Chauffeur licenses and for-hire endorsements: which states require them for NEMT drivers

What a chauffeur license covers

A chauffeur license, for-hire class, or for-hire endorsement is a state license for people paid to drive others in vehicles that sit below the commercial driver’s license line. It exists only in state law, so the answer changes at every border. Some states have a full license class for paid driving. Some add an endorsement to the ordinary license. Others have neither, and in those states the standard license covers a sedan or wheelchair van on paid trips.

It is separate from the CDL. The CDL line is federal. It starts at a design seating of 16 occupants, driver included, or a weight rating of 26,001 pounds, and every state issues CDLs to that single standard. A chauffeur class covers the paid driving underneath that line, which is where most NEMT vehicles sit. The guide to CDL rules for NEMT drivers covers the vehicle thresholds.

States with a chauffeur or for-hire requirement

Each of the six states below has a class or endorsement that reaches paid passenger driving in vehicles a NEMT company uses.

Michigan

Michigan’s Vehicle Code defines a chauffeur as a person who operates a vehicle as a motor carrier of passengers under the Motor Bus Transportation Act, a person who drives a bus or school bus, or a person employed mainly to drive a vehicle rated at 10,000 pounds or more (MCL 257.6). The Motor Bus Transportation Act treats any vehicle seating 9 or more, driver included, that carries passengers for hire as a bus (MCL 474.103). A company offering for-hire rides in vans of that size can fall inside the definition. The Act does not reach local governments, transit authorities, or some 501(c)(3) nonprofits whose rides are limited to members or funded through state transportation programs (MCL 474.104), so confirm your operation falls under it before relying on this route.

The statute excludes taxicab, limousine, and transportation network company drivers, ambulance crews, and volunteer program drivers who receive only reimbursement for vehicle operating costs.

Getting the license is simple for someone already licensed. The Department of State’s guide TS-025 (January 2025) lists a written test at any Secretary of State office, no driving test unless the person has never been licensed, and a fee of $35 for the standard license or $50 for the enhanced version. The guide describes the requirement in broader terms than the statute, as anyone who operates a vehicle as a carrier of passengers. For a sedan or minivan under 9 seats, ask the Department of State for a written answer.

Iowa

Iowa’s definition is the broadest in this list. A chauffeur is anyone who operates a motor vehicle carrying persons for wages, compensation, or hire (Iowa Code 321.1(8)), and a Class D license is the one valid for driving as a chauffeur (321.189). The exclusions that matter for NEMT are owners whose driving is occasional and incidental to the main business, ambulance and rescue attendants, home care aides driving in the course of their duties, and state health and human services staff authorized to transport clients.

For NEMT, the Iowa DOT’s version is a Class D with endorsement 3, which covers smaller for-hire passenger vehicles built to seat no more than 15, the driver among them. The driver must be at least 18. A driver who already holds a valid Iowa license takes no knowledge or road test but must pass a vision screening and have a clear driving record for the previous two years. A CDL holder does not need the separate Class D to drive as a chauffeur.

Missouri

Missouri’s statute tells the Director of Revenue to classify anyone who drives people or property and is paid by wage, salary, commission, or fare (RSMo 302.015(1)). The Missouri Driver Guide (revised August 2026) calls this the Class E for-hire license, available at 18, and lists paid driving with up to 14 passengers aboard among the reasons to get it, naming a day care driver as an example.

The Class E written exam draws mainly on the guide’s commercial vehicle chapter, and applicants also pass vision and road sign tests. A driver who already holds Missouri’s regular Class F license skips the driving test. The guide lists the fee as $24 for a license of up to 3 years or $48 for up to 6. Under RSMo 387.438, rideshare and taxicab drivers are excused from the Class E when their vehicle weighs no more than 12,000 pounds.

Tennessee

Tennessee puts an F endorsement on the Class D license of anyone whose main work is driving people or goods. The Department of Safety’s examples include taxi and shuttle drivers. Applicants must be at least 18, have driven for two years without restrictions, and pass both an eye check and the for-hire written test, then pay $4.50. Volunteers driving passenger vehicles do not need it. The Department also notes that an employer may require the endorsement for insurance or safety reasons even where the law does not.

