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CDL learner’s permit · Michigan

Michigan CDL permit test: fees, testing and the state manual

As of October 26, 2026, the Michigan Department of State fee table lists a standard commercial driver’s license at $25 first-time, $25 to renew and $18 to replace or correct.

A Michigan CLP lets the holder drive under the supervision of a CDL holder licensed for the type of vehicle being driven.

Michigan applicants take the vision test and the CDL endorsement knowledge tests at a Secretary of State office (per michigan.gov, checked on Oct 26, 2026).

Updated Oct 26, 2026Rules checked against michigan.govHow we check
Free CDL practice testCDL pack · $24.95

Michigan CDL permit at a glance

General knowledge questions
50source, Oct 26, 2026
Air brakes questions
25source, Oct 26, 2026
Combination vehicles questions
20source, Oct 26, 2026
Passing score
80%source, Oct 26, 2026
Minimum age, in-state driving
18source, Oct 26, 2026

The official Michigan CDL manual

The Michigan Department of State’s CDL manual page lists the last printed edition as September 2022 and the last web update as Nov. 23, 2022. Open it on michigan.gov source, Oct 26, 2026

Michigan CDL questions people ask

What does a CDL cost in Michigan?

The fee table puts a standard commercial driver’s license at $25 the first time, $25 at renewal and $18 to replace or correct, with $5 for each group designation or endorsement added to a standard CDL.

The application page describes the final visit in its own terms: after the skills test you pay $5 per group endorsement and $9 to correct your standard license, and the CDL arrives by mail. Skills test fees are set by each third-party testing organization, so ask before you book.

Sources: Commercial driver's license (CDL) · ELDT · SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State)

How many questions are on the Michigan CDL knowledge tests?

Group B and Group C applicants take a 50-question test. Group A is listed at 70 questions plus a 20-question combination vehicle test, and the manual explains that the combination test is part of the Group A total. Air brakes adds 25 questions, hazmat 30, and the T, P, S and N endorsements 20 each.

You test in written form at a computer station in a Secretary of State office, one test per category per day, and need 80 percent on each. A failed test can be retaken after a one-day wait.

Sources: Written knowledge tests · SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State) · Testing · Applying for a CDL

What can you do with a Michigan CLP?

You earn the CLP by passing every required knowledge test, and it lets you practice under a CDL holder licensed for the vehicle you are learning. Plan on at least 14 days of practice, and book the skills test at least 2 days before you become eligible.

Some limits come with the permit: a CLP with a tank endorsement carries an X restriction (no cargo in the tank), and one with a passenger or school bus endorsement carries a P restriction (no passengers).

Sources: Applying for a CDL · ELDT · SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State)

Who gives the Michigan CDL skills test?

Approved driver testing businesses, public and private organizations certified by the state, give the skills test. It runs in three segments, in order: a vehicle inspection, basic control off the road and an on-road drive, and you must meet the entry-level driver training rules before scheduling it.

Fail one segment and you keep credit for the ones you passed until the CLP expires; you may also switch testers for the retest. Road skills results stay valid for one year from the test date.

Sources: ELDT · SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State)

Who can apply for a Michigan CDL?

Bring a valid Michigan driver’s license, proof of legal presence and proof of your Social Security number. From 18 to 21 you may drive commercially only inside Michigan; crossing state lines or hauling placarded hazmat requires age 21.

Each applicant certifies one of four types of commercial driving, and non-excepted interstate drivers need a Medical Examiner’s Certificate, which Michigan now accepts only electronically from the National Registry. Since the federal rule change of September 2025, Michigan has stopped issuing and renewing non-domiciled CDLs.

Sources: Applying for a CDL · Applying for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) · SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State)

Federal rules that apply here too

These come from the FMCSA and 49 CFR and are the same in every state. All federal CDL rules

Minimum age for a CLP
18source, Oct 26, 2026
Minimum age to drive interstate
21source, Oct 26, 2026
Days with a CLP before the skills test
14source, Oct 26, 2026
Passing score, each knowledge test
80%source, Oct 26, 2026

Every Michigan CDL rule we checked

One line per rule, each from an official Michigan page with the date we read it.

