# Mississippi Class D License for NEMT Drivers (2027): Who Needs It, the Written Test, and the Fee

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/mississippi-class-d-license/ · Updated 2026-10-06

Mississippi requires a Class D light commercial license, instead of a regular Class R, for anyone paid to drive passengers in a vehicle rated at 26,000 pounds or less that carries up to 15 passengers. Drivers pass the Class D written test at a Driver Service Bureau office, with no road test or medical card. As of October 2026 it costs $29 for four years or $57 for eight.

- Paid passenger driving in a car or van under 26,001 pounds takes a Class D light commercial license in Mississippi, not the regular Class R.
- A driver adds the Class D by passing a written test and a vision exam. There is no road test, no medical card, and no passenger endorsement.
- As of October 2026 the Class D costs $29 for four years or $57 for eight, only $5 or $10 more than a Class R.
- Medicaid rules, Modivcare, and the health plan contracts all ask for a license that is valid for the vehicle each driver drives, and the plans inspect your driver records at least every six months.
- A vehicle designed for more than 15 people, driver included, needs a CDL instead of a Class D.

Mississippi has two everyday driver's licenses. A Class R covers personal driving, and a Class D, which the Department of Public Safety calls Light Commercial, covers driving for business. Any driver you pay to carry riders in a sedan, minivan, or wheelchair van needs the Class D. This guide covers who needs it, how a driver gets it, what it costs, and what Medicaid and the brokers check. For permits, vehicle rules, and the rest of the state's requirements, see the [Mississippi NEMT guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/mississippi/).

## Who needs a Class D license in Mississippi

Section 63-1-5 of the Mississippi Code sets the state's license types: Class R, Class D, the Class A, B, and C commercial licenses, and the interlock-restricted license. A driver may get a Class D in place of a Class R to drive a vehicle rated under 26,001 pounds as a common carrier, contract carrier, taxicab, or passenger coach, among other uses. The Legislature reprinted the section unchanged in House Bill 1003, effective July 1, 2023.

Two definitions in Section 27-19-3 put most NEMT drivers inside that list:

- **Contract carrier.** Anyone who carries passengers for pay on Mississippi highways under special contracts or agreements. A company paid under a broker, health plan, or facility contract fits.
- **Taxicab.** Any passenger vehicle for hire with a manufacturer's seating capacity of 10 or fewer. Most sedans, minivans, and wheelchair vans fit.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) reads the rule the same way. As of October 2026, its Driver Service Bureau page says a Light Commercial Class D is required to drive commercially in a vehicle under 26,000 pounds, such as a vehicle with a commercial logo, a taxicab, a limousine, or any vehicle carrying no more than 15 passengers.

Three limits shape who needs it:

- **Unpaid driving is exempt.** Section 63-1-5 says people driving these vehicles for private purposes or in emergencies need no Class D. A daughter who drives her father to dialysis stays on her Class R.
- **Larger vehicles need a CDL.** The DPS driver's manual, revised January 15, 2025, requires a commercial driver's license for a vehicle designed to carry more than 15 people, counting the driver, or rated over 26,000 pounds. See [do NEMT drivers need a CDL](https://nemtguide.com/guides/do-nemt-drivers-need-a-cdl/) for how seats are counted.
- **Rideshare drivers fall outside those definitions.** Section 77-8-3 says transportation network companies and their drivers are not common or contract carriers and do not provide taxicab service. That section covers drivers who give rides through a rideshare company's app in their own cars, not drivers your company employs.

Driving without the license the law requires is a misdemeanor under Section 63-1-5. The penalty is a fine of $200 to $500, two days to six months in jail, or both.

## What Mississippi Medicaid and the brokers check

None of the Medicaid rules prints the words "Class D." Each one asks for a license that is valid for the vehicle the driver is assigned, and state law makes that a Class D for paid passenger work. Expect these checks:

