Do you need a CDL to drive a garbage truck? Usually, a Class B
A garbage truck's weight rating decides which license the driver needs. Who runs the truck, a private hauler or a city, decides which of the other federal qualification rules apply.
Written by Inely Baez
The rules in numbers
Yes, in most cases. You need a CDL to drive a garbage truck whenever its gross vehicle weight rating is 26,001 pounds or more, which makes it a Class B vehicle under 49 CFR 383.91. A combination towing a unit rated over 10,000 pounds needs a Class A. Lighter trucks may need no CDL.
Most questions about garbage truck drivers start and end with the license. In a refuse operation, the license is only the first qualification, and the ones that lapse are the ones nobody owns: a medical certificate, an annual record review, a Clearinghouse query.
I lead operations at Simplex, and I treat driver qualification as a process with checkpoints and dates, not a one-time hiring event. This guide follows that process from the permit to the annual review.
The full briefing, read aloud
8 chapters. Select one to jump to it.
Generated with AI text-to-speech from this article's key insights, in order, rather than reading it word for word. Chapter times come from a transcript of the audio. The article itself was written and reviewed by Inely Baez.
Key takeaways
Weight decides the class
A single truck rated 26,001 pounds or more is Class B. A combination towing a unit rated over 10,000 pounds is Class A.
First-time drivers need registered training
Since February 7, 2022, first-time Class A and B applicants must train with a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry before the skills test.
Test in the truck you will drive
Testing in an automatic, or without air brakes, puts a restriction on the license that can rule out the fleet's trucks.
City crews are exempt from most rules, not all
Government fleets are excepted from most federal safety rules, but not from the CDL or drug and alcohol testing.
Private haulers carry the full file
Interstate haulers need drivers aged 21 or older, a driver qualification file, medical certification, and Clearinghouse queries.
In this articleContents
Do you need a CDL to drive a garbage truck?
You need a CDL to drive a garbage truck when the truck crosses a federal weight threshold, not because of the job itself. Under 49 CFR 383.91, the license class follows the vehicle's weight rating and what it tows.
| Configuration | Weight test | License |
|---|---|---|
| Single truck: rear, side, or front loader, or roll-off | GVWR of 26,001 lb or more | Class B |
| Single truck towing a light trailer | Truck 26,001 lb or more; trailer rated 10,000 lb or less | Class B |
| Combination, such as a tractor and transfer trailer | Combined 26,001 lb or more; towed unit over 10,000 lb | Class A |
| Lighter truck, no placarded hazmat | Below both thresholds | No CDL under Part 383 |
Minnesota's driver licensing division lists garbage trucks among its examples of Class B vehicles. For a specific truck, read the GVWR on the manufacturer's certification label, which 49 CFR 567.4 places by the driver's door. The CDL rule counts the rating or the actual weight, whichever is greater.
The same weight logic applies to other vocational trucks, with different equipment and duties. See our guides to dump truck driver qualifications and tow truck driver qualifications.
Which endorsements and restrictions apply?
Endorsements follow the vehicle and the load, not the job title. A garbage truck is a single straight truck without a cargo tank, so the tank and double/triple endorsements do not apply. The hazardous materials endorsement is needed only when the load requires placards.
Restrictions matter more. Under 49 CFR 383.95, the state restricts the license when the skills test truck doesn't match what the driver will run:
- Air brakes: failing the air brake knowledge test, or testing in a vehicle without air brakes, bars any air-braked truck
- Full air brakes: testing in a vehicle with air-over-hydraulic brakes bars trucks with full air brakes
- Manual transmission: testing in an automatic bars any truck with a clutch-operated manual transmission
Test in a truck with the same brakes and transmission as the route trucks, and the license will fit the fleet.
How do you become a garbage truck driver?
To become a garbage truck driver, you get a learner's permit, complete entry-level training, pass the CDL skills test in a representative truck, and meet the medical standard. Employers then add their own screening.
Step 1: Get a commercial learner's permit
You must be at least 18, pass the general knowledge test for the vehicle group, and prove domicile in the issuing state, under 49 CFR 383.71. Take the air brake knowledge test too if the route trucks have air brakes.
Step 2: Complete entry-level driver training
Anyone getting a Class A or B CDL for the first time since February 7, 2022 must complete theory and behind-the-wheel training from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry, within one year of starting. Our guide to entry-level driver training goes deeper.
Step 3: Practice with a CDL holder, then test
A permit holder may drive on public roads only with a properly licensed CDL holder in the front seat, and can't take the skills test in the first 14 days after the permit is issued. The skills test must be taken in a vehicle representative of the one you will drive.
Step 4: Pass the DOT physical
Drivers subject to Part 391 need an exam by a medical examiner on FMCSA's National Registry, repeated at least every 24 months under 49 CFR 391.45. Some conditions, such as insulin-treated diabetes, require a new exam every 12 months.
On pay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $49,690 in May 2025 for refuse and recyclable material collectors, and notes that those who drive trucks above a certain capacity must hold a CDL.
Do city garbage truck drivers follow the same rules?
Not all of them. Transportation performed by a federal, state, or local government is excepted from most federal motor carrier safety regulations under 49 CFR 390.3T(f)(2). The CDL and drug and alcohol testing rules are the exception to that exception.
