Florida License Types: Classes, CDLs, Endorsements, and IDs

Florida’s driver’s license types fall into two broad groups: the Class E license that covers everyday personal vehicles, and the Class A, B, and C commercial driver licenses for heavier or specialized vehicles. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) also issues learner’s permits, motorcycle endorsements, and non-driver identification cards. Which credential you need depends on the weight and purpose of the vehicle you plan to drive.¹

Class E License

The Class E is the standard Florida driver’s license and what most residents carry. It covers non-commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) under 26,001 pounds. That includes passenger cars, pickup trucks, 15-passenger vans, recreational vehicles, and two- or three-wheel vehicles with engines of 50cc or less, such as mopeds. Farmers and authorized emergency vehicle operators who are exempt from commercial licensing still need a Class E.¹

Applicants under 18 must be at least 16 and must have held a learner’s permit for 12 months (or until their 18th birthday, whichever comes first) with no moving violation convictions during that period. A parent or guardian signs the Certification of Minor Driving Experience Form confirming at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night. Every applicant, regardless of age, has to pass a driving skills road test.²

A first Class E license costs $48.00, and a $6.25 service fee may apply at tax collector offices.³ On your first in-office visit you’ll need original documents proving your identity and date of birth, your Social Security number, and two documents showing your Florida residential address, all required under the federal REAL ID Act.⁴

Nighttime Driving Curfews for Teens

Getting a Class E license at 16 or 17 doesn’t lift every restriction. Graduated Driver License rules impose nighttime curfews that loosen with age:

At 16, you may drive only between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
At 17, you may drive only between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.

Both curfews are suspended if you’re driving to or from work or if a licensed driver age 21 or older is in the vehicle with you.²

Class E Learner’s Permit

The learner’s permit is a Class E credential and the first step for new drivers. You can apply at age 15. Applicants under 18 must first complete the Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course; those 18 and older can take either the DETS course or the older Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course.⁵ After the course, you’ll pass a vision and hearing screening and the 50-question Class E knowledge exam, which requires at least 40 correct answers (80 percent). Applicants under 18 may take the knowledge exam online through approved third-party administrators with a notarized Parent Proctoring Form.⁶

Permit holders may drive only during daylight for the first three months. After that, driving is allowed until 10 p.m. A licensed driver who is at least 21 years old must sit in the front passenger seat at all times.⁷

School attendance matters here. If you’re under 18, keeping your permit or license depends on being enrolled in a public school, private school, home education program, or GED program and meeting attendance requirements. A district report of noncompliance triggers a suspension until you turn 18 or return to compliance.⁸

Commercial Driver Licenses: Class A, B, and C

Heavy trucks, large buses, and vehicles carrying hazardous materials require a Commercial Driver License (CDL). Florida divides CDLs into three classes based on vehicle weight and configuration.

Class A

A Class A license covers any combination of vehicles with a combined GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit weighs more than 10,000 pounds. This is the license for tractor-trailers and other heavy combination rigs.⁹

Class B

A Class B license is for a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more. You can also tow a lighter unit weighing 10,000 pounds or less. Straight trucks and large buses fall into this category.⁹

Class C

A Class C CDL applies to vehicles under 26,001 pounds GVWR that are either designed to carry 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or used to haul hazardous materials in amounts that require federal placarding.¹⁰

Commercial Learner’s Permit and Skills Test

Before taking the CDL skills test you must obtain a Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP). Federal regulations require you to hold the CLP for at least 14 days before you’re eligible for the skills exam. The skills test has three parts: a pre-trip vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control, and an on-road driving test.¹⁰

CDL holders operating commercially in interstate commerce must carry a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate and self-certify to the DHSMV which type of commercial driving they do, choosing from interstate non-excepted, interstate excepted, intrastate non-excepted, or intrastate excepted. If your category requires a medical exam, submit each new certificate to the DHSMV before the current one expires.¹¹

CDL Endorsements

Specialized vehicles and cargo types require endorsements added to a CDL, each with its own knowledge test and sometimes a skills test.

H – Hazardous Materials: vehicles transporting hazardous materials in placarded amounts.
N – Tanker: tank vehicles designed to carry 1,000 or more gallons of liquid or gas.
P – Passengers: vehicles designed to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver.
S – School Bus: commercial vehicles transporting students to and from school or school events (common-carrier buses are not covered).
T – Double/Triple Trailers: combination vehicles pulling double or triple trailers.
X – Combined Hazmat and Tanker: combines H and N into a single credential.

Motorcycle Endorsement and Motorcycle Only License

To ride a motorcycle or motor scooter with an engine larger than 50cc, you need either a motorcycle endorsement added to your existing license or a standalone Motorcycle Only license. Motor scooters fall under Florida’s motorcycle definition, so anything above 50cc requires the endorsement.¹²

Every first-time motorcycle applicant must complete a Basic RiderCourse (BRC) or its updated version (BRCu) through an authorized sponsor of the Florida Rider Training Program. Completing the course can exempt you from the motorcycle skills test, but the course completion card must be presented within one year. If you already hold a Class E, A, B, or C license, the motorcycle authorization is added as an endorsement; without any driver’s license, you can get the Motorcycle Only credential. Riders who plan to operate only three-wheeled motorcycles can take a 3-Wheel Basic Rider Course and receive an “S” restriction limiting them to that vehicle type. Autocycles do not require a motorcycle endorsement at all.¹²

Florida Identification Card

If you don’t drive but need official state-issued ID, the Florida Identification Card is available to anyone age 5 or older. The fee is $25.00, plus a possible $6.25 service fee at tax collector offices.³ People experiencing financial hardship who present a valid Florida voter registration card can get the ID at no charge, as can individuals who are homeless.¹³

Veteran Designation

Veterans can have the word “Veteran” printed on a driver’s license or ID card by presenting a DD Form 214, a VA health identification card, a VA identification card issued under the Veterans Identification Card Act of 2015, or another form specified by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. If you aren’t making other changes, the replacement credential with the veteran designation is issued at no extra charge.¹⁴ Veterans with a 100-percent total and permanent service-connected disability rating are eligible for a no-fee license or ID card.¹³

Moving to Florida

New residents have 30 days from establishing residency to obtain a Florida driver’s license. Residency is triggered by accepting employment, enrolling your children in public school, registering to vote, filing for a homestead tax exemption, or living in the state for more than six consecutive months.¹⁵ If you surrender a valid non-commercial license from another U.S. state or territory, the knowledge and driving skills exams are waived.

Two groups of nonresidents are exempt from the 30-day rule even if they work in Florida: people domiciled in another state who commute across the border for work, and full-time college students enrolled in an accredited institution. Both may drive on a valid out-of-state license for as long as the commute or enrollment lasts.¹⁶ Active-duty military personnel stationed in Florida and their immediate family members may continue using a valid out-of-state license, though they may choose to obtain a Florida license. International visitors with a valid license from their home country can drive temporarily in Florida without getting a state license.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Classes, Endorsements and Designations
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. What to Bring
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) Course Frequently Asked Questions
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Class E Knowledge Exam and Driving Skills Test
7
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.1615 – Learners Driver License
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.091 – Attendance Requirements
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.54 – Classification
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License
11
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Motorcycle, Motor Scooter, Moped and Motorized Scooter
13
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.051 – Identification Cards
14
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 322.14 – Licenses Issued to Drivers
15
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. New Resident – Welcome to Florida!
16
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.031 – Nonresident; When License Required