I Gave Up My CDL, Can I Get It Back?

By Max Anthony •  Updated: 12/21/22 •  5 min read

I Gave Up My CDL, Can I Get It Back?

Live Mechanic Help 24/7
Chat With A Mechanic Online

Connect with a verified mechanic in minutes. No appointments. No high fees. No waiting. Get back on the road and enjoy the ride.

Let’s say you choose to willingly give up or leave your CDL and wish to reapply in a year. Then, before the BMV will grant you a CDL license, you must first get a Commercial Learner’s Permit or CLP, then pass the required tests, and finally provide a current MER and MEC (unless they are on file and yet still valid with the BMV).

What Happens If I Voluntarily Let My CDL Expire?

The Commercial Learner’s Permit must be obtained if you deliberately gave up or surrendered your CDL and want to reapply (CLP).

Additionally, you will need to submit your most recent medical certificate and pass all written and practical CDL tests. You will be required to file the MEC & MER unless you already did so, and they remain valid.

Before receiving a license, you must pass all written knowledge exams and a skills test if your CDL was voluntarily relinquished, disqualified, revoked,  expired, canceled, or invalidated for over than a year.

Some states, however, do not demand that you retake the test in order to upgrade. However, if your CDL expires while you’re driving, you might incur a number of fees, fines, and penalties. Moreover, your license can be taken away. Renew your CDL as soon as possible through the FMCSA Training Provider Registry to prevent that.

Live Mechanic Help 24/7
Chat With A Mechanic Online

Connect with a verified mechanic in minutes. No appointments. No high fees. No waiting. Get back on the road and enjoy the ride.

How Much Will It Cost To Renew My CDL?

What are the costs of getting a CDL renewed in Texas and Florida? The cost of getting your CDL back normally varies by state and the reason your license was suspended.

What is the cost of getting your CDL back? In most areas across the US, such as the southern states of Florida and Texas, it costs around $10 to $100 to restore a CDL following a downgrading.

Yes, the average CDL reinstatement charge in most US states, including Florida, is $60. Your renewal procedure will be hampered by unpaid penalties or taxes. For your CDL to be renewed, you should pay these penalties. However, the total cost of getting a new CDL, which covers the CDL fees and other expenses, is $9,000.

Is It Possible to Online CDL Downgrade?

It is possible to convert your CDL to a standard license online. If you no longer require a Commercial Driver’s License or Commercial Learner Permit, you can convert your CDL to a normal license online once the “Effective Date” on the Downgrade notice has passed. As a result, the documentation for your commercial class license that you now possess is no longer valid.

I Gave Up My CDL, Can I Get It Back?

How Soon After Its Expiration Can You Renew Your CDL License?

Depending on your state, you have up to 60 days to renew your CDL once it expires. You might need to submit a new CDL application if the 60-day window is exceeded. To complete this procedure, you’ll need to get a Commercial Learner’s Permit, pay additional costs, and retake the knowledge, road, or skill exam.

How to Find Out If CDL is Still Valid?

The same rules that apply to personal licenses apply to commercial licenses as well. Your CDL is typically good for five to eight years. On the majority of CDLs, the expiration date is frequently written next to the owner’s birthdate, license number, or issue date. You must go through a medical test every year to keep your license, which decides if you are healthy enough to drive or not.

What are DMV medical cards and exams?

You must provide a medical assessment report to your state’s DMV in order to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and to renew your CDL once it expires (Department of Motor Vehicles). To make sure that each commercial driver is fit and healthy enough to operate a commercial vehicle, each state department of transportation mandates the submission of a medical examination report. Heavy and sophisticated machines make up commercial vehicles. Only reasonably healthy people are able to use them securely.

What Makes You Ineligible to Obtain A CDL in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina?

The four sorts of exclusions include exclusion for major offenses, exclusion for significant traffic offenses, exclusion for railroad-highway graded crossing violations, and exclusion for violating out-of-service orders.

Common offenses that prevent you from getting a CDL include driving while intoxicated or while under the influence of a controlled drug, refusing to submit to an alcohol test, leaving the scene of an accident, operating a CMV against the law, and negligent driving that results in death.

Additional reasons for disqualification include excessive speeding, reckless driving, erratic lane changes, cruising too closely behind another automobile, and texting while driving.

Can I Lease A Truck to Take the CDL Test?

Renting a vehicle for the CDL exam is simple for anyone preparing for their license. In the USA, there are several businesses that provide vehicles and trailers for the CDL exam. In Pulaski, Pennsylvania, TTS (Truck Testing Services) is a prime illustration.

Both Class A or Class B tests may be conducted using the company’s trailers and vehicles. The cars have complete air brakes when necessary and a manual gearbox. You may drive dump trucks, box trucks, major city or tourist buses, school buses, and big city buses with a Class B CDL.

Is It Possible to Update My CDL Online?

According to the state. Some states, including Florida and Texas, do not allow online CDL renewals. To update your CDL license, go to the closest DMV station in your state. You may update your CDL license online in additional states including Massachusetts and California. All you have to do is go to the DMV website for your state.

Is It Possible to Acquire A CDL If You Have A Felony?

Most of the time you can, particularly if the crime wasn’t violent. Although having a criminal record won’t stop you from earning a CDL to drive trucks, it’ll probably make it very hard for you to get work. However, there are still companies out there that will work with ex-offenders like you to obtain trucking jobs.

(Visited 154 times, 1 visits today)

Max Anthony

Max is a gizmo-savvy guy, who has a tendency to get pulled into the nitty gritty details of technology and cars. He attended UT Austin, where he studied Information Science. He’s married and has three kids, one dog and a GMC truck and a Porsche 911. With a large family, he still finds time to share tips and tricks on cars, trucks and more.

Keep Reading