In the state of Mississippi, a person who wants to drive a commercial vehicle is obligated to obtain a commercial driver’s license also known as a CDL license. The state’s Department of Public Safety is in charge of the CDL testing and distributing a driver’s license. Mississippi residents must be at least 17 years old before applying for a CDL license.
Mississippi CDL Manual
The first step is to get a Mississippi CDL manual; this can be obtained online or at a DPS office. After studying the manual, they are required to take and pass a written knowledge test. The test has portions that apply to all commercial drivers and segments that only apply to certain drivers. It will include testing for school and transit buses, air brakes, HAZMAT, and other things. Drivers must read the manual to determine which endorsement test they need to take based on the vehicle they expect to drive. An applicant must be at least 18 years old to drive a school bus. For a hazardous materials endorsement, an applicant has to be 21 or above. A 17 year old applying for a CDL license can only drive intrastate until turning the age of 21.
Medical Examiner’s Certificate
A Medical Examiner’s Certificate must be provided before taking the written knowledge test. This can be obtained from a licensed medical professional who will give a driver a physical and fill out a Medical Examination Report for Commercial Driver’s Fitness. The beginning part of a Mississippi CDL license cost is $25 for the application and a $12 fee for the permit, eventually there will be more costs. The instructional permit will allow drivers to train on commercial vehicles anywhere in the state of Mississippi. They expire in one year and are non-refundable. The DPS office will also give a vision-screening test. Applicants must have 20/40 vision in each eye in order to get CDL license.
License Training Program
The next step is to find a Mississippi CDL license training program. Several schools, employers and other credible training programs exist. Some of these will have no cost and others will have a fee. For example, a person could attend a truck driver training school that will have tuition or some free passenger bus training school. It would also be wise to inquire with a local Mississippi school district about programs for school bus drivers.
Skills Test
After a driver completes a training program, they are required to pass a skills test at a local DPS facility. The following items needed on testing day are a valid regular Mississippi driver’s license, their learner’s permit, an application for the specific CDL they wish to obtain, a current medical card and another driver who holds the same class CDL license or greater to accompany them. They will also need the type of vehicle that they are applying for a license to drive, a social security card and document that proves they are a resident of the state of Mississippi.
Fee
Once the skills test is past, there will be a $41 license fee and applicants under 21 will only have to pay $6 for their CDL license. If endorsements need adding, there a $5 fee for each one. The list of endorsements include a hazardous material (Class H), tank vehicle (Class N), passenger-carrying vehicle (Class P), school bus (Class C) and towing a double or triple trailer (Class T). There are background checks for applicants who want to obtain a HAZMAT endorsement to haul hazardous materials. It will be wise to speak to the DPS to find out what the background restrictions are.