Endorsements

Is your school in the same state you are in? If not DO NOT DO ANYTHING. Wait till you get to school and see how they do the permits. As to your question, I am not 100% sure but I think you can take the tests at the permit stage. Don't try the hazmat yet. You will need to go through a fingerprint and background check before you will be allowed to do anything hazmat related.

 

You can take the written tests before you have your CDL and have them added once you receive it.

But I would personally hold off on the hazmat unless you're ready to pay $85 for the required background check

 

My permit was good for 90 days.I would wait on the endorsements till you get your cdl or ask the DMV.if they say you can get your endorsements put on permit make sure to ask DMV if you would have to retake tests when you get your cdl.

 

You can test with permit. Permit experation varies by state. In IL it is good for 1 year. Call your dmv

 

Get all your endorsements right off the bat. They equal money. If you get some experience and end up wanting a home-daily job, having those will increase your options. You need all your endorsements to land an LTL job down the road, for instance.

To answer your questions, whenever you take the main tests (general knowledge, air brakes, and combination vehicles), also take the other tests (tanker and doubles/triples). The exception is hazmat. I believe the last time I renewed my hazmat endorsement I had to wait until the TSA cleared my background check. That may vary by state. You can ask the people at whatever school you end up going to how that all works. There may be a specific order that the hazmat stuff has to be done for a new CDL holder. Is the company-sponsored CDL school in your state?

Don't worry about the specifics at this point, just make sure when the time comes that you get them all. Don't take the tests too early, and make sure you aren't wasting your time by getting them in your state and going to school in another. When I went to school out of state, I had to transfer my regular driver license to that state, then take the written tests for the permit. At that point you should do all the tests. Later, after you pass the skills test, you get the CDL with those endorsements. The hazmat will have to wait until you transfer everything back to your home state if you are in that situation.

 

You do not have to

you permit can be from another state than the school you are attending, commercial licensing is Federally mandated not state, and yes you can do endorsements

 

Really? I guess I just did it the way I was told, assuming that's the way it had to be done. I had to transfer to that state, then transfer back after the fact for some reason. Was a long time ago, though. A lot has changed since then.

 

They still do it that way. The CDL is federally mandated but are issued by the states.

 

In fact unless they have stopped some drivers have had to retake the written tests once they went back to their home state to transfer the CDL. I believe at one time Ohio did this.