The short version
Federal law requires a CDL with a passenger (P) endorsement for any vehicle designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or with a GVWR over 26,000 pounds. Forty-eight states and DC use that line as-is. Two set it lower: California and New Jersey. And fourteen states require something extra — a chauffeur license or for-hire endorsement — for paid drivers of smaller shuttles that don't need a CDL at all.
That last group is where buyers get surprised. A 14-passenger shuttle is non-CDL in all but two states, but "non-CDL" doesn't always mean "any licensed driver." If your drivers are paid and you operate in one of the fourteen, there's a state endorsement to pick up first — including here in Tennessee.
All 50 states, plus DC
The table below covers vehicles under the federal CDL line — the 9-to-15-passenger shuttles and vans most of our customers run with regular-licensed drivers. At 16-plus designed capacity, a CDL with P endorsement is required everywhere; only the two flagged states pull that line down. Verified against state DMV pages and statutes, August 2026.
| State | CDL required at | What paid drivers of smaller shuttles need |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Alaska | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Some cities license taxi drivers locally. |
| Arizona | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. The company needs an ADOT Vehicle for Hire permit. |
| Arkansas Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A "P" endorsement on the regular Class D license to carry passengers for hire — at any vehicle size. |
| California Stricter CDL line | More than 10 people including the driver, when operated for hire or by a nonprofit | The CDL line itself is lower — most shuttle buses over 10 total occupants need a CDL driver here, church and senior-living shuttles included. |
| Colorado | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. Carrier authority runs through the PUC at the business level. |
| Connecticut Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | An "F" public-passenger endorsement for any for-hire passenger vehicle — taxi, livery, or service bus, regardless of size. |
| Delaware | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Taxi and limo licensing is local. |
| Florida | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Some counties register for-hire drivers (Miami-Dade, for one). |
| Georgia Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A For-Hire License Endorsement — or an approved employer background-check certification — for drivers at limo, taxi, and rideshare companies. |
| Hawaii | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Counties run their own taxi permits — check yours. |
| Idaho | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Illinois | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Chicago requires its own Public Chauffeur License for taxi and livery work. |
| Indiana Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A For-Hire Endorsement on the regular license for for-hire vehicles under 16 passengers. Replaced the old chauffeur license in 2017. |
| Iowa Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Class D chauffeur license (endorsement 3) for for-hire passenger vehicles up to 15 passengers — hotel and contract shuttles included. Small taxis and rideshare drivers are exempt. |
| Kansas | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Kentucky | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. The company needs a passenger-carrier certificate from KYTC. |
| Louisiana Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Class D chauffeur license if the for-hire vehicle’s GVWR is 10,001 lb or more. Lighter vans run on a regular Class E. |
| Maine | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. For-hire vehicles carry an insurance filing and a higher registration fee. |
| Maryland Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Public Service Commission passenger-for-hire license for each driver of a for-hire vehicle carrying 15 or fewer. |
| Massachusetts | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide for livery up to 15 passengers. Cities issue their own hackney permits, and vans carrying school pupils trigger the separate 7D certificate. |
| Michigan Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A chauffeur’s license — required for anyone employed principally as a driver or carrying passengers for hire, no matter the vehicle size. |
| Minnesota | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Mississippi | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Missouri | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Montana | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Nebraska | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Nevada Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Nevada Transportation Authority driver’s permit for anyone driving for a regulated passenger carrier — on top of whatever license the vehicle requires. |
| New Hampshire | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| New Jersey Stricter CDL line | 8 or more designed capacity, for hire | The strictest passenger rule in the country: for-hire vehicles designed for 8 or more need a CDL driver with a P endorsement. |
| New Mexico | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| New York Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Class E license for for-hire work in vehicles of 14 passengers or fewer. Carriers under Article 19-A face bus-driver requirements regardless of size. |
| North Carolina | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. A few cities permit for-hire drivers locally. |
