, Santa Maria and Lompoc, California. The college says this program is tuition-free. Students still pay DMV fees and DOT screening costs. Theory is 14 hours, yard skills are 16 hours, and public-road practice is 20 hours. Seats come from an interest-list lottery, and the college says endorsements are not included. Completing it makes a student eligible to take the Class A or Class B exam; it does not issue the license. Checked 2026-10-28.
• Victor Valley College noncredit Class A courses, Victorville, California. The college says commercial driver training courses are offered at no charge. It lists separate student costs: $100 for DMV permit and skills-test fees (updated September 2026), a $1.25 Clearinghouse query, a DOT physical whose fee the college says varies (instructors provide the amount), and $170 for drug testing (listed as new as of March 1, 2026). The no-charge statement covers the Class A noncredit sequence (CDL 041, 042 and 043). The page says a Class B program is not yet open for registration, so this is not a Class B seat. Checked 2026-10-28.

Sources

• California DMV: commercial driver licenses
• California DMV: licensing fees
• Shasta College: Class A CDL training
• 1 on 1 Truck Academy: fees and payment plan
• 1 on 1 Truck Academy: fees and payment plan
• Allan Hancock College: commercial truck driving
• Victor Valley College: CDL

Questions drivers ask

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