Determine which classification of CDL you require: A, B or C. Decide on a class A license if you are planning to operate any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more or a combination of vehicles where at least one trailer weighs more than 10,000 pounds. Select class B if you are operating any combination of vehicles where at least one trailer weighs less than 10,000 pounds. Apply for a class C license, however, if you wish to drive any commercial motor vehicle designed to transport 16 or more passengers, is a school bus or a vehicle requiring the display of hazardous materials placards.
Visit your most convenient Mississippi Department of Public Safety office to apply for a commercial driver's instruction permit, or CDIP. This entitles you to drive a commercial motor vehicle in Mississippi, but only when accompanied by someone who has held a CDL for at least two years and a regular driver's license for at least five years. Pay the CDIP fee, which is $25 as of May 2001. Provide the DPS staffer with your Social Security card, proof of Mississippi residence, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to reside in the U.S., your regular driver's license, insurance details for your commercial motor vehicle if you have one and a Department of Transportation medical form signed by your physician.
Find the right truck driving school for you. Think about the price and services they offer. For example, while many schools administer their own examinations -- meaning you only have to pay one flat fee and receive all training and examinations -- others do not. Choose your school and inform them of the class of license you require.
Study the Mississippi CDL manual to accompany your practical truck driving lessons. Learn content from every section of the manual, as all of the information included is relevant and useful when completing both written and practical elements of the CDL examinations.
Ask your truck driving school if they provide their own CDL examinations or at least arrange for you to sit your exams. Visit the DPS and apply for your CDL examinations in the relevant class if your school does not provide these services. Pay the CDL application fee, which was $13 as of May 2011.
Sit for all four phases of the Mississippi CDL testing. Complete the multiple choice written test before progressing to the three practical stages of testing. Undergo the pre-trip inspection, where you lead an examiner around the basic mechanics and safety features of your commercial motor vehicle. Progress to the maneuvers test, where you will be joined by an examiner in the cab as you perform basic maneuvers, including parallel parking. Conclude CDL testing by driving the examiner in real-life traffic, as he assesses your ability to manage the everyday situations that occur. Receive a signed and sealed examinations form upon successful completion of Mississippi CDL testing.
Return to the DPS with your signed and sealed examination form. Pay for your full CDL, which costs $26 as of May 2011. Receive your full Mississippi CDL.
