Licensing

CDL age requirement

There is no single age on this page at which every state issues every CDL. Two federal sentences are easy to mix up. One is about the learner’s permit. The other is about who a motor carrier may use as a driver.

State pages that printed an age

Permit holder: 18

49 CFR 383.25(a)(4), opened October 29, 2026, says the commercial learner’s permit holder must be 18 years of age or older. That is a condition for the permit to count as a valid CDL for behind-the-wheel training on public roads. The rest of that section, including the accompanying-driver and 14-day rules, is on the CDL requirements guide. This page does not turn 18 into a national issuance age.

Carrier qualification: 21, except subpart G

49 CFR 391.11(b)(1), opened the same day, says a person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle under that part if the person is at least 21 years old, except as subpart G provides. That is a motor-carrier qualification rule. It is not a sentence that every state issues every CDL at 21. This page does not restate subpart G.

State ages stay on the state pages

A state page is published only after an official licensing page was opened. The age there is the age that source printed. It is not copied onto this page, and a state with no published page is not given an age. Start at how to get a CDL, by state.

Questions drivers ask

Federal CDL requirements · Eligibility check · State licensing pages