Who are Commercial Drivers?
Commercial drivers are all persons, paid or volunteer, who operate commercial motor vehicles. Volunteer drivers of church buses, private or public school buses and mechanics who test drive commercial vehicles must meet commercial driver's license requirements.
Commercial driver's license requirements don't apply to:
- Operators of emergency vehicles, such as firefighters
- Active duty military personnel operating military vehicles
- Operators of farm vehicles when:
- Used by farmers
- Used to move farm goods, supplies or machinery to or from their farm
- Not used as a common or contract motor carrier, and
- Used within 150 miles of the farm
- Operators of vehicles, such as recreational vehicles and rental moving vans, used only for personal use
It's illegal for commercial drivers to have more than one license. You must keep the license issued by the state where you live. All other licenses must be returned to the states that issued them. If you fail to return licenses from other states, you could be fined up to $5,000, put in jail for up to 90 days, or both.
You may not hold a Virginia-issued CDL and a Virginia-issued photo ID.
CDL Age Restrictions
You must be at least 18 years of age to hold a CDL. Under federal law, you must be a commercial driver at least 21 years of age to:- Drive across state lines
- Transport hazardous materials or
- Transport interstate freight (e.g., mail) within the state
