License types and endorsements — Michigan Permit Test

A chauffeur's license is required if you are employed mainly to drive a vehicle of 10,000 pounds or more, carry passengers or property for hire, or drive a bus or school bus.

Driving for pay puts other people's lives and goods in your hands, so it takes more than a basic license.

A chauffeur’s license is required if you are employed for the principal purpose of operating a motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or more, operating a motor vehicle as a carrier of passengers or as a common or contract carrier of property, or operating a bus or a school bus.

You must be at least 16 to hold a chauffeur's license, and you must pass the written chauffeur's test.

A paid driver has to know more than the basic rules, so there is a separate written test for the job.

Chauffeur’s license: You must be at least age 16.

A commercial driver's license is required for a single vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 26,001 pounds or more.

A vehicle that heavy takes far longer to stop and does far more damage in a crash, so its driver needs special training.

operating a single vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more

A commercial driver's license is required to drive a vehicle designed to carry 16 or more people, including the driver.

A crash in a full bus hurts many people at once, so its driver must hold the license meant for that load.

operating a vehicle designed to transport 16 or more people (including the driver)

To drive commercial vehicles you must be at least 18, and at least 21 to drive across state lines or haul placarded hazardous materials.

Crossing state lines and carrying hazardous loads are the riskiest commercial jobs, so they are kept for older drivers.

You must be at least age 21 to drive a vehicle across state lines or to transport hazardous materials in amounts that require placarding.

Unlicensed teens age 15 or older with parental approval may apply for a moped license, and must pass vision, written knowledge and traffic sign tests.

A moped shares the road with cars, so even a young rider has to show they can see well and know the rules and signs.

Unlicensed teens age 15 or older with parental approval may apply for a moped license at a Secretary of State office.

A motorcycle (CY) endorsement is required to ride a motorcycle on Michigan roads.

A motorcycle handles very differently from a car, and the endorsement shows the rider has been tested on one.

A CY endorsement is required to operate a motorcycle on Michigan roads.

A motorcycle rider education course is required for teens ages 16-17 and for adults who fail the motorcycle skills test twice.

Young riders and riders who keep failing the test are the ones who most need to be taught how to ride safely.

A motorcycle rider education course is required for teens ages 16-17 and for adults who fail the motorcycle skills test twice.

A Recreational Double "R" endorsement is required for a pickup truck pulling a fifth-wheel camper with a second trailer attached behind it.

Two trailers behind a pickup sway and swing wide in ways a single trailer does not, so the driver must be tested for it.

Required for a pickup truck pulling a fifth-wheel trailer designed for recreational living purposes, with a second trailer attached to the rear of the fifth-wheel trailer.

When is a chauffeur's license required?

When you are employed mainly to drive certain vehicles. Driving for pay puts other people's lives and goods in your hands, so it takes more than a basic license. What Every Driver Must Know, p.2: “A chauffeur’s license is required if you are employed for the principal purpose of operating a motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or more, operating a motor vehicle as a carrier of passengers or as a common or contract carrier of property, or operating a bus or a school bus.”