Truck Driver, Tractor-Trailer Licensing

States Licensed

51

of 50 states and D.C.

×

Burden Rank

63rd

for average burdens 1st is worst

=

Combined Rank

12th

for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst

VT NH MA CT RI NJ DE DC MD
Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
↑
Burden increased
↓
Burden decreased
↕
Mixed burden change
N
New license
E
Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
Lower Burden Rank
Higher Burden Rank
No state license

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Definition

Truck drivers drive tractor-trailers (e.g., semis, tankers or trucks with a towing vehicle attachment weighing more than 10,000 pounds) or other large-capacity trucks (e.g., straight or box trucks or trucks with a towing vehicle attachment weighing 10,000 pounds or less) to transport and deliver goods, livestock or materials in liquid, loose or packaged form. They may be required to unload trucks. 1

2022 Snapshot

  • Days lost range from 0 (41 states) to 730 (Rhode Island, West Virginia)
  • Fees range from $18 (New Mexico) to $325 (Washington)
  • 51 states require 1+ exam
  • 51 states set minimum age
  • 0 states set minimum grade

Changes Since 2017

  • No licenses created or removed
  • Fees changed most often and usually increased; Rhode Island and Texas increased exams, while Michigan decreased them
  • Burden rank worsened 2 spots, largely because other occupations improved; combined rank improved 1 spot, largely because a closely ranked occupation got worse

2022 Licensing Burden in Detail

N New License
E Eliminated License
Increase
Decrease

Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.

Additional Resources