Section 383.3(b) says those exceptions do not apply to the CDL rules, and section 382.103(c) says the same for drug and alcohol testing. A city refuse driver needs the same CDL, and belongs in a testing program and the Clearinghouse, just like a private hauler's driver.
| Requirement | Private hauler, interstate | City or county fleet |
|---|---|---|
| CDL and entry-level training (Parts 383, 380) | Required | Required |
| Drug and alcohol testing and Clearinghouse (Part 382) | Required | Required |
| Qualification file, medical certificate, age 21 (Part 391) | Required | Not federally required |
| Hours of service (Part 395) | Required | Not federally required |
The difference shows up on the CDL application. Every applicant self-certifies one of four operating categories under 49 CFR 383.71(b)(1), and a driver whose work is excepted under 390.3(f) certifies an excepted category, so the federal medical certificate requirement does not follow automatically.
The exception covers transportation the government performs itself. A private hauler working under a city contract is performing the transportation, so it should not assume the exception applies.
What must a private hauler check before a driver's first route?
Before a new driver runs a route for an interstate private hauler, Parts 391 and 382 require the checks below. Each one leaves a record in the driver qualification file or the testing records, and an auditor will ask to see it.
- Basic qualifications: at least 21, enough English for the road and for officials, one valid license, and not disqualified, under 49 CFR 391.11
- Driving record: an MVR from every state that licensed the driver in the past 3 years, within 30 days of hire
- Past employers: safety performance history from DOT-regulated employers over the preceding 3 years
- Road test: a road test certificate, or a CDL the carrier accepts as equivalent
- Medical status: for CDL holders, the state driver record showing medical certification, under 49 CFR 391.51
- Drug test and Clearinghouse: a verified negative pre-employment test and a full Clearinghouse query before any safety-sensitive work, under 49 CFR 382.701
Since June 23, 2025, CDL and permit holders no longer need to carry a medical certificate, so the state driver record is the proof the carrier files. Our DQF checklist lists every document, and our Clearinghouse guide covers consent and queries.
Haulers that operate only within one state follow their state's version of these rules. Under 49 CFR 350.305(e), states may not qualify intrastate commercial drivers younger than 18.
What keeps a garbage truck driver qualified?
Qualification doesn't end at hire. For a private hauler, four clocks keep running, and each needs an owner and a date on a calendar. A city fleet still owns the two testing clocks.
- Every 12 months: pull a new MVR, review it, and file a note with the reviewer's name and the date
- Every 12 months: run at least a limited Clearinghouse query on every driver
- Every 24 months at most: medical recertification, sooner for some conditions
- All year: random drug and alcohol testing, with drivers selected by a scientifically valid method
The state watches too. Since November 18, 2024, a state told that a driver is prohibited in the Clearinghouse must remove the CDL privilege within 60 days, under 49 CFR 383.73(q). Private haulers keep each driver's file for as long as the driver works for them and 3 years after.
Do garbage truck drivers need an ELD?
Often not. Under the short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), a driver needs no record of duty status when they stay within 150 air miles of the work reporting location, are released within 14 hours, and get 10 hours off between shifts. The carrier must keep time records for 6 months.
The exception removes the log, not the rest of Part 395. On a day the driver misses a condition, such as returning after 14 hours, the exception doesn't apply, and that day needs a record of duty status.
How Simplex helps you qualify refuse drivers
Hiring checks, testing, and the dates that follow them. We help with each one.
Driver qualification files
We help build and maintain the driver qualification file for each driver, so every hiring check and renewal is on record.
Drug and alcohol testing
Our drug screen compliance service helps you arrange driver drug tests and keep your testing program on schedule.
A program that keeps checking
Our compliance programs include driver qualification file management, CSA monitoring, mock audits, and HOS management.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a CDL to drive a trash truck?+
What CDL do you need to drive a garbage truck?+
How old do you have to be to drive a garbage truck?+
Do garbage truck drivers need a hazmat endorsement?+
Do city garbage truck drivers get drug tested?+
Where this information comes from
The requirements below come from federal regulation, a state licensing agency, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked on September 24, 2026.
-
1
eCFR — 49 CFR 383.91
CDL vehicle groups: the Class A, B, and C weight thresholds.
-
2
eCFR — 49 CFR 383.95
Air brake, full air brake, and manual transmission restrictions.
-
3
eCFR — 49 CFR 380.603
Who must complete entry-level driver training, and the February 7, 2022 start date.
-
4
eCFR — 49 CFR 390.3T
The exception for transportation performed by federal, state, and local governments.
-
5
eCFR — 49 CFR 382.103
Drug and alcohol testing applies to government employers despite that exception.
-
6
eCFR — 49 CFR 391.11
General driver qualifications, including the age 21 minimum.
-
7
eCFR — 49 CFR 395.1
The 150 air-mile short-haul exception for local routes.
-
8
Minnesota DVS — CDL Class B
A state licensing agency listing garbage trucks as Class B vehicles.
Written by
Inely Baez
Chief Operating Officer, Simplex Group
Chief Operating Officer at Simplex Group, with nearly eight years at the company leading operational strategy and execution across compliance, technology, logistics, and performance systems. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a background spanning operations and finance, including leadership roles within Simplex's Freight 4 U division and Velox Transport Solutions. Her work focuses on building scalable, disciplined systems that support long-term performance and growth.
Published · Updated
Related articles and services
Qualify the driver, then keep them qualified
The license gets a driver into the cab. The dates behind it, from the physical to the annual record review and the Clearinghouse, decide whether that driver is still qualified next year.
If you want help setting up driver files and testing for a refuse fleet, talk to our team.