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How to become a truck driver in Maryland
Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: you must be 18 to drive within Maryland (21 across state lines or to carry hazardous materials or passengers), meet federal and Maryland medical standards, and complete Entry-Level Driver Training before the skills test. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Maryland earned a median $59,360 a year in May 2025 ($28.54 an hour).
Truck driver licensing in Maryland
The licensing authority is Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). 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) | Meet federal and Maryland medical standards (a physical by a medical examiner on the FMCSA National Registry, whose certificate the Registry sends to the MVA) and pass the CDL knowledge tests for the class and endorsements you want. The CDL learner's permit costs $106. | — | CDL knowledge tests | $106 |
| Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT, federal) | First-time Class A or B CDL applicants (and Class B holders upgrading to Class A) complete Entry-Level Driver Training from a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry before the CDL skills (road) test. | — | — | not published |
| Class A CDL | After ELDT and at least 14 days on the CLP, pass the CDL skills (road) test; the MVA mails the CDL within 7 to 10 business days. The MVA fee list gives the $106 learner's permit and a $64 renewal for a standard eight-year CDL, and names no separate fee for a first CDL. | — | CDL skills (road) test | not published |
Renewal. Every eight years for a standard CDL ($64 renewal); a CDL with a hazmat endorsement runs five years.
Licensing sources: Maryland MVA: get or renew a CDL (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Maryland MVA: license and ID fees (retrieved 2026-09-23) · FMCSA Training Provider Registry: ELDT applicability (retrieved 2026-09-23) · 49 CFR 383.23 (commercial driver's license required) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) 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 Maryland?
Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: you must be 18 to drive within Maryland (21 across state lines or to carry hazardous materials or passengers), meet federal and Maryland medical standards, and complete Entry-Level Driver Training before the skills test.
What does it cost to get licensed as a truck driver in Maryland?
The published fee in the table above is $106. 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 Maryland?
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 Maryland?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Maryland earned a median $59,360 a year in May 2025, $28.54 an hour. That median is 1% above the national figure of $58,640, and Maryland ranks 23 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice truck drivers make in Maryland?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Maryland under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 102 apprentices started, at a median $15.00 an hour across the 102 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 10 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 Maryland
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Maryland earned a median $59,360 a year in May 2025, $28.54 an hour. 29,150 people held the job, 10.5 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 1% above the national figure of $58,640, and Maryland ranks 23 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Maryland
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.00 | $43,670 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $23.86 | $49,640 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $28.54 | $59,360 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $33.30 | $69,270 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $38.04 | $79,130 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $29.13 | $60,590 | 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 Maryland
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD employs the most truck drivers of the 4 metro areas based in Maryland that BLS publishes, 15,580, at a median $59,460 a year.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 15,580 | $59,460 | $43,580 | $78,770 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 2,360 | $56,310 | $39,100 | $81,340 |
| Salisbury, MD | 540 | $54,360 | $39,430 | $75,500 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 310 | $56,250 | $40,210 | $75,470 |
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 Maryland: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Maryland against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Rhode Island | $60,190 | 3,620 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $59,820 | 4,070 |
| 22 | Ohio | $59,800 | 83,060 |
| 23 | Maryland | $59,360 | 29,150 |
| 24 | Kansas | $58,920 | 24,220 |
| 25 | Montana | $58,870 | 7,830 |
| 26 | Idaho | $58,770 | 15,920 |
The complete ranking is on the Truck drivers (CDL) page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $59,360 | $58,640 |
| Median hourly | $28.54 | $28.19 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $43,670 | $40,140 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $79,130 | $79,380 |
| Employed | 29,150 | 2,062,040 |
Apprenticeships in Maryland
U.S. Department of Labor records list 56 registered apprentices active in Maryland 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, 102 apprentices started, at a median $15.00 an hour across the 102 whose starting wage DOL counts. Of those who completed that year, 10 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 Maryland
Electricians ($73,490) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($65,400) · HVAC technicians ($70,020) · Welders ($60,310) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($106,090) · Elevator installers ($122,260) · Ironworkers ($71,730) · Sheet metal workers ($62,560) · Carpenters ($62,960) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($59,030) · Auto service technicians ($57,520) · Diesel mechanics ($74,790) · Heavy equipment operators ($61,410) · Machinists ($59,810)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Maryland.
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.