New York

New York’s ordinary Class D license is not valid for a vehicle carrying passengers for hire. Class E covers the same vehicles when they carry up to 14 passengers for hire (VTL 501(2)(a)(iv) and (v)). Class E stops short of two vehicle types: anything defined as a bus in Article 19-A (VTL 509-a), and a stretched limousine seating 9 or more.

That bus exclusion is the one that matters for wheelchair vans. To bill New York Medicaid as an ambulette, a company must operate under state DOT carrier authority, and every vehicle run under that authority is a bus under VTL 509-a(1)(b). Class E therefore does not cover an ambulette, and VTL 501 attaches bus driving to the passenger (P) endorsement, which the CDL guide covers in detail. Class E fits sedan and livery work outside Article 19-A. The New York state guide covers the state’s other provider rules.

West Virginia

West Virginia’s Class D goes to drivers 18 or older, licensed at least a year, whose primary work is paid transport of people or goods in vehicles below the CDL line. The same section says that wherever state law mentions a chauffeur’s license, it means a Class A, B, C, or D license (W. Va. Code 17B-2-1(c)(2)). One exception matters for NEMT: a driver of a vehicle registered as a Class A motor vehicle under 17A-10-1, with a weight rating under 8,001 pounds, does not need the Class D. Check how each van is registered before deciding who needs the upgrade.

Exemptions that come up in NEMT

The exemptions differ by state, and the wording matters.

A NEMT company is not a taxi company just because a sedan does the driving. Where a state exempts taxi drivers, check whether your vehicles are licensed and permitted as taxis, not just whether they look like one.

What brokers and Medicaid programs ask for

Even in states with no chauffeur class, broker contracts tie the license to the vehicle and the job. A few examples from current documents:

• MTM’s standard provider agreement (January 1, 2023, posted by Pennsylvania DHS) requires every driver to hold a current, valid license appropriate for the services, for the type of vehicle, and for state and municipal requirements, with a copy provided at credentialing. Drivers and attendants must be at least 21.
• MTM’s Virginia provider handbook (approved August 10, 2026) sets the floor at age 21 and two years of driving, with a valid license for whichever vehicle the driver is given.
• Medi Trans, the broker for Louisiana Healthcare Connections, asks for proof that each driver is at least 21 with a valid Class D, CDL, or equivalent license from the driver’s home state.
• CareOregon’s provider manual (February 2024) requires a license of the appropriate class with any endorsements the vehicle needs.
• MART’s provider standards in Massachusetts (revised July 1, 2025) require drivers aged 19 or older with a valid Massachusetts license, or one from a neighboring state, suited to the vehicle, and at least 1 year of driving experience that includes multi-passenger vehicles.

Lapsed paperwork costs money. MTM’s Virginia handbook lists lost payment for trips run by drivers with expired documents among the results of letting credentials slide, along with fewer trips and a performance improvement plan. The driver requirements guide covers the rest of the driver file.

Checking a state that is not listed

For any other state, four steps settle it:

1. Read the license class chapter of the state driver manual, looking for a class or endorsement for driving “for hire” or “as a chauffeur.”
2. Read the statute’s definitions. The word “chauffeur” often appears in the vehicle code’s definitions section, sometimes long after the state stopped issuing a separate card.
3. Ask the licensing agency in writing, describing the vehicle (seats, weight rating, wheelchair positions) and the fact that drivers are paid.
4. Check local permits. Some cities and counties license for-hire drivers on their own, on top of the state license.

The overview of NEMT license requirements shows where driver licensing fits among the company, vehicle, and Medicaid permits.

Building it into hiring

Treat the license class as a hiring requirement, not a paperwork task after the offer:

• Check the card and the driving record. The license card shows the class and endorsements, and the motor vehicle record shows whether the license is valid today.
• Put it in the job posting. A candidate without the class may need a written test and a trip to the licensing office, which can delay a start date.
• Pay for the upgrade. Fees are small, from $4.50 for Tennessee’s endorsement to $48 for a six-year Missouri Class E, and covering them removes a reason for a good candidate to wait.
• Track expiration dates. The class or endorsement is part of the license, so an expired license takes it with it.

The driver file checklist lists the documents to keep for each driver.

Keeping license classes current in HealthRide

Record each driver’s license, class, and endorsement in HealthRide as a credential with its expiration date, and HealthRide reminds you before it runs out. If a required credential has expired, dispatch sees a warning when assigning that driver, so a lapsed license is caught before the trip. Driver and vehicle records sit together in fleet management.