Visit a convenient Bureau of Motor Vehicles office and apply for a CDL learner's permit. Provide the staffer with the required documentation, which, in Canton, includes your Social Security card, a valid regular Ohio driver's license and a completed Department of Transportation health form, endorsed by your physician. You must also be at least 18 years old. Complete the basic knowledge test to receive your commercial drivers instruction permit, which is valid for six months and cost about $25 at the time of publication.
Determine which class of CDL you require: A, B or C. Federal law dictates a class A license is necessary for a vehicle with at least one trailer, provided the vehicle has a gross weight vehicle rating of 26,000 or more pounds and at least one trailer weighs 10,000 and above. Choose a class B license if you wish to drive any single vehicle weighing more than 26,000 pounds or a truck over 26,000 pounds carrying any trailers that weigh less than 10,000 pounds. Select a class C license to drive any vehicle designed to transport 16 or more people, including the motorist, or any vehicle which is required to display hazardous materials placards.
Locate a reputable Canton truck driving school. Consider the different levels of service offered by schools. Some schools oversee their own testing, so you can pay one flat fee and receive all training and qualifications. You are required to provide your own commercial motor vehicle when completing all practical sections of CDL testing in Canton, which may provide another reason to select an all-inclusive truck driving school where the vehicle will be provided.
Study the Ohio state CDL manual while you learn the practical elements of truck driving with your school. Study the manual, which will provide you with all of the information you require to successfully complete the written and practical elements of CDL testing.
Apply to sit for your CDL examinations in the relevant class. If your school offers its own testing, inform a member of staff about your intent to complete your exams. Visit your Canton BMV, however, if your school does not oversee its own exams. Follow the staffer's instructions to arrange your examination.
Take your exams. Start testing by completing the written test at your chosen BMV. Progress to practical testing, which begins with the pre-trip inspection, during which you are expected to walk an examiner around the CMV and demonstrate its basic mechanical and safety features. Move on to the off-road maneuvers test, where you must undergo a selection of basic maneuvers accompanied by an examiner in the cab. Finish testing by completing an on-road test, where your ability to drive in everyday situations is tested by an examiner in the passenger seat. Pay exam fees, which cost $10 each for pre-trip and off-road tests and $30 for the on-road test at the time of publication.
Return to your BMV and finalize the full CDL application process. Provide the staffer with your endorsed examination forms, which you will receive upon successful completion of all stages of testing. Pay the $42 fee and receive your full CDL.
