Virginia Commercial Learner’s Permit and the 14-Day Hold

What the permit allows

The permit page and the application page both say you may drive a commercial vehicle of the class and type on the permit only when a person licensed to drive that same type of vehicle is with you. To get the permit you pass the CDL general knowledge exam and the knowledge exams for the vehicles you want to learn.

The application page lists a CLP fee of $3 and says the permit is valid for one year and cannot be renewed. A standard CDL with no endorsements is $64 and is valid for eight years. Endorsements are an additional $1 per year. After you pass the required testing, DMV mails the CDL or CLP. Pickup is not available, and the Postal Service will not forward it. Confirm the fee chart before you pay, because this page is only repeating the figures published on the application page.

Three pages, three versions of the 14 days

The permit page says that to get a Virginia CDL you must hold the commercial learner’s permit for a minimum of 14 days, or show proof that you previously held a CDL, or show that you completed an approved Virginia CDL driver education course.

The skills-test eligibility page says that, for the type of vehicle, you must have held the permit for a minimum of 14 days, or provide evidence that you previously held a CDL, or complete entry-level driver training, which DMV verifies electronically before testing. That page also requires age 18 for an intrastate CDL or age 21 for an interstate CDL, a valid Virginia driver’s license that is not suspended or revoked, the applicable knowledge exams, the commercial vision screening, a properly registered vehicle, and enough English to converse, understand signs and signals, answer official questions, and make report entries.

The application page says you must hold the permit for at least 14 days and complete entry-level driver training. Its training section repeats both: pass a state-approved entry-level program and hold the permit for at least 14 days. A note says entry-level training, if it applies, comes before the hazmat knowledge exam and before skills testing for a Class A or B CDL.

Which page to use, and the training exceptions

The eligibility page is the list DMV publishes for the skills test you are about to take. The training page adds the order: entry-level training is not required before a commercial learner’s permit, the hazmat theory portion is required before a first hazmat knowledge exam, and theory plus behind-the-wheel training are required before the skills exam for a Class A or B CDL or a passenger or school-bus endorsement.

The training page exempts someone who currently holds or previously held a CDL, unless they are upgrading a class or adding a passenger, school-bus, or hazmat endorsement for the first time after February 7, 2022. A commercial learner’s permit issued before February 7, 2022 is exempt for the class and endorsements on that permit if the CDL is obtained before the permit expires. Troops to Trucks is also exempt. An out-of-state commercial learner’s permit cannot be exchanged for a Virginia one without testing. Time held on it counts toward the 14 days, and the holding period has to be met before the skills exams.