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Arkansas · Permit test

The Arkansas CDL test

Start at a DFA Revenue Office, where you buy a CDL-1 form, the test packet. Then you take the Arkansas CDL test's knowledge exams at any Arkansas State Police troop testing site, get your commercial learner's permit, and later take the skills test at one of six troops that give it. You must be 18 for a commercial learner's permit, and you can't take the skills test in your first 14 days with it.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

CDL classes

ClassWhat it covers, per DFA
ACombinations with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, towing a unit over 10,000 pounds
BSingle vehicles of 26,001 pounds or more, or one towing a unit of 10,000 pounds or less
CVehicles that aren't Class A or B but carry 16 or more people including the driver, or certain hazardous materials

The commercial learner's permit

DFA's rules for a CLP:

  • You must be 18 or older
  • You must hold a valid driver's license from the same state that issues the CLP
  • You must pass a general knowledge test that meets federal standards for the vehicle type you plan to drive
  • A CDL holder with the right group and endorsements must ride with you, in the front seat beside you, or directly behind you in a passenger vehicle
  • The CLP lasts up to one year, and after it expires you retake the general and endorsement knowledge tests
  • You can't take the skills test during the first 14 days after the CLP is issued

How do you take the Arkansas CDL test?

ASP's CDL section sets out the order:

  1. Buy a CDL-1 form at a DFA Revenue Office. You'll need a valid Arkansas driver's license and one proof of legal presence.
  2. Book the CDL knowledge exams on ASP's scheduler. Written CDL tests are given at every troop.
  3. At each visit, bring your Arkansas driver's license, a current CDL-1 form and your proof of legal presence.
  4. Once you have your CLP and have waited 14 days, book the Commercial Skills Exam at Troop A (Little Rock), B (Newport), G (Hope), I (Harrison), J (Russellville) or L (Lowell).

For a new or renewed Class A CDL, Act 922 of 2017 requires a human trafficking awareness course, and ASP accepts only the certificates it shows on its one-page notice.

What the skills test needs

ASP says no test will be given if any of these is missing:

  • An appointment
  • Two wheel chocks
  • A legible DOT inspection sticker for the truck and trailer, less than a year old
  • Working safety-critical lights
  • A passing air brake test
  • An empty truck and trailer
  • Your CLP, the CDL-1 form and your driver's license

Since October 1, 2025, ASP says the forward offset tracking exercise is done in one continuous motion, and for reverse offset backing you must be parallel with the outer boundary before the test starts.

Which knowledge tests you take

ASP's Commercial Driver License Manual, version March 2025, lists the knowledge tests. Everyone takes general knowledge. The others depend on what you'll drive:

  • Passenger transport, for all bus drivers
  • Air brakes, if your vehicle has air brakes, including air over hydraulic
  • Combination vehicles
  • Hazardous materials, which also needs a TSA background check
  • Tank vehicles
  • Doubles and triples
  • School bus
Commercial Driver License Manual (PDF) ↗Where to take the Arkansas drivers test →

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Sources: Arkansas State Police, DFA, ASP and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.