Renewing Your CDL in Tennessee

As the age-old saying goes, all good things do come to an end. Unfortunately, the validity of your commercial driver’s license (CDL) won’t last forever and there will be a time when you have to renew.

Make sure that you know what steps to take through the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) to renew your CDL on time.

Eligibility Requirements TN CDL Renewal

If you are over the age of 21 years old, your Tennessee commercial driver’s license will expire every 8 Years from the date it was issued.

You should expect to receive a renewal notice* in the mail anywhere between 8 to 10 weeks before your commercial driver’s license expires.

Depending on what type of CDL you have, you may need to have the following done before you can renew:

  • Renew your HAZMAT endorsement (if you currently hold a HAZMAT endorsement on your CDL). Our section on HAZMAT endorsements has the details for what you need to do to renew.
  • Have an updated DOT medical card. Head over to the section below on medical requirements to learn more about what you need.

*NOTE: If you do not have a renewal notice, you can just take your current commercial driver’s license with you to a driver service center. You do not NEED the renewal notice to be able to renew your license.

Renewing Your TN CDL

All CDL renewals must be done in person at one of the driver services centers. You will need to bring a:

  • Current DOT medical card.
  • Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, if this is your first renewal.
  • Payment for the required fees. See our fees section below.

HAZMAT Endorsements

If you are a CDL holder with a HAZMAT endorsement on your license, you will also need to renew it every 5 years by:

  • Undergoing a Transportation Security Assessment (TSA) fingerprint-based background check.
    • NOTE: The background check fee is $86.50.
  • Taking a:
    • Vision test.
    • Knowledge test.

You must have the TSA background check AND the vision test done before going to take the knowledge test.

See our page on HAZMAT endorsements for more information.

Medical Requirements for TN CDL Renewal

Federal law requires all CDL holders to self-certify what type of commercial driving they will be doing with their CDL—interstate vs. intrastate, excepted vs. non-excepted, etc.

Depending on what type of commercial driving you’ll be doing, you might need to comply with DOT medical card requirements.

Please note that this must be done before renewing your CDL.

If this is the case for you, you will need to make sure that you submit a new copy of your DOT medical card to the TDOSHS before your current one expires.

You can submit your Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876):

For more information about medical requirements, see our page about applying for a TN CDL.

CDL Renewal Fees in TN

You will need to pay a fee to renew your Tennessee CDL.

Here is what you can expect to have to pay to renew:

License Type & Validity Length License Fee Application Fee Total Cost
Class A license for 8 years $64 $6 $70
Class B or C license for 8 years $56 $6 $62
AM—Class A + Motorcycle license for 8 years $90 $7 $97
BM/CM-Class B or C & Motorcycle for 5 years $82 $7 $89
HAZMAT background check N/A $86.50 $86.50

Forms

MCSA-5876
Medical Examiners Certificate
Submit this medical certification form to the Tennessee DOS as a part of applying for your CDL. Must be completed by a medical professional.
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