- **The state rule.** Title 23, Part 201, Rule 2.6, in the version effective August 1, 2026, has the broker make sure every driver is at least 18, holds a current valid license to operate the assigned vehicle, and follows federal, state, and local laws. The broker removes a driver whose license was suspended or revoked for moving violations in the previous five years.
- **The Department of Health permit.** If your company holds Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) vehicle permits, Rule 1.21.3 of the EMS rules, approved October 2025, requires a driving record clearance from DPS at hire and every year, "verifying driving license at the level required" for the vehicles each driver is assigned. Rule 1.21.1 bars a new driver from driving until MSDH approves your updated driver list.
- **Modivcare's file.** Modivcare's Mississippi manual (February 2024) asks for a copy of each driver's current license, replaced at every renewal, and five years of driving records. After a first record goes through Modivcare's credentialing system, every driver must be enrolled in continuous driving record monitoring, which takes the place of a yearly record pull. Two moving violations or at-fault accidents in 36 months remove a driver, and a driver who fails any state or local requirement may not drive Modivcare trips. See [Modivcare in Mississippi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/modivcare/mississippi/).
- **The health plans.** Exhibit E of the MississippiCAN plan contracts, such as Magnolia Health's as amended effective July 1, 2026, has the plan make sure network companies employ drivers who meet or exceed local, state, and federal requirements and Part 201. The plan inspects network companies' employee records at least every six months. As of October 2026, MTM Health arranges rides for all three plans, Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, and TrueCare; see [MTM Health in Mississippi](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/mtm-health/mississippi/).

## How a driver gets a Class D license, step by step

A driver who already holds a Class R adds the Class D with a written test, not a road test. As of October 2026, the Driver Service Bureau's steps are:

1. **Book an appointment** at dps.ms.gov/appointment. The Bureau highly recommends one.
2. **Gather the documents.** The driver brings a completed and signed application (the February 6, 2025 form has a box for Light Commercial Class D), an original birth certificate or other accepted proof of birth date, and a Social Security card or an official document showing all nine digits, such as a returned W-2.
3. **Bring two proofs of residency** no more than 60 days old, each showing the driver's name and a Mississippi street address. A utility bill, bank statement, lease, pay stub, or insurance policy works. P.O. boxes, envelopes, and handwritten letters do not.
4. **Study the Class D chapter,** pages 83 to 87 of the DPS driver's manual. It covers lights and reflectors, mirrors, warning devices, size limits, following distance, and backing up.
5. **Pass the vision exam and the Class D written exam.** The computerized exam has a headset that reads questions and answers aloud for drivers who struggle to read. A driver who needs an interpreter brings one, with the signed Mississippi Interpreter Oath form.
6. **Pay the fee.** Offices take cash, debit, and credit cards, but no personal checks.

There is no road test. As of October 2026, DPS gives no skills test to anyone seeking a regular license, and the Class D needs no medical card and no passenger (P) endorsement.

Two rules from the manual come up on the road. A vehicle for hire carrying passengers must stop at every railroad crossing, 10 to 50 feet from the nearest rail, whether or not lights are flashing. A bus or truck driven at night must carry at least three flares, fuses, electric flares, or reflectors. Modivcare's manual requires three triangular reflectors on stands in every vehicle and bans flares on board, so triangles satisfy both.

### Drivers new to Mississippi or living next door

A driver who moves to Mississippi has 60 days to get a Mississippi license, according to the manual. They surrender the old license and bring a certified birth certificate, an original Social Security card, and two proofs of residency. A valid out-of-state license waives the regular computerized exam, but the Class D page says applicants must pass the Class D written exam.

The manual exempts a nonresident who carries a valid license from their home state. That does not settle the Medicaid question, because Part 201 asks for a license valid for the assigned vehicle, and each state sets its own rule for paid passenger work. MSDH's permit application also lists each driver to be approved by Mississippi driver's license number. Louisiana, for one, requires a Class D chauffeur's license; see [the Louisiana Class D guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/louisiana-class-d-chauffeur-license/). Before you schedule a driver who lives in Alabama, Louisiana, or Tennessee, ask your broker in writing which license it accepts.

## What the Class D costs and how renewal works

As of October 2026, the Driver Service Bureau charges $29 for a four-year Class D and $57 for an eight-year Class D. A Class R costs $24 and $47, so the upgrade adds $5 or $10. Other fees a driver may meet:

- **Duplicate license:** $11.
- **Late renewal:** $1.
- **Certified driving record:** $14.31 online for a driver's own record, or $11 in person or by mail on form DPPA-2, which must be notarized when mailed. The Driver Records Division answers at 601-487-7028.

