Free practice test

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work certification and licensesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Montana · Permit test

The Montana commercial driver’s license (CDL)

You need one to drive a commercial vehicle, and you get it by passing the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) vision and written tests and a road test in the size of vehicle you want to drive. The MVD’s study guide is the Commercial Driver License Manual, which also sets out the other requirements for a commercial driver’s license in Montana.

  • $35.54Intrastate CDL fee, ages 21 to 71
  • 30 daysTime to switch a CDL after moving here
  • 8 yearsLongest a Montana CDL lasts
See the MVD’s CDL feesFree practice test

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

Who needs a commercial driver’s license in Montana?

The Montana Driver Manual says the operator of a commercial vehicle must have a Montana CDL, in Class A, B or C. The standard Class D license covers non-commercial vehicles under 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. To prepare for any of the three classes, the manual sends you to the Commercial Driver License Manual.

How do you get a Montana CDL?

From the Montana Driver Manual:

  1. Study the Commercial Driver License Manual
  2. Pass the vision test and the written tests
  3. Pass a road test in the size of vehicle you want to drive

The fee page charges the same for a commercial learner license as for the CDL itself, and the Montana Driver Manual doesn’t give the rules for holding one. The 20 questions on this course’s practice test cover the Class D written test, not the CDL tests.

Montana CDL fees

The MVD’s fee page lists, for ages 21 to 71:

ItemFee
Intrastate CDL$35.54
Intrastate CDL with REAL ID$61.29
Interstate CDL$41.72
Interstate CDL with REAL ID$67.47
Replacement CDL, any age$10.30

The fee page lists lower amounts at 72 to 74, and at 18 to 20 for an intrastate CDL (its interstate rows start at 21). They’re higher with a motorcycle endorsement.

Moving here and renewing

If you move to Montana with a commercial license, you have 30 consecutive days to convert it. State law says you surrender a CDL from another state for a Montana one after any examination federal rules require.

A Montana CDL lasts up to 8 years. You can renew it online or by mail only with a valid medical examiner’s certificate on file, or if you’re interstate excepted, and only without a hazardous materials endorsement. At renewal, state law also asks you to name each place you were licensed in the previous 10 years, if you haven’t already.

Sources: Montana Motor Vehicle Division · Montana Legislature and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

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

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewPractice testWhere to learnLearner permitDriver’s licenseDriving ageRoad testDriver’s manual

MVD services

AppointmentsState ID card

Other licenses

CDLMotorcycle