CDL is an abbreviation for Commercial Drivers License. A CDL License is needed to drive certain types of vehicles on our nations highways legally. Most of the vehicle types have been divided up by weight class and the amount of separate vehicles joined together in combination as well as how many passengers a vehicle can transport. You can get a CDL manual at any Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV website that will break it all down for you. It is some real boring information but if you plan on getting a CDL you are going to have to read this manual and will spend hours studing the information contained within it.

If you plan to drive a school bus, a Greyhound bus, or even a shuttle bus you will need to obtain and get a CDL license to operate those vehicles. The type of CDL or class will be different than a person who drivers a big rig or 18 wheeler but it is a CDL none the less. The class and the endorsements that you will need to have on it depends on the type of vehicle that you plan to drive and the materials or passengers that you will be hauling.

A truck driver that drives a tractor trailer with a set of pups (two trailers) full of hazardous materials will need a Class A CDL with a Hazmat Endorsement and a Doubles and Triples Endorsement on his or her commercial drivers license. A truck driver who has a trucking job that never hauls hazmat and does not pull doubles will only need a basic Class A CDL License to perform his job. Having a commercial drivers license with all of the different types of endorsements is like having a meal ticket. Possessing this with a good driving record and work history will keep you employed with a good CDL job even during the worst economy. A CDL is a special permit and it is great thing to have.

Study CDL Test