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How to become a truck driver in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's DMV issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: a commercial learner permit (valid 180 days) comes first, first-time applicants complete Entry-Level Driver Training, and the DMV receives the federal medical card information electronically after the DOT physical. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Wisconsin earned a median $58,610 a year in May 2025 ($28.18 an hour).
Truck driver licensing in Wisconsin
The licensing authority is Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). 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 Permit (CLP) | Have a DOT physical (FMCSA sends the medical card information to the DMV electronically within 48 hours) and pass the CDL knowledge tests for the class; the knowledge tests are free. The CLP is valid 180 days and costs $30; hold it at least 14 days before the road tests. | — | CDL knowledge tests | $30 |
| 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 | Pass the Class A skills tests (vehicle inspection, basic skills, road test) with a third-party examiner, whose fee is separate. The original CDL costs $74, prorated for the time left on your Wisconsin driver license. | — | CDL skills tests (third-party examiner) | $74, prorated to the license term |
Renewal. Every eight years ($74, includes Class D).
Licensing sources: Wisconsin DMV: requirements to obtain a CDL (retrieved 2026-09-23) · Wisconsin DMV: fees (retrieved 2026-09-23) · FMCSA ELDT Applicability (retrieved 2026-09-23) · 49 CFR 383.23 (commercial driver's license required) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Requirements change; confirm with Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) 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 Wisconsin?
Wisconsin's DMV issues the CDL under federal FMCSA rules: a commercial learner permit (valid 180 days) comes first, first-time applicants complete Entry-Level Driver Training, and the DMV receives the federal medical card information electronically after the DOT physical.
What does it cost to get licensed as a truck driver in Wisconsin?
The published fee in the table above is $30. 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 Wisconsin?
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 Wisconsin?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Wisconsin earned a median $58,610 a year in May 2025, $28.18 an hour. That median is about the same as the national figure of $58,640, and Wisconsin ranks 29 of 51 by pay for this trade.
What truck drivers earn in Wisconsin
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Wisconsin earned a median $58,610 a year in May 2025, $28.18 an hour. 53,330 people held the job, 18.1 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is about the same as the national figure of $58,640, and Wisconsin ranks 29 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Wisconsin
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.59 | $44,920 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $23.75 | $49,400 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $28.18 | $58,610 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $30.71 | $63,870 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $36.72 | $76,380 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $28.31 | $58,890 | 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 Wisconsin
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI employs the most truck drivers of the 13 metro areas based in Wisconsin that BLS publishes, 10,250, at a median $59,580 a year. The best-paid is Kenosha, WI at $61,610.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 10,250 | $59,580 | $45,300 | $77,940 |
| Green Bay, WI | 4,860 | $59,810 | $45,890 | $74,370 |
| Madison, WI | 4,160 | $59,700 | $44,110 | $77,750 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 2,100 | $60,300 | $47,000 | $81,470 |
| Appleton, WI | 1,980 | $58,730 | $46,440 | $75,510 |
| Janesville-Beloit, WI | 1,670 | $59,800 | $45,470 | $74,500 |
| Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 1,620 | $59,790 | $45,710 | $76,820 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 1,610 | $59,490 | $45,790 | $76,660 |
| Eau Claire, WI | 1,480 | $57,220 | $42,600 | $75,200 |
| Wausau, WI | 1,460 | $58,520 | $45,360 | $74,260 |
| Kenosha, WI | 1,260 | $61,610 | $46,470 | $77,840 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | 1,030 | $57,730 | $46,270 | $82,150 |
| Sheboygan, WI | 970 | $56,820 | $47,010 | $76,840 |
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 Wisconsin: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI and Duluth, MN-WI.
Wisconsin against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Idaho | $58,770 | 15,920 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $58,690 | 6,470 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $58,620 | 64,890 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $58,610 | 53,330 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $58,580 | 87,550 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $58,390 | 23,160 |
| 32 | Arizona | $58,080 | 40,150 |
The complete ranking is on the Truck drivers (CDL) page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Wisconsin | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $58,610 | $58,640 |
| Median hourly | $28.18 | $28.19 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $44,920 | $40,140 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $76,380 | $79,380 |
| Employed | 53,330 | 2,062,040 |
Apprenticeships in Wisconsin
U.S. Department of Labor records list 38 registered apprentices active in Wisconsin 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, 47 apprentices started; 47 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 11 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Wisconsin
Electricians ($76,540) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($81,210) · HVAC technicians ($61,710) · Welders ($58,410) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($105,820) · Elevator installers ($77,640) · Ironworkers ($92,820) · Sheet metal workers ($77,760) · Carpenters ($61,660) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($80,120) · Auto service technicians ($54,350) · Diesel mechanics ($62,450) · Heavy equipment operators ($75,280) · Machinists ($59,110)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Wisconsin.
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.