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How to become a truck driver in Kentucky
Kentucky's Division of Driver Licensing issues the CDL at a Regional Office, and the Kentucky State Police give the knowledge and skills tests. A first CDL starts with a commercial learner's permit, issued after the written and vision tests and held at least 14 days before the skills test; federal Entry-Level Driver Training applies to first-time Class A or B applicants. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Kentucky earned a median $56,340 a year in May 2025 ($27.09 an hour).
Truck driver licensing in Kentucky
The licensing authority is Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing. 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) | Be at least 18 to drive within Kentucky (21 for interstate travel); a permit issued at 18 is valid only for intrastate driving, with a K restriction. Be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident or a non-domiciled applicant; only certain non-citizens legally authorized to work in the United States qualify for a non-domiciled permit. Hold a valid Kentucky Class D operator's license and complete the background check ($3). A certified Medical Examiner completes your Medical Examiner's Certificate and uploads it to the FMCSA National Registry, and you complete a self-certification at a Driver Licensing Regional Office and pay the testing fees there. By statute, an applicant who has held a Kentucky operator's license for 30 days or longer pays a $50 skills-testing fee when the permit is issued, and an applicant who has held one for less than 30 days, or who holds an out-of-state license and CLP, pays $150. Then pass the written knowledge and vision tests with the Kentucky State Police. The CLP fee is $11 ($14 for a REAL ID). A permit is issued for no more than 180 days; drive only with the holder of a CDL valid for the vehicle beside you, and hold the permit at least 14 days before the skills test. | — | CDL knowledge and vision tests (Kentucky State Police) | $64 |
| 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 |
| Class A CDL | Complete Entry-Level Driver Training where the federal rule applies (first-time Class A or B applicants), then the skills test with the Kentucky State Police in the class of vehicle you intend to drive: a pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control and a road test, in a vehicle you provide, with a licensed driver qualified for it. Each portion takes a score of at least 80 percent. Then receive the CDL at a Regional Office; the department gives CDL fees as a range, $18.75 to $50.00. | — | CDL skills test (Kentucky State Police) | $18.75 to $50 |
Licensing sources: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet: Commercial Driver's License (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 281A.120 (commercial learner's permit), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · KRS 281A.160 (knowledge and skills testing; fees), Kentucky General Assembly (retrieved 2026-10-03) · FMCSA ELDT Applicability (retrieved 2026-10-03) · 49 CFR 383.23 (commercial driver's license required) (retrieved 2026-10-03). Requirements change; confirm with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky's Division of Driver Licensing issues the CDL at a Regional Office, and the Kentucky State Police give the knowledge and skills tests. A first CDL starts with a commercial learner's permit, issued after the written and vision tests and held at least 14 days before the skills test; federal Entry-Level Driver Training applies to first-time Class A or B applicants.
What does it cost to get licensed as a truck driver in Kentucky?
The published fee in the table above is $64. 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 Kentucky?
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 Kentucky?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Kentucky earned a median $56,340 a year in May 2025, $27.09 an hour. That median is 4% below the national figure of $58,640, and Kentucky ranks 39 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice truck drivers make in Kentucky?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Kentucky under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 85 apprentices started, at a median $15.75 an hour across the 85 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 21 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 Kentucky
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Kentucky earned a median $56,340 a year in May 2025, $27.09 an hour. 31,760 people held the job, 15.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 4% below the national figure of $58,640, and Kentucky ranks 39 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Kentucky
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.59 | $38,670 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.99 | $47,810 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $27.09 | $56,340 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $33.66 | $70,020 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $41.17 | $85,630 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $28.78 | $59,870 | 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 Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN employs the most truck drivers of the 6 metro areas based in Kentucky that BLS publishes, 10,820, at a median $59,000 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 10,820 | $59,000 | $44,970 | $87,580 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 4,460 | $56,950 | $43,780 | $94,090 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 1,540 | $53,450 | $37,690 | $75,970 |
| Owensboro, KY | 840 | $50,600 | $37,490 | $76,630 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 660 | $50,520 | $38,990 | $74,490 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 560 | $50,680 | $37,210 | $73,270 |
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. Listed under another state but reaching into Kentucky: Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH and Clarksville, TN-KY.
Kentucky against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Georgia | $57,050 | 74,840 |
| 36 | Maine | $57,050 | 9,980 |
| 38 | Virginia | $56,860 | 48,750 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $56,340 | 31,760 |
| 40 | Texas | $56,290 | 209,680 |
| 41 | Missouri | $54,550 | 47,760 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $54,410 | 27,840 |
The complete ranking is on the Truck drivers (CDL) page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $56,340 | $58,640 |
| Median hourly | $27.09 | $28.19 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $38,670 | $40,140 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $85,630 | $79,380 |
| Employed | 31,760 | 2,062,040 |
Apprenticeships in Kentucky
U.S. Department of Labor records list 61 registered apprentices active in Kentucky 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, 85 apprentices started, at a median $15.75 an hour across the 85 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 21 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 Kentucky
Electricians ($59,720) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($64,160) · HVAC technicians ($58,620) · Welders ($51,470) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($77,020) · Elevator installers ($42,670) · Ironworkers ($64,060) · Sheet metal workers ($60,680) · Carpenters ($52,680) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($59,820) · Auto service technicians ($44,890) · Diesel mechanics ($55,480) · Heavy equipment operators ($57,780) · Machinists ($58,660)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Kentucky.
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.