Home › Trades › Truck drivers (CDL) › Arizona
How to become a truck driver in Arizona
Arizona's Motor Vehicle Division issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: a first-time applicant gets a commercial learner's permit, completes any required Entry-Level Driver Training, and takes the skills test after holding the permit at least 14 days. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Arizona earned a median $58,080 a year in May 2025 ($27.92 an hour).
Truck driver licensing in Arizona
The licensing authority is Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) | First a physical by a medical examiner on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, who submits the Medical Examiner's Certificate electronically. Get the CLP to drive a vehicle that needs a CDL on the highway while you train; it is valid up to 12 months. A Class A or B permit with no endorsements costs $25. | — | CDL knowledge tests | $25 |
| Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT, federal) | Since February 7, 2022, first-time Class A or B CDL applicants (and Class B holders upgrading to Class A) must complete the training with a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before taking the skills test. | — | — | not published |
| CDL skills test | After holding the CLP at least 14 days and completing any required ELDT, take the skills test (pre-trip, basic controls and road). The skills test fee for a Class A or B vehicle is $25. | — | CDL skills test | $25 |
| Class A CDL | The new Class A or B CDL costs $25 and is valid for up to eight years. | — | — | $25 |
Renewal. Up to every eight years ($15 for Class A or B).
Licensing sources: Arizona MVD: Getting your commercial driver license (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Arizona MVD: Managing your commercial driver license (retrieved 2026-09-23) · FMCSA ELDT Applicability (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) before you act.
The steps in order, with exams, fees and renewal → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as a truck driver in Arizona?
Arizona's Motor Vehicle Division issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: a first-time applicant gets a commercial learner's permit, completes any required Entry-Level Driver Training, and takes the skills test after holding the permit at least 14 days.
What does it cost to get licensed as a truck driver in Arizona?
Each of the 3 published fees in the table above is $25, one for each step that lists it. Read each tier's requirements for any exam or license-issue fee charged on top.
How long does it take to become a truck driver in Arizona?
It depends on which credential you need and the training and testing each step takes; the full path is in the table above.
How much do truck drivers make in Arizona?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Arizona earned a median $58,080 a year in May 2025, $27.92 an hour. That median is 1% below the national figure of $58,640, and Arizona ranks 32 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice truck drivers make in Arizona?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Arizona under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 139 apprentices started, at a median $13.85 an hour across the 139 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 44 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs. Wages are in that year's dollars.
What truck drivers earn in Arizona
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Arizona earned a median $58,080 a year in May 2025, $27.92 an hour. 40,150 people held the job, 12.4 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 1% below the national figure of $58,640, and Arizona ranks 32 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Arizona
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.47 | $42,580 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.86 | $47,550 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.92 | $58,080 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $31.53 | $65,580 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $36.80 | $76,550 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $28.30 | $58,870 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ employs the most truck drivers of the 7 metro areas based in Arizona that BLS publishes, 30,480, at a median $59,770 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 30,480 | $59,770 | $43,500 | $76,550 |
| Tucson, AZ | 3,820 | $56,640 | $39,300 | $72,960 |
| Yuma, AZ | 1,040 | $48,630 | $36,960 | $75,540 |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 1,020 | $58,210 | $43,900 | $84,990 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 900 | $48,060 | $38,210 | $78,760 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 480 | $55,750 | $42,560 | $79,880 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 290 | $46,250 | $35,430 | $79,050 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown.
Arizona against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Wisconsin | $58,610 | 53,330 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $58,580 | 87,550 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $58,390 | 23,160 |
| 32 | Arizona | $58,080 | 40,150 |
| 33 | Iowa | $58,070 | 35,040 |
| 34 | Delaware | $57,590 | 9,040 |
| 35 | Michigan | $57,180 | 60,800 |
The complete ranking is on the Truck drivers (CDL) page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Arizona | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $58,080 | $58,640 |
| Median hourly | $27.92 | $28.19 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $42,580 | $40,140 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $76,550 | $79,380 |
| Employed | 40,150 | 2,062,040 |
Apprenticeships in Arizona
U.S. Department of Labor records list 73 registered apprentices active in Arizona in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (SOC 53-3032). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 139 apprentices started, at a median $13.85 an hour across the 139 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 44 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · What those wages come to at your hours a week → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Wages are DOL's own hourly figures in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Arizona
Electricians ($61,060) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($62,070) · HVAC technicians ($59,400) · Welders ($55,600) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($75,420) · Ironworkers ($59,390) · Sheet metal workers ($50,260) · Carpenters ($58,580) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($59,260) · Auto service technicians ($49,570) · Diesel mechanics ($61,680) · Heavy equipment operators ($60,620) · Machinists ($61,080)
See all 14 ranked by pay in Arizona.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.