Once you have obtained a Maine Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and endorsements, you've gone through almost all the testing the state requires. To renew your Maine CDL and endorsements is relatively simple, but not as simple as renewing a noncommercial license (which can be done online).

Top License Renewal

Maine CDLs and endorsements last for five years. When you pass the four-year-and-11-month mark, the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) will send you a renewal card for your Maine CDL and any current endorsements.

Here's the good part: You don't have to retake any exams. All you do is take your card into any Maine BMV office and pay $34 for another five years. Here's the bad part: Unlike noncommercial licenses, CDLs cannot be renewed online. You have to go in and brave the lines in the Maine BMV.

Top Endorsement Renewal

Any current endorsements you have will be automatically renewed along with your CDL under the one charge of $34, with the exception of a hazmat endorsement, which must follow special federal regulations. You may be asked to have a new physical exam.

Hazmat Endorsement Rules

Federal regulations require anyone applying for a commercial driver license with an original or renewal hazardous materials (hazmat) endorsement to undergo a security threat assessment. The USA PATRIOT Act requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) complete a security threat assessment (background records check) before the BMV will issue a hazmat endorsement. The TSA's Web site for hazmat endorsement applications contains specific TSA requirements and procedures.

Top Upgrading Classes or Endorsements

You can upgrade your CDL class from C to B or from B to A at any time. But you have to go through the standard application procedure, including the written and skills exams. The same goes for adding new endorsements to your CDL. The application and exam fee for the upgrade costs $35, and endorsement applications cost $10 each.

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