| North Dakota | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Ohio | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver — Ohio abolished its chauffeur license. Livery plates and insurance filings sit at the vehicle level. |
| Oklahoma | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. The company needs an intrastate for-hire carrier license from the Corporation Commission. |
| Oregon | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. Passenger carriers need an ODOT permit at the business level. |
| Pennsylvania | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver. Van and paratransit services register with the PUC at the business level. |
| Rhode Island Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A chauffeur license (the "R" designation) to carry passengers for pay in vehicles under 14 passengers. Taxi operations add a separate hackney license. |
| South Carolina | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for shuttle drivers. Taxi and limo businesses are certificated separately. |
| South Dakota | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — regular license. |
| Tennessee Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A For-Hire ("F") endorsement on the regular Class D license when driving passengers is your main job — paid hotel, senior-living, and shuttle drivers included. Volunteers driving a church van don’t trigger it. |
| Texas | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for the driver below 16 passengers. Operating authority and insurance filings apply to 16-plus vehicles; hotel, daycare, and nursing-home shuttles are exempt from that registration. |
| Utah Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A taxi endorsement on the Class D license for for-hire passenger vehicles of 15 or fewer including the driver. |
| Vermont | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Taxi licensing is municipal. |
| Virginia | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — the DMV says it plainly: under 16 passengers, a regular Virginia license is all you need. |
| Washington | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing for shuttle vans. Limousines have their own state chauffeur credential, and taxi rules are set locally. |
| West Virginia Extra license | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | A Class D license — West Virginia’s chauffeur license — for anyone whose primary job is transporting people or property for pay. |
| Wisconsin | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing statewide. Some cities license taxi drivers. |
| Wyoming | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | Nothing — the old chauffeur classification was repealed in 2015. |
| Washington, DC | 16+ designed capacity (federal standard) | The Department of For-Hire Vehicles licenses taxi and limo operators; whether that reaches hotel and senior-living shuttles isn’t spelled out. Call DFHV at (202) 645-7300 before operating. |
What "for hire" means
Nearly every extra requirement in the table attaches to for-hire or paid driving: carrying passengers for compensation, or being employed principally as a driver. A hotel shuttle, a senior-living community van with a paid activity driver, a contract airport run — those are for-hire in most states' eyes even when the rider never hands over cash, because the driver is paid to drive. A volunteer behind the wheel of the church van generally is not. When an operation sits in the gray zone — a paid staff member who drives occasionally as part of a broader job — the state's definition of "principal employment" decides it, and a call to the DMV settles it in five minutes.
Church and nonprofit shuttles
In 49 states, a church or nonprofit running a 14-passenger shuttle with volunteer drivers needs nothing beyond regular licenses. California is the exception: its CDL rule covers vehicles designed for more than 10 people including the driver when operated by a nonprofit, fare or no fare. That's why national organizations that operate in California standardize on 10-or-fewer configurations or hire CDL drivers there. Insurers are the other authority to check — many set their own driver requirements for 15-passenger vehicles regardless of what state law says.
Speccing under the line
This table is the reason the 14-passenger shuttle class exists. Spec at 14 passengers plus driver and you stay under the federal CDL line in 48 states; add the state endorsement where one applies and your regular staff can drive. Our HLE Strykr and the smaller Mavryk configurations are built for exactly this. Go to 16-plus and you're hiring or training CDL drivers — sometimes the right call, but one to make on purpose. The full breakdown is in our CDL guide.
Verified against official state DMV pages and statutes, August 2026. Licensing rules change and local ordinances add wrinkles in some cities and counties — confirm current requirements with your state DMV and your insurer before putting drivers on the road. This page is a buying reference, not legal advice.
Sources — official state pages used for verification
- FMCSA — Commercial Driver's License
- California DMV Commercial Driver Handbook, §4
- New Jersey MVC — Commercial Bus Program (CPCN)
- Tennessee Dept. of Safety — For-Hire (F) Endorsement
- Virginia DMV — CDL Classifications
- West Virginia Code §17B-2-1
- Michigan MCL 257.312e
- Indiana BMV — For-Hire Endorsement
- Iowa DOT — License Types & Endorsements
- Utah DLD — Taxi Endorsement
- Rhode Island DMV — Chauffeur License
- Connecticut DMV — Public Passenger Endorsement
- Georgia DDS — For-Hire Endorsement FAQs
- New York DMV — License Class Descriptions
- Maryland PSC — Passenger Authority FAQs
- TxDMV — Texas Bus Operator Compliance Guide
- Plus the CDL page or statute of each remaining state DMV — full list in our records; ask and we'll share the citation for your state.