Renewing your Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

Michigan's new driver's licenses and IDs with higher security features are now in circulation. Residents will receive the new license or ID design if applying for their first card or when renewing/replacing their current card. There is no additional cost for the new card and all valid features, designations, and endorsements on a current license or ID will transfer to the new one. Michigan's old card design featuring the Mackinac Bridge is valid until expiration and will phase out over the next five years.

To receive your first-time REAL ID-compliant license or ID, an office visit and further documentation are required.

How can I apply for or renew my CDL endorsement(s)?

Online

Renew some endorsements online

By mail

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Self-service station

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Office visit

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What do I need to add a CDL endorsement to my license? (Choose tab)

Beginning February 7, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has established new minimum training standards for individuals applying for:

• Class A or B Commercial Driver License (CDL) for the first time
• An upgrade of an existing CDL (e.g., Class B CDL holder seeking a Class A CDL)
• A Hazardous Materials (H), Passenger (P), or School Bus (S) endorsement on a CDL for the first time

These new minimum training standards are referred to as Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Drivers must complete the required ELDT from a training provider registered with FMCSA before being scheduled for CDL skills or knowledge tests to obtain one of the licenses or endorsements listed previously. Once implemented, the FMCSA Training Provider Registry (TPR) will retain a record of which CDL applicants have completed the new training and certification process outlined in the ELDT regulations. A CLP may be issued prior to ELDT being completed. First-time hazardous applicants including those applying for a Class A, B, or C CDL must complete the hazardous portion of ELDT prior to a written knowledge test being administered at a branch office. Customers who received their Class A or B CLP prior Feb. 7, 2022, are exempt from these regulations until the CLP is expired.

Upon completing EDLT, a record of completion will be added to the Michigan Department of State records system. To locate an ELDT provider, visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website.

To apply for a CDL endorsement, visit a Secretary of State office to provide your:

• Valid, unexpired driver’s license
• Completed and signed Commercial Driver’s License Certification form

Additional documents are required for hazardous materials (hazmat), passenger, and school bus endorsements.

Starting November 18, 2024, the State of Michigan must check the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH) before carrying out any licensing transactions related to commercial driver's licenses (CDL) or commercial learner's permits (CLP). The DACH is an online database managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its main purpose is to provide compliance information on drug and alcohol program violations committed by CDL or CLP holders to law enforcement, state licensing agencies (DMV), and employers in the transportation industry.

If a driver tests positive or refuses to undergo a DOT drug test, the State of Michigan will be required to downgrade their CLP or CDL upon receiving notification of a DACH violation from the FMCSA. Afterwards, the driver must successfully complete the return-to-duty (RTD) process with a substance abuse professional (SAP) who is qualified by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

To be issued a CDL endorsement, you must pass the following at a Secretary of State office:

• Vision test
• Knowledge test about the CDL endorsement for which you are applying

If you are applying for a hazardous materials (hazmat) endorsement, visit a Secretary of State office and provide the following in addition to your valid, unexpired license and CDL Certification form:

• A document proving your legal presence in the United States
• A background check completed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

More information on background check requirements is available on the TSA website.

During your Secretary of State office visit, provide payment for the endorsement using cash, check, money order, or credit or debit card (additional fees apply).

What do I need to renew my CDL? (Choose tab)

To renew your commercial driver’s license online, you will need:

• Your driver’s license or renewal notice
• An updated valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate (also known as a DOT Medical Card) to upload, if you have certified to non-excepted interstate driving
• Payment with credit or debit card (additional fees apply) or e-check/bank account number. Fees: Details in following FAQs.

Note: If you have a hazardous materials (hazmat) endorsement, you can’t renew online.

This transaction isn’t available by mail.

This transaction isn’t available at self-service stations.

To renew your CDL at a Secretary of State office, you will need your:

• Michigan driver’s license
• Completed and signed Commercial Driver's License Certification form

If you self-certify as a non-excepted interstate driver, you must also present a completed and signed Medical Examiner's Certificate (DOT Medical Card).

You will be required to take and pass a vision test to renew your CDL endorsement(s).

If you are renewing a hazardous materials (hazmat [H]) endorsement, visit a Secretary of State office to provide the previously listed documents as well as:

• Proof of legal presence in the United States
• A background record check completed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

You will be required to pass a written knowledge test for the renewal of your H endorsement, in addition to the vision test.

