How to Get a Nevada CDL License

There are several steps needed before you can obtain a Nevada commercial driver’s license. There are also a few basic qualifications that you need to meet. Unless you meet the following, it is not worth pursuing a CDL in Nevada.

1. You must be a minimum of 21 years of age. However, you are the ages of 18 to 20 you can get a restricted license that is only good inside the Nevada borders. It addition, this license will not allow you to transport passengers. Hazardous material is also not allowed to be hauled by this age group. The minimum age is 25 for vehicles 70 feet or greater in length.

2. If you have had a license in another state within the last 10 years, your driving record must be good. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will check on this too.

3. You must live in the state of Nevada to get a CDL

4. You must be able to prove your identity. This includes your current driver’s license and proof of your social security number. This latter identification will be from a W2 or 1099 form that you must provide. You must also have your birth certificate.

5. You may need to get a medical exam for certain class vehicles.

Commercial driver’s license for passenger vehicles
This is defined by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles as any vehicle that transports 16 or more people. This number includes the driver, so this would be 15 passengers. This is an important definition to remember for those planning to drive busses. There are further restrictions placed on those driving school buses. An individual will be tested and given a CDL for a particular class of school bus. Most school busses fall into Class C while city busses and tourist busses are larger and are in Class B. Class A is reserved for semi-type trucks over 26,000 pounds.

How to apply for a Commercial driver’s license
Once you are certain that you meet the qualifications, it is only a matter of filling out an application and selecting the class of vehicle you are applying for. You can download this application from the DMV website or simply go to your nearest CDL office and fill one out. After you give them your completed application, you will need to pass a driving skills test with a particular class of vehicle that you are applying a license for. Much of the driving skills tests are contracted out by the Nevada DMV to commercial companies. If you are attempting to get a CDL for a school bus, you will be required to pass a written knowledge test first, then a driving skills test.

The costs associated with a commercial license for semi-trucks
The Nevada cdl license cost for new applicants including all tests is $87. This is the smaller cost associated with getting a commercial license. The bulk of the expense will be enrolling and attending a trucking school. There are several schools throughout Nevada, but most of them are concentrated in the Las Vegas area in the southern part of the state and the Reno area in the northern part of the state. A typical trucking school will take four weeks to complete, and the cost will typically be between $3,000 and $4,000. If this amount of money is too high for you, there are schools run by trucking companies that are looking for drivers, and they will basically provide your schooling costs for free if you agree to drive for their company for a certain amount of time after you get your license.

Getting a license to drive a bus
Nevada cdl license training for a city bus driver or a school bus driver is usually provided by the county or city. All that is needed is to apply for the job and get hired. After this, there are special procedures to learn specialized knowledge needed to drive a bus as well as personal instruction from license drivers. After you receive the training, you must still get your commercial driver’s license in order to start working as a bus driver.