Dallas–Fort Worth
Regional freight & delivery
Move freight between distribution centers in a tractor-trailer or bring local deliveries to stores in a heavy straight truck.
Find your DPS office.
Licensing offices, CDL test sites and court references by city.
Royse City · Experienced drivers
Bring your driving experience to Royse City.
If you already know your vehicle, a few focused days away from home may fit your schedule better than a full school term. Use the time to get familiar with the test truck and demonstrate the skills your CDL requires.
See the schedule & cost comparisonTexas career guide
CDL jobs across Texas.
See where Texas drivers work, what they haul and which vehicle guide to explore.
Texas job outlook
Projected annual openings through 2034
These three occupations are ordered by projected annual openings, including turnover, using Texas Career Check estimates. The regional photos below show examples of work within those occupations.
Houston & the Gulf Coast
Port container driver
Pick up a loaded container at a terminal and move it by truck to a warehouse. Drivers call these short port runs drayage.
Midland–Odessa · Permian Basin
Oilfield haul driver
Deliver pipe, sand, equipment or tank loads to well sites. The trailer and cargo determine which qualifications an employer needs.
Panhandle & Gulf Coast
Grain hauler
During harvest, take grain from fields to elevators, storage sites or mills. This photo shows rice being loaded near El Campo.
Laredo & El Paso
Border freight driver
Move trailers between a port of entry, a transfer yard and an inland customer. Some routes stay on the Texas side of the border.
East Texas · Piney Woods
Timber haul driver
Pick up cut timber at a logging site and deliver it to a sawmill or pulp mill. In East Texas, these routes connect forest roads with mill yards.
Austin & Texas metro areas
Transit bus operator
Drive scheduled routes, serve designated stops and help passengers board and exit. Intercity routes connect communities over longer distances.
School districts statewide
School bus driver
Follow a school route, watch each student board and exit, and operate the bus between neighborhoods and campuses.
More ways to use a CDL.
Hotshot
Move time-sensitive freight with a truck and trailer. Tell the office which combination you plan to drive.
Compare vehicle classes ↗Flatbed & heavy haul
Carry equipment, steel or building materials on open trailers. For oversized loads, start with Texas route and permit guidance.
Carrier permits ↗Tanker & hazmat
Deliver liquid or bulk freight. The vehicle, tanks and cargo determine which endorsements apply.
HazMat & TWIC fingerprinting ↗Dump & concrete
Move aggregate to a construction site in a dump truck or deliver concrete in a mixer. Check the configuration of the truck you want to operate.
Straight truck guide ↗Refrigerated freight
Move temperature-sensitive food and other cargo between producers, distribution centers and stores.
Tractor-trailer guide ↗Livestock transport
Haul livestock among farms, ranches and markets in a trailer designed for the animals you carry.
Tractor-trailer guide ↗Refuse & recycling
Drive a collection route serving homes or businesses, with frequent stops and specialized loading equipment.
Straight truck guide ↗Charter & motorcoach
Carry groups on charter trips or drive longer routes between cities. Review the passenger vehicle and endorsement you need.
Passenger bus guide ↗Employment sources & photo credits
The annual figures link to Texas Career Check occupation profiles. Regional descriptions draw on the following freight studies.
- North Central Texas Council of Governments
- TxDOT Houston truck mobility study
- TxDOT Permian Basin freight plan
- TxDOT Ports-to-Plains corridor study
- TxDOT statewide freight plan
- Texas A&M Transportation Institute timber study
Career photography
Photos are resized and framed for the website.
- Tractor-trailer driver in Arlington — U.S. Department of Agriculture · Public domain
- Hudson ISD school buses — Natisyes3 · CC BY 4.0
- Capital Metro bus in Austin — i-Ride Capital Metro · CC BY 2.0
- Regional freight tractor-trailer in Arlington — U.S. Department of Agriculture · Public domain
- Barbours Cut container terminal, Houston Ship Channel — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
- Rice harvest near El Campo — USDAgov · Public domain
- Commercial truck inspection in El Paso — CBP Photography · Public domain
- Pine timber harvest in Nacogdoches County — USDA NRCS Texas · Public domain
- Austin Capital Metro bus — Matthew Rutledge · CC BY 2.0
- Dell City ISD school bus — WhisperToMe · CC0
- Texas tanker photograph supplied by Get Your CDL Quick!
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Royse City, Texas
Know what to bring to test day.
Work through your permit, theory and vehicle requirements before you make the trip. In Royse City, our office can help you select the individual vehicle services you need.
Review the skills testGet Your CDL Quick!
Texas test vehicles.
Explore trucks and buses for your chosen license class.
See the fleet
Texas CDL training choices
Which next step fits your experience?
A new driver looking for a CDL school, a permit holder who needs behind-the-wheel ELDT and an experienced driver renting a test truck are making three different decisions. Start with the question that fits your trip.