How to Get a CDL in Florida: Requirements, Training & Costs

To get a CDL in Florida, you apply at a local tax collector office or an FLHSMV service center after meeting the state’s age and residency rules, passing a DOT physical, completing federally required Entry-Level Driver Training, and passing both a written knowledge exam and a three-part skills test. The base state fee for an original commercial driver’s license is $75, and the license is valid for eight years. Expect the full process, including training and medical certification, to take several weeks to a few months depending on how quickly you can schedule each step.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 18 years old. Applicants under 21 are restricted to intrastate driving, meaning commercial trips that stay within Florida. Crossing state lines in a commercial vehicle requires you to be 21 or older.

You also need a valid Florida Class E license (the standard operator’s license) and must pass a vision exam. Florida residency has to be documented with at least one qualifying record: a Florida Class E license or state ID held more than six consecutive months, a residential lease in your name for more than six months, a mortgage or deed signed more than six months ago, a Florida voter registration card, or a statement of domicile.¹

The FLHSMV reviews your driving history going back ten years. Serious offenses on that record can block your application. See the disqualifier section further down before you spend money on training if you’re unsure whether you qualify.

Pick the Right Class and Any Endorsements

Florida issues three CDL classes based on vehicle type and weight:

Class A covers combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed unit exceeds 10,000 pounds.
Class B covers single vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, and you can tow a unit under 10,000 pounds.
Class C covers vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver, or vehicles hauling placarded hazardous materials, when the vehicle itself weighs under 26,001 pounds.

A higher class covers the ones below it, so a Class A CDL lets you drive Class B and C vehicles too.²

Certain cargo or vehicles require endorsements on top of the base class, and each endorsement has its own knowledge test:

H (Hazardous Materials): for placarded hazmat loads. Requires a TSA background check and fingerprinting, with a separate TSA fee of $85.25.³
N (Tank Vehicle): for tanks with a capacity of 1,000 gallons or more.
P (Passenger): for vehicles carrying more than 15 people including the driver.
S (School Bus): for school buses carrying students to and from school or school-sponsored events.
T (Double/Triple Trailers): for pulling two or three trailers.
X (Combination): combines H and N.

Each endorsement adds $7 to the base CDL fee, except the hazardous materials endorsement, which carries the higher fee for the required screening.²

Get Your DOT Physical and Self-Certify

Every applicant needs a Medical Examiner’s Certificate (a DOT physical) from a provider on FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The exam covers vision, hearing, blood pressure, and your overall ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle. Cost typically runs $50 to $200 out of pocket, and health insurance rarely covers it.

When you apply, you also choose one of four medical self-certification categories describing the driving you’ll do:

Non-excepted interstate: you drive across state lines and must keep a current DOT medical card on file with the FLHSMV.
Excepted interstate: you drive across state lines but qualify for an exception from federal medical card rules (narrow categories such as certain government and farm operators).
Non-excepted intrastate: you drive only within Florida and must meet state medical certification rules, which also require a current medical card.
Excepted intrastate: you drive only within Florida and qualify for an exception from state medical rules.

Since June 2025, medical examiners transmit DOT physical results electronically to FMCSA, which shares them with the FLHSMV. If your medical certificate lapses while you’re in a non-excepted category, the state can disqualify your CDL.⁴

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Federal rules require most first-time applicants to complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) before taking the skills test. ELDT applies if you’re getting a Class A or Class B CDL for the first time, upgrading from Class B to Class A, or adding a passenger (P), school bus (S), or hazardous materials (H) endorsement for the first time.⁵

Training has two components: theory instruction and behind-the-wheel training. There’s no federally mandated minimum number of hours, but the provider must cover every topic in the FMCSA-approved curriculum, and you must score at least 80% on the theory assessment. Behind-the-wheel training must happen in an actual commercial vehicle of the appropriate class; simulators don’t count.⁶

Before you enroll, verify the school on FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov. Training from an unregistered provider does not count, and the state checks the registry for your completion record before allowing you to schedule the skills exam.⁷

Get Your Commercial Learner’s Permit

The application itself starts with a Commercial Learner’s Permit, obtained at an FLHSMV office or an authorized third-party testing site. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number, Florida residency documents, and your Medical Examiner’s Certificate. You’ll take written knowledge tests covering general knowledge plus any endorsement-specific subjects such as air brakes, combination vehicles, or hazardous materials.¹

Knowledge tests require an 80% passing score. The general knowledge exam has 50 questions; endorsement tests run 20 to 30 questions depending on the subject. Every question comes from the Florida Commercial Driver License Manual, so read it thoroughly. Air brakes and hazardous materials trip up a lot of first-timers, and practice tests for those sections are worth the time.

Your CLP is valid for up to one year from the date you pass the knowledge exam. It lets you practice in a commercial vehicle, but only with a CDL holder of the same or higher class (with matching endorsements) in the front passenger seat. If you don’t take and pass the skills test within that year, you’ll need to reapply and retest.⁸

Pass the Skills Test

You must hold your CLP for at least 14 days before you can take the skills test. It has three parts:

Pre-trip vehicle inspection: you walk around the vehicle and demonstrate safety checks of tires, brakes, lights, fluids, coupling devices, and more.
Basic vehicle control: maneuvers like straight-line backing, offset backing, and parallel parking in a controlled area.
On-road driving: an examiner rides along on public roads and evaluates turns, lane changes, speed, and general handling.

You bring the commercial vehicle for the test; the state doesn’t supply one. Many CDL schools rent theirs to graduates for a fee. You can test at an FLHSMV office or a licensed third-party site. Third-party sites often have shorter wait times but charge their own fees, commonly $450 or more per attempt, with higher rates on weekends.⁹

Once you pass all three parts, you’ll get a temporary CDL at the office. The permanent card comes by mail.

Military Skills Test Waiver

Active-duty service members and honorably discharged veterans may be able to skip the skills test. Florida allows qualifying military applicants to substitute two years of experience operating military vehicles equivalent to civilian commercial vehicles for the three-part road test. You must apply within one year of leaving a military position that required operating a commercial vehicle.¹⁰

You still have to pass all the written knowledge exams, and your commanding officer must certify your safe driving record and the vehicles you operated. Disqualifying offenses, license suspensions, or at-fault crash involvement will void eligibility.¹¹

What It All Costs

The state fee for an original or renewal CDL is $75. Endorsements add $7 each, except