CLP Overview

To get a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in Connecticut, you first need to get a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) and pass the skills test. Your CLP is good for one year. If you don’t get a CDL in that year, you need to retake and pass all the required tests to get a new permit. You will also need to register to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

You may also need to take the air brakes, combination, passenger endorsement, and/or school bus endorsement tests if those apply to the type of CDL you need.

You don’t receive a permanent driver license or ID card or leaner's permit while at your in-person DMV appointment. It arrives through the mail. For more on this, please see Central Issuance. After visiting an office, you can track the delivery of your new card.

CDL application age requirements 
You need to meet the following age requirements based on the type of CDL you need:

• Be at least age 18
• Be at least age 21 to haul hazardous material
• Be at least age 21 to drive interstate

CLP and CDL medical requirements
To get a CLP or CDL you need to give the DMV a valid medical examiner’s certificate, provided by a certified medical examiner listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. For more information, visit the CDL medical requirements page .

CLP self-certification
CLP holders need to provide self-certification of their driving type. For more information, visit the self-certification page.

**New Requirement – Commercial Drivers / Learner Permit Holders

Beginning October 21, 2024, all Commercial Driver License (CDL) holders and applicants for a CDL or Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) must register to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse). 

The Clearinghouse is a secure online database that tracks violations of the U.S. Department of Transportation drug and alcohol testing program for CDL and CLP holders.  DMV will be checking your status prior to any CDL or CLP transaction. 

All states will be required to remove the commercial driving privileges of drivers in a “prohibited” status in the Clearinghouse, by downgrading the CDL or cancelling the CLP.  

Drivers in a “prohibited” status in the Clearinghouse must complete the return-to-duty (RTD) process and have a not-prohibited status in the Clearinghouse to upgrade a CDL or become eligible for a CDL or CLP.  For more information about the RTD process, please click on the link below:

• Return-to-Duty Quick Reference Guide

How to register
To learn more, check your status or register in the Clearinghouse, please visit:  https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/

Federal ID requirements

To meet new federal requirements around ID verification, CDL and CLP holders need to provide the DMV with: 

• Proof of identity
• Proof of Social Security Number
• Proof of legal presence in the United States (undocumented individuals will not be issued a CDL or CLP)
• Proof of Connecticut residence from two sources.
• Name change documents (if applicable)

For a detailed list of documents you need, visit the REAL ID document checklist.

When you need a REAL ID 

• New applicants for a CLP when they apply
• Existing CDL holders when renewing licenses
• All out-of-state CDL holders when they are transferring to Connecticut

Note: This does NOT apply to current U.S. citizens who complete this paperwork requirement when they get a verified driver’s license. The license has a verified gold star and their CDL designation on it.