Frequently asked questions (FAQS)

• Citizens band (CB) radio chatter about a “commercial company,” "sale," or flashing lights in response
• A suspicious vehicle parked in an unusual location or often seen dropping off or picking up individuals from other trucks or vehicles
• Signs of physical and emotional trauma, such as extreme submissiveness, fear or distress, nervousness, or injuries such as bruising and branding
• An individual appearing disoriented and confused. Traffickers often deny their victims food, water, and medical care as a means of controlling and dominating them
• The same individual appearing at multiple locations

If something looks suspicious, trust your instincts, and contact local authorities by a call or text (calls may be made anonymously). If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. Never attempt to confront a trafficker or victim.

When reporting a suspected human trafficking situation, describe specifically what you observed, including:

• Who or what you saw (such as physical identifiers or nicknames overheard)
• When you saw it (date and time)
• Where it occurred (where you noticed the suspicious activity and any movement, if applicable)
• Why it's suspicious

More information is available at the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Call (888) 373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree at 233733. The NHT hotline is a non-governmental agency funded by the federal government. It is not a law enforcement or immigration authority.

• T – Double or Triple Trailers – (Triple trailer combinations aren’t permitted in Michigan.)
• P – Passenger – For vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people (including the driver)
• N – Tank Vehicles – For vehicles designed to haul liquids or liquefied gases in bulk in permanently mounted tanks or portable tanks rated at 1,000 gallons or more
• H – Hazardous Materials – To carry hazardous materials in amounts requiring placards
• X – Appears on the license instead of the H and N codes when an applicant receives both the tank and hazardous materials endorsements
• S – School Bus – For commercial motor vehicles used to transport pre-primary, primary, or secondary school students from home to school, school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events

• $18 for a for a new photo license ($33 if you have an enhanced license)
• $5 for each endorsement

All Secretary of State offices can accept payment by cash, credit or debit card (additional fees apply), or money order or check made payable to the State of Michigan.

You will need to pass knowledge exams about any CDL endorsements for which you are applying. To help you prepare the exams, the Michigan Commercial Driver's License Manual is available on our website.

If you are applying for a hazardous materials (hazmat) endorsement, you will need proof of U.S. citizenship (certified birth certificate, U.S. passport, etc.) or proof of your immigration status. Immigration documents must be verified through the federal government’s SAVE application. Verification may take more than one day.

Beginning February 7, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires customers applying for a first-time CDL or upgrading a CDL to complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) through an approved driver education provider. Information about finding a provider can be found on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.

ELDT must be completed before you can take a hazardous materials endorsement knowledge test. For other CDL classes and endorsements, you may take knowledge tests and obtain a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) but you must complete ELDT before scheduling a CDL skills test through a driver testing business.

Proof of completion of ELDT will show up in our system automatically through the federal government’s Commercial Skills Test Information Management System.

There are no minimum training hours for completing entry-level driver training. For more information about specific classes, contact an approved provider listed on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.

1. Your driving privilege is currently suspended, revoked or denied.
   
2. You do not meet the federal standards established by the USA PATRIOT Act or you have a federal disqualification. The disqualifications are listed beginning in 49 C.F.R. 1572.103 and at the TSA website.

Universal Enrollment Services (UES) is responsible for coordinating the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved fingerprint office locations in Michigan. Please visit UES at universalenroll.dhs.gov/ or you may call the UES call center at their toll-free number 855-347-8371 to help you preregister for a background record check, inquire about enrollment statuses, or answer any questions. UES' call center hours of operation are from 8:00am to 10pm Eastern, Monday through Friday.

You should complete a federal background record check application 45-60 days before you need your hazardous materials endorsement. However, you will first be required to complete ALL of the following before the TSA fingerprint collection offices listed at universalenroll.dhs.gov/ can collect your fingerprints:

1. Preregister online at universalenroll.dhs.gov/ or call UES' call center at their toll-free number: 855-347-8371.
   
2. If you do not pay the required fingerprint fee when you pre-register, you will be required to pay the fee at the *in-person enrollment before you will be fingerprinted. You may pay with a credit card or money order, company check, or certified/cashier's check payable to MorphoTrust USA. Enrollment centers accept Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express, and Discover credit cards. Cash and personal checks are NOT accepted.
   
3. Appear in person at a TSA approved fingerprint office to have your fingerprints collected. The fingerprint office will ask you to present acceptable enrollment document(s) listed at: tsa.gov/for-industry/hazmat-endorsement before the technician can take your fingerprints

* Walk-in renewals are also accepted. The customer service agent will confirm that the membership is eligible for renewal, upload identity verification documents, make any necessary updates to the individual’s biographic information, and process payment.