Fees
The Michigan Department of State fee table lists a standard commercial driver’s license at $25 first-time, $25 to renew and $18 to replace or correct. source, Oct 26, 2026
After passing the skills test, a Michigan applicant returns to a Secretary of State office to pay $5 per group endorsement and $9 to correct a standard license. source, Oct 26, 2026
Where to take the tests
Michigan applicants take the vision test and the CDL endorsement knowledge tests at a Secretary of State office. source, Oct 26, 2026
State CDL manual
The Michigan Department of State’s CDL manual page lists the last printed edition as September 2022 and the last web update as Nov. 23, 2022. source, Oct 26, 2026
CLP rules in the state
A Michigan CLP lets the holder drive under the supervision of a CDL holder licensed for the type of vehicle being driven. source, Oct 26, 2026
Michigan CLP holders practice for at least 14 days before scheduling the on-road skills test, and the appointment must be booked at least 2 days before they become eligible. source, Oct 26, 2026
Knowledge test in the state
Michigan lists 70 questions for the Group A knowledge test, plus a 20-question combination vehicle test, and 50 questions for each Group B and Group C test. source, Oct 26, 2026
The Michigan air brakes knowledge test has 25 questions and the hazardous materials test has 30. source, Oct 26, 2026
Michigan gives every CDL knowledge test in written form at a computer testing station, and each test needs a score of at least 80 percent. source, Oct 26, 2026
A Michigan applicant who fails a CDL knowledge test waits one day before retaking it, and the same one-day wait applies to every later retest. source, Oct 26, 2026
Skills test
Michigan CDL skills test fees and refund policies vary by third-party testing organization, so the Department of State tells applicants to confirm them before testing. source, Oct 26, 2026
Michigan credits each skills test segment already passed, but that credit ends on the date the applicant’s CLP expires. source, Oct 26, 2026
Who can apply
Michigan lets drivers aged 18 to 21 operate a commercial vehicle only within the state and requires age 21 for interstate driving or placarded hazardous materials. source, Oct 26, 2026
A Michigan CDL applicant brings a valid Michigan driver’s license, proof of legal presence and proof of a Social Security number to a Secretary of State office. source, Oct 26, 2026
The Michigan Department of State will not renew, update, replace, duplicate or correct non-domiciled CDLs and has no current plans to issue them again. source, Oct 26, 2026

Practice for the CDL knowledge tests

The knowledge tests follow the same federal standards in Michigan and every other state, so the pack is the same everywhere. Try 30 questions free first.

One-time payment

CDL practice pack

$24.951 year of access · no subscription

  • Every question for the general knowledge, air brakes and combination tests
  • The hazmat, tank, doubles and triples, passenger and school bus endorsement tests
  • Practice tests scored at 80%, one part at a time, for a year

Refunds: Full refund within 7 days of purchase, no questions asked.

OneTryPass is not affiliated with the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State). Michigan's CDL rules are free at michigan.gov.

Michigan CDL FAQ

Where can I get the Michigan CDL manual?

The Department of State posts it online, both as one complete PDF and chapter by chapter. The manual page lists the last printing as September 2022 and the last web update as Nov. 23, 2022, while Section 1 carries 2024 and 2025 headers. Source: official pages "Michigan Commercial Driver License Manual" and "SOS-116: Michigan CDL Manual, Section 1 – Introduction (Michigan Department of State)", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

Do I retake a knowledge test to restore an endorsement I dropped?

Not if you dropped it within the last two years. In that case you can reapply for the endorsement without taking the CDL knowledge exam again. Source: official page "CDL - Commercial driver's license", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

Can military drivers skip the Michigan CDL tests?

Service members trained and employed in the past year to drive the military equivalent of a commercial vehicle can have the knowledge and road tests waived. They apply at any Secretary of State office with the Application for Military Waiver Even Exchange. Source: official page "Applying for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL)", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

Is there a separate CDL practice test for Michigan?

No. Every state builds its CDL knowledge tests for each vehicle group and endorsement from the same FMCSA pre-approved pool of test questions (49 CFR 383.133). One OneTryPass CDL pack covers Michigan and every other state; what changes in Michigan is on this page: fees, where you test and the state manual. Source: official page "49 CFR 383.133, Test methods (eCFR)", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

Is OneTryPass affiliated with the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State)?

No. OneTryPass is an independent practice site. Michigan's CDL rules and manual are free on the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) website, linked on this page.

Where this information comes from

Every Michigan rule on this page comes from the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) or Michigan law, read on the official site. OneTryPass writes each rule in plain English and records the date. A rule that passes its re-check date leaves this page on its own until it is read again.

How often each kind of rule is read again: fees, 90 days; where to take the tests, 120 days; state CDL manual, 180 days; CLP rules in the state, 180 days; knowledge test in the state, 120 days; skills test, 180 days; who can apply, 180 days.

Something wrong on this page? Tell us at [email protected] and include the link to the official page that changed. See how we check.