Your CDL permit is in addition to the class of licence you had beforehand. So long as you were licenced to drive a car before you got your CDL permit, you can drive your own car while you possess a CDL permit.
18
You're going to have to pay for the permit... no two ways about it. If you take the written tests, the only thing you'll have to pay for until you get an actual CDL is the permit itself, and you can take those tests at the DMV - you don't have to go to a truck driving school for that.
Before you get a CDL, you will. You cannot legally operate any vehicle requiring a CDL on a public roadway without either holding the appropriate class of CDL (plus endorsement when necessary) or the appropriate class of CDL permit while being supervised by a licensed CDL holder.
A CDL does not permit you to operate a motorcycle. You must get a motorcycle endorsement on your licence - regardless of what class or type - to be able to ride a motorcycle.
What type of permit? A CDL permit is, yes. A regular learner's permit is not. As with a full CDL, you're required to maintain a current DOT medical card with a CDL permit.
To drive a cement truck legally, you need a class B CDL (Commercial Drivers License). At 18, you can apply for a class B CDL.
The General Knowledge test is one of the tests you'll need to take in order to get a permit. What other tests you'll needs depends on what class of CDL you're going for, and the nature of the vehicle(s) you'll be operating.
In order to obtain a CDL permit, you have to pass a driving test and get your license. When you get your license for a CDL permit, then you will be ble to drive trailer trucks and/or buses whenever you want to.
You can drive commercial vehicles while supervised by a fully licenced driver.
You need a basic drivers licence before you can upgrade to a CDL. The class of the basic operator's permit varies by state - in some states, it may be Class C, while others will have different classifications for it.
yesAdded: Use caution and check with the DMV's of the states into which you wish to drive. NOT ALL states honor out-of-state drivers permits.