Tennessee CDL third-party tester bonds.
$125 flat.
A Tennessee company that administers CDL skills tests must file a bond with the Department of Safety & Homeland Security to run its third-party testing program. The department currently sets it at $25,000, and ours is $125 flat — the price you see is the checkout price, no credit check.
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How much does a Tennessee CDL third-party tester bond cost?
$125 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with the Department of Safety
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file to activate your third-party tester license. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Tennessee lets approved companies administer the CDL skills test on the state’s behalf as a third-party testing program. Because a bad test puts an unqualified driver behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, the Department of Safety & Homeland Security conditions the program on a bond.
The bond backs the cost of retesting drivers if the third-party company or one of its examiners is involved in fraudulent testing activity. It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Tennessee (the obligee).
By statute the department sets the amount it deems sufficient for retesting — currently $25,000. Government-entity testers are exempt from the bond. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety; programs that test honestly treat the bond as a license formality.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $25,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Department of Safety. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file to activate your third-party tester license. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $125 at the $25,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Department of Safety is waiting on one document.
$125 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.