In North Carolina, commercial driver licenses are required for drivers who operate vehicles that are designed or used to transport passengers or property. In addition to a commercial driver license, a special endorsement is required to haul hazardous materials, transport passengers, drive school buses and school activity buses, pull double trailers or drive tank vehicles. To apply for a CDL in North Carolina, you must be at least 18 years old and 21 for operations in interstate commerce or hazardous material endorsement. Applicants must already possess a valid Class A, B or C driver license and be accompanied in the front seat by a licensed commercial driver license operator of the same class, or higher, including endorsements while the applicant has a CDL permit. More information can be found at the Official North Carolina site. CDL Classes

• Class A - Allows you to operate any combination of vehicles with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) of more than 26,000 pounds, and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is more than 10,000 pounds.
• Class B - Includes single or combination vehicles where the GVWR of the single vehicle is more than 26,000 pounds. The vehicle being pulled must not be more than 10,000 pounds.
• Class C - Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that either is designed to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver, or is used in the transportation of materials found to be hazardous.

CDL Endorsements

• T - Double/Triple Trailers
• P - Passenger Vehicles (requires a skills test)
• N - Tank Vehicles
• H - Hazardous Materials
• X - Tank Vehicle/Hazardous Materials Combination
• S - School Bus (requires a skills test)
CDL Restrictions
• L - If the vehicle used for testing is not equipped with air brakes, the license must show an "L" no air brake equipped CMV restriction.
• Z - If the vehicle used for testing is equipped with air over hydraulic brakes, the license must show a "Z" for no full air brake equipped CMV restriction.
• E - If the vehicle used for testing has an automatic transmission, the license must show an "E" for no manual transmission equipped CMV restriction.

Testing for your North Carolina CDL:

• CDL Knowledge test - The knowledge test consists of 25 questions to test the applicant's knowledge of North Carolina and Federal driving regulations, of which the applicant must answer 20 correctly to reach a passing score of 80%.
• CDL Road Skills Test - After successful completion of the knowledge test, the applicant can then take the road test which consists of three parts: a Pre-Trip Inspection, Basic Vehicle Control, and Road Test. The Pre-Trip inspection includes a full walk-around of the vehicle and it requires the driver to point out vehicle components and explain what is being checked and why to the examiner. The Basic Vehicle Control test includes straight line backing, offset right or left backing and alley dock backing. The road test is conducted on streets and requires the driver to demonstrate his/her skills in normal traffic situations.