The driver picks four or eight years. Under Section 63-1-47, the license expires at midnight on the driver's birthday and can be renewed any time in the six months before it expires. DPS's online portal, as of October 2026, renews a Class R or Class D under these terms:

- Every other renewal can be online. The one after that must be in person.
- A license with a Restriction D, which requires a new exam before renewal, cannot be renewed online.
- Online renewal works up to one year after the license expires, with a surcharge.
- The new card is mailed to the driver's home address, so renew early enough to have it before the old one expires.

A license expired for more than 60 months means retaking the written exam. An expired license also fails the "current valid" license rule in Part 201, so the driver comes off Medicaid trips until it is renewed.

## Keep each driver's license file ready

Modivcare inspects each driver's records when you join and every year after, and the health plans must inspect network companies' employee records at least every six months, so build the file as you hire:

1. **A copy of the license,** showing Class D (or a CDL class) and the expiration date. Replace it at every renewal.
2. **A current driving record** at hire. Modivcare asks for five years of history plus ongoing monitoring, and MSDH permit holders need a DPS clearance every year.
3. **An updated MSDH driver list** before a new hire drives, if your company holds MSDH vehicle permits.
4. **The renewal date on your calendar,** with a reminder six months before the driver's birthday in the year the license expires.
5. **The background check and drug screen** the rules require. See [NEMT driver background checks](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-background-check/).

Track it all with the [driver file checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-file-checklist/). To compare Mississippi with other states' driver rules, see [NEMT driver requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-requirements/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do NEMT drivers in Mississippi need a Class D license?

Yes, when you pay them to carry riders. Section 63-1-5 ties the Class D to driving as a contract carrier, common carrier, taxicab, or passenger coach, and the Department of Public Safety says it is required to drive commercially in a vehicle under 26,000 pounds carrying no more than 15 passengers. Medicaid rules ask for a license valid for the vehicle each driver is assigned.

### How much is a Class D license in Mississippi?

As of October 2026, the Driver Service Bureau charges $29 for a four-year Class D and $57 for an eight-year Class D, against $24 and $47 for a regular Class R. Offices take cash, debit, and credit cards, but no personal checks. A late renewal adds $1, and a duplicate license costs $11.

### Is there a road test for a Mississippi Class D license?

No. As of October 2026, the Driver Service Bureau requires no skills test for a regular license, and the Class D page asks only for the Class D written exam. The driver also passes a vision exam. The Class D needs no medical card and no passenger endorsement.

### What is the difference between a Class R and a Class D license in Mississippi?

A Class R covers personal driving. A Class D covers everything a Class R does plus driving commercially, such as carrying paying passengers in a vehicle rated at 26,000 pounds or less. A driver holds one or the other: state law lets an applicant get the Class D in place of the Class R.

### Do I need a CDL to drive a 15-passenger van in Mississippi?

Not if the van is designed for 15 people or fewer, counting the driver, and rated at 26,000 pounds or less. The driver needs a Class D for paid trips. The state driver manual requires a CDL for a vehicle designed for more than 15 people, driver included, or rated over 26,000 pounds.

### Can a driver with an Alabama, Louisiana, or Tennessee license drive NEMT trips in Mississippi?

A nonresident with a valid home-state license is exempt from getting a Mississippi license, according to the state driver manual. Medicaid rules still require a license valid for the assigned vehicle, and each state sets its own license for paid passenger work, so ask the broker in writing which license it accepts before you schedule the driver. A driver who moves to Mississippi must get a Mississippi license within 60 days.

### Can a Mississippi Class D be renewed online?

Yes, every other time. The Department of Public Safety lets a Class R or Class D holder renew online, but the next renewal must be in person. A license with a Restriction D cannot be renewed online. Online renewal works up to one year after the license expires, with a surcharge, and the new card is mailed to the home address.

## Official resources

- [Mississippi DPS: Regular and Light Commercial Class D license requirements](https://www.driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov/Drivers/ClassR)
- [Mississippi DPS: Schedule a driver license appointment](https://www.dps.ms.gov/appointment)
- [Mississippi DPS: Driver's Manual (Class D regulations, pages 83 to 87)](https://www.driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/1.15.2025%20Revised%20MDPS%20Driver%27s%20Manual.pdf)
- [Mississippi DPS: Renew a license or buy a driving record online](https://www.ms.gov/dps/license_renewal/)