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How to get a CDL in Kentucky through the Division of Driver Licensing, including fees and training options.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing, issues CDLs in three classes. Class A covers combination vehicles over 26,001 lbs towing over 10,000 lbs. Class B covers single vehicles over 26,001 lbs. Class C covers hazmat or passenger vehicles. Applicants must be 18 for intrastate or 21 for interstate. Kentucky requires a valid Kentucky driver license, Social Security card, proof of Kentucky residency, and US citizenship/legal presence. ELDT requirements apply. Kentucky has approximately 30 FMCSA-registered ELDT providers, with training concentrated in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, and Northern Kentucky areas.
The Kentucky CDL costs $48 for a 4-year license. The CLP costs $30 and is valid for 180 days. Knowledge tests are $5 per attempt at circuit clerk offices throughout the state. Skills tests are $60 at state-administered sites or $200-$350 at third-party testers. Kentucky uses both state examiners and authorized third-party CDL testers. Knowledge tests are available in English and Spanish. The state allows three skills test attempts before a waiting period. Skills testing sites include multiple locations across the state. Wait times for state-administered tests vary by location — the Louisville and Lexington areas have the highest demand.
Kentucky offers diverse CDL training. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Big Sandy Community and Technical College, and Jefferson Community and Technical College (Louisville) offer programs at $2,000-$4,500. Private schools charge $3,500-$7,000. Kentucky's KCTCS (Community and Technical College System) has 16 campuses offering CDL training statewide. The Kentucky Career Center provides WIOA training assistance. Endorsements follow federal standards. The most in-demand in Kentucky are H (Hazmat, for chemical/coal transport), N (Tank, for bourbon distillery and fuel operations), and T (Double/Triple, for UPS's massive Worldport hub in Louisville). UPS employs thousands of CDL drivers at its Louisville air hub.