


the driver's family has financial or medical problems the driver needs to get to work or school and has no other practical way of getting to work or school. Hardship licenses for minors are driver's licenses that are restricted to drivers between 14 and 15 (sometimes up to 18) years old who need to drive to and from home and school due to serious hardships, e.g.For instance, Tennessee designates Class D as a regular driver's license, while Class M is a motorcycle license and Class H is a hardship license (see below). Various states differ on what class they utilize to distinguish between a typical driver's license and special licenses, such as restricted, chauffeur, or motorcycle licenses. Unrestricted Licenses are driver's licenses that most American drivers have in order to drive.

Pennsylvania's 1909 licensing laws were the first to give an age restriction ("18 years of age") and the first state to allow 16-year-olds to drive (accompanied by a licensed driver) was Connecticut in 1921. Massachusetts and Missouri were the first US states to require a license for driving a motor vehicle in 1903 however, Missouri did not require testing before a license was granted. In 1899 Chicago and New York City were the first locales to require testing before being allowed to drive a motor vehicle. Many states share a common system of license classes, with some exceptions, and commercial license classes are standardized by federal regulation at 49 C.F.R. A state may also suspend an individual's driving privilege within its borders for traffic violations. Drivers are normally required to obtain a license from their state of residence and all states recognize each other's licenses for temporary visitors subject to normal age requirements. In the United States, driver's licenses are issued by each individual state, territories, and the federal district rather than by the federal government because of the concept of federalism.
