How to Fill Out the Texas CDL-10: Certification of Physical Exemption

The Texas CDL-10 form is a one-page self-certification you file with the Texas Department of Public Safety to declare that you operate a commercial vehicle exclusively in excepted interstate commerce, which exempts you from the federal physical qualification requirements in 49 CFR Parts 390 and 391.1Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Medical Certification Requirement Filing it places a restriction on your CDL that limits you to the specific excepted activity you check on the form.

Is the CDL-10 the Right Form for You

Every CDL and commercial learner permit holder has to tell their state licensing agency which of four federal self-certification categories fits their driving.2Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical The CDL-10 is only for Category 2: Excepted Interstate Commerce. You must be at least 18 to use it, and while no federal medical examiner’s certificate is required, you still have to meet Texas medical standards.

The other three categories use a different form, the CDL-5:

  • Category 1 (Non-Excepted Interstate): general interstate commercial driving. Requires a current medical examiner’s certificate.
  • Category 3 (Non-Excepted Intrastate): Texas-only commercial driving. Requires a medical examiner’s certificate. Uses CDL-5, Section B.
  • Category 4 (Excepted Intrastate): Texas-only excepted activities, or regular CMV operation in Texas before August 28, 1989. Uses CDL-5, Parts A or C.

One important boundary: if you operate in both excepted and non-excepted interstate commerce, you fall under Category 1 and must keep a medical examiner’s certificate on file. The CDL-10 does not apply to you.1Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Medical Certification Requirement

The Nine Excepted Activities

The form lists nine activities that qualify for the physical exemption, each tied to a federal exception in 49 CFR 390.3(f).3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 391 – Qualifications of Drivers and Longer Combination Vehicle (LCV) Driver Instructors You check one box, and that choice becomes a restriction code printed on your CDL. Checking Box 1 for school buses, for example, results in a P16 restriction. The nine options are:4Texas Department of Public Safety. Certification of Physical Exemption 49 CFR Part 391/390

  • Box 1: School bus drivers employed by a private school, parochial school, school district, or a contractor transporting students and school staff between home and school.
  • Box 2: Transportation performed by the federal government, a state, a political subdivision of a state, or an interstate compact agency approved by Congress.
  • Box 3: Occasional transportation of personal property, not for compensation and not furthering a commercial enterprise.
  • Box 4: Transporting human corpses or sick and injured persons.
  • Box 5: Private transportation of passengers for non-business purposes.
  • Box 6: Operating fire trucks and rescue vehicles during emergencies, for drivers who are not employees of a political subdivision and are not volunteer firefighters.
  • Box 7: Intracity zone drivers with a DOT medical certificate restricted to intracity operation who were qualified and operating in a municipality or exempt intracity zone through the one-year period ending November 18, 1988.
  • Box 8: Transporting farm machinery, supplies, or custom-harvested crops to or from a farm, storage, or market.
  • Box 9: Vehicles controlled by a beekeeper for the seasonal transportation of bees.

Pick the box that matches what you actually drive. If none of the nine fits cleanly, you probably belong in Category 1 or Category 3 instead, and the CDL-10 is not your form.

What You Need Before You Start

The applicant block at the top of the form asks for five identifiers:4Texas Department of Public Safety. Certification of Physical Exemption 49 CFR Part 391/390

  • Last name and first name, exactly as they appear on your current Texas driver license. A small mismatch can slow processing.
  • Date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format.
  • Your Texas driver license number.
  • Your Social Security number, used for identity verification.

You do not need a medical examiner’s certificate to file the CDL-10, since the whole point of the form is to certify that the federal physical requirements don’t apply to you. You still have to meet Texas medical standards for commercial driving.

Filling Out the Form

Download the CDL-10 from the Texas DPS website at dps.texas.gov in the commercial driver license forms section. It is a single-page PDF.4Texas Department of Public Safety. Certification of Physical Exemption 49 CFR Part 391/390

Complete the applicant information block, then move to the certification section and check the single box that describes your driving. This choice is not cosmetic. DPS will restrict your CDL to that exact activity, and operating outside of it puts you out of compliance.

Sign and date the form at the bottom. Your signature is a legal attestation that you are at least 18, are not disqualified from driving in any state, and will operate your commercial vehicle only in the excepted capacity you checked. Federal rules require a state that determines a CDL applicant falsified certification information to disqualify that person from operating a commercial vehicle for at least 60 consecutive days. A fraud conviction tied to the license can block you from reapplying for at least a year.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. States

How to Submit the CDL-10

Texas DPS accepts the completed form through four channels:

  • Email to CDLMedCert@dps.texas.gov, generally the fastest option.
  • Fax to 512-424-2002.
  • Mail to Texas Department of Public Safety, Issuance Service, Attn: CDL Section, P.O. Box 4087, Austin, TX 78773-0320.
  • In person at any Texas Driver License Office, which gives you immediate confirmation of receipt.

Allow up to 10 business days from submission for DPS to update your driving record.1Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Medical Certification Requirement Keep a copy of the submitted form along with your transmission confirmation, whether that’s an email receipt, a fax confirmation page, or the in-person acknowledgment.

Confirming the Update Went Through

Once the 10-business-day window has passed, verify that your record reflects the new certification. The Texas DPS License Eligibility tool at txapps.texas.gov shows your current driving status. If your record still shows the old status or flags a problem with your medical certification, contact DPS at the CDLMedCert email address or visit a Driver License Office. Catching a processing gap early matters, because a flagged or downgraded CDL costs you commercial driving privileges until it’s resolved.