Renewing Your CDL

Drivers looking to renew their Oregon commercial driver licenses (CDLs) must appear in person at a DMV office. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said the state no longer processes four-year, mail-in renewals, a service that ended October 1, 2004. The good news is that licenses are now both issued and renewed for eight years.

The DMV sends renewal notices by mail to most CDL holders two months before expiration of their commercial licenses. For hazardous material (hazmat)-endorsed CDL holders, notices are mailed 180 days before expiration to allow time for a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) criminal background check.

Drivers may not necessarily receive these notices, but that does not prohibit them from renewing. Again though, renewal can only be done in person, and all applicants must meet certain requirements.

CDL renewal in Oregon starts with your renewal notice and current driver license, which must be presented as proof of age and identity. If you did not receive a renewal, you will only be required to present proper identification. Drivers with changed addresses must show proof of new address, and applicants who are 50 years old or older must undergo a DMV vision screening.

Hazardous materials endorsement renewal requires you to pay for and pass a hazmat knowledge test ($10), as well as a TSA criminal background check.

CDL renewal also requires you to show a valid Department of Transportation (DOT) Medical Card, or waiver/exemption.

The fee for renewal of class A, B, and C commercial licenses in Oregon is $60.50. The renewal cycle of all licenses, including CDLs, changed to eight years in Oregon in October 2004. Still, a driver with a four-year license who wants to upgrade a license with new endorsements will pay the four-year rate, unless the upgrade comes with renewal.

By October of 2008, all fees for originals, renewals, or upgrades of licenses will be for eight years only. An upgrade of a CDL in Oregon is $35 for four years and $74.50 for eight years. A CDL upgrade with renewal (has existing CDL) is $74.50 for eight years, and downgrade of a CDL is $25.50. The Oregon DMV does not accept credit or debit cards, but does accept checks with proper ID, and cash, with ATM machines available at most DMV locations.