DRIVER TESTING

As of July 5, 2022, Kentuckians who wish to obtain a stated driver’s permit or driver’s license will have the option to make driver testing appointments at any regional office throughout the Commonwealth, regardless of their county of residence. Click here: Regional Locations, to see a list of locations where testing services are offered. Follow these instructions: Appointment Instructions to make an appointment at the location that best works for you.

The only approved source material for the written/permit test is the Kentucky Driver Manual. Access the Kentucky Driver Manual  online. All driver testing materials can be viewed and downloaded free of charge.

Yes, anyone who is 21 years old or older and holds a valid driver’s license can accompany the child.

NOTE: Kentucky law requires that a licensed driver 21 years of age or older must occupy the passenger at all times when a permit holder is operating a vehicle.

Some locations have audio versions of the test. The test may be administered orally at locations where this service is not available.  Please contact our office for additional information at (800) 542-5990, Option #3.

If you line up 6 to 7 cars bumper-to-bumper, it equals approximately 100 feet. As you approach a turn, pretend those cars are parked at the side of the road, and activate your turn signal no later than the back of that line of cars.

Contact your testing site to make an appointment and request a sign language interpreter.

The applicant must complete this maneuver without assistance.

• Yes. However, the applicant should not be completely reliant upon this technology.  The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) offers some valuable guidance on this topic:
  • Rear cameras are safety critical technologies. Safety critical technologies are permissible because they may prevent or reduce the severity of a crash and are not simply features of convenience.
  • Applicants should not become complacent and/or dependent solely upon a rear camera. Instead, incorporate use of the rear camera into executing backing maneuvers.

Applicants are still required to demonstrate all necessary behaviors (for example, checking mirrors, checking over the shoulder, etc.) for safely monitoring and maneuvering a vehicle during backing maneuvers.

As long as the tag matches the testing vehicle and is valid at the time of the test.

Rental cars may only be used for testing if the applicant provides the rental agreement and the applicant is listed as the renter.  The agreement must show that the applicant is insured, and the vehicle must meet all other requirements.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) website, drive.ky.gov, contains a wealth of information about the licensing process. Confidently identify which documents you need to bring by utilizing the KYTC IDOCUMENT GUIDE, and you can also download a printable list of all acceptable documents from their website.

• Applicants for a motorcycle driver’s license shall be exempted from the licensing skill test if they present satisfactory evidence of successful completion of an approved rider training course that includes a similar test of skill.

For more information regarding rider training school courses, please visit www.ride.ky.gov or contact the Kentucky Motorcycle Rider Education Program at (502) 564-1568.

• You will need a CDL if:
  • You will need a Class A CDL to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is more than 10.000 pounds.
• You will need a Class B CDL to operate:
  • Any straight truck with two or more axles and a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more; or
  • Any vehicle with two or more axles and a GVWR of 26.001 pounds or more, pulling a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less; or
  • A single-vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) if the GVWR is 26,001 pounds or more.
• You will need a Class C CDL to operate:
  • Any vehicle with a GVWR of fewer than 26,001 pounds transporting hazardous materials for which placarding is required; or
  • A single-vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) if the GVWR is less than 26,001 pounds.

For more information, please visit the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

• The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is exclusively responsible for conducting all testing of CDL permit and license applicants. Applicants must complete several steps before testing with KSP for a CDL permit or license.  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) regulates all other components of the licensing process, so please visit the KYTC website Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) for a complete overview of the steps for obtaining a CDL permit or license.
• CDL Written/Permit Test: Schedule CDL permit and other knowledge tests by utilizing our online scheduling tool. Click Here to make an appointment.

CDL Skills Test: Call (800) 542-5990 to schedule a CDL Skills Test.

• If a commercial operator license/permit holder is convicted of any alcohol- or drug-related driving offense, an automatic suspension of the commercial status is one year regardless if the driver is cited in a commercial vehicle or non-commercial vehicle.

Visit drive.ky.gov for an extensive list of violations that could result in the loss of commercial driving privileges for time periods ranging from 24 hours to life.

• The following groups are exempt from the CDL requirements, provided they meet all the criteria:
  • Drivers of vehicles that are used exclusively in farm-to-market agricultural transportation, operated in private carriage, owned and/or operated by the farmer or his employees, and used within the Commonwealth of Kentucky or one-hundred-fifty (150) highway miles of the point of origin if crossing state lines.
  • Drivers of firefighting and other emergency equipment.
  • Drivers of military vehicles if those persons are military personnel in uniform, operating the vehicles in pursuit of a military purpose, and properly licensed by the military.
  • Drivers of vehicles that are designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use, and operate on their own motor power or are mounted on or drawn by another vehicle.

Taking the CDL road test is a non-farm related event.  You will need to have a licensed driver with you when you arrive for your test.  Failure to do so will result in cancelation of your test.

• Two (2) years. However, please note the following exceptions:
  • A doctor can make it valid for a lesser period of time if you have a medical condition that the doctor determines should be monitored sooner than every two years; and
  • A school bus endorsement limits the medical card validity to one (1) year.

As many times as you need, but only once per day.

Yes. Kentucky State Police does not provide applicants with a vehicle to use for the road skills test.

• No. The weight on the license plate is not the weight that determines if you need a CDL.  The weight used to determine the need for a CDL is the GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.  The manufacturer of the vehicle or trailer determines the GVWR.
  • GVWR and GCWR are normally determined by checking the vehicle manufacturer’s identification plate, usually located inside of the driver’s side door or on the header board or tongue of the trailer.
  • For buses, the plate may be located inside of the passenger door or to the left of the driver’s seat.
  • If your vehicle does not have a VIN plate, sticker, or another verifiable method of obtaining GVWR, you may not be able to test with that vehicle.

Air Brakes do not determine whether a CDL is required to operate a vehicle. The GVWR of a vehicle determines whether a CDL is required to operate the vehicle.

• No. A CDL licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age and who holds the CDL you are attempting to obtain, must accompany you while driving a vehicle that requires a CDL.
  • If you have a Class A CDL permit, your passenger must have a Class A CDL.
  • If you have a Class B CDL permit, your passenger must have a Class B CDL.
  • If you have a Class C CDL permit, your passenger must have a Class C CDL.
  • Your passenger may have a higher class CDL than you are attempting to obtain, but not a CDL of a lower class.
  • If the vehicle you are driving requires an endorsement such as school bus or passenger endorsement, then your licensed driver must have those endorsements also.

The USA PATRIOT Act requires all drivers who transport hazardous material to undergo a security threat assessment. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) developed the Hazmat Threat Assessment Program to implement this requirement.

The security threat assessment must be completed every five (5) years. The Division of Driver Licensing will send an applicant currently holding a CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement a notification letter approximately 60 days before the expiration of the security threat assessment.  This notification will advise the applicant to initiate and complete the fingerprint-based criminal background check before the expiration date.

To make an appointment or check the status of a security threat assessment, applicants may contact KSP Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by calling (888) 655-9655. If the applicant does not currently hold a CDL, they must obtain a CDL permit before contacting KSP to set up an appointment to be fingerprinted.

The fingerprint-based criminal background check will cost $138.25, paid by certified check, cashier’s check, or money order. The check should be made to the Kentucky State Treasurer and given to the examiner when the fingerprints are taken.  You can also pay online before the appointment with a debit/credit card at ONLINE HAZMAT FINGERPRINT PAYMENT.  This fee is for the fingerprint-based criminal background check only.  This is not a fee for the Hazardous Material Endorsement.

All CDL hazmat endorsement holders will be required to take the written hazmat knowledge test and vision test at the time of renewal of the Commercial license unless it has been less than two (2) years from the last test date. The testing fee is $5.00.  Upon successful completion of the test, the license will be issued with the hazmat endorsement.

Yes, but all commercial drivers transferring to Kentucky with a hazmat endorsement will be required to take the hazmat knowledge and vision tests.  The testing fee is $5.00.  For additional information, please visit drive.ky.gov