A CDL is required to operate commercial motor vehicles above defined weight thresholds or carrying passengers or hazardous materials. Classes A, B, and C correspond to vehicle configuration, and endorsements cover tankers, doubles and triples, hazardous materials, and passengers.
Federal standards govern testing, disqualification, and the prohibition on holding licenses in more than one state, with issuance handled by the states.
Alternative Names:
CDL
Why it Matters?
Licensing defects are a direct route to negligent entrustment and negligent hiring claims. A driver operating without the proper class or endorsement, or while disqualified, gives plaintiff counsel a clean regulatory violation that requires no expert testimony to explain to a jury, and it frequently supports a punitive damages claim against the carrier.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What endorsements matter in litigation?
Can a driver hold CDLs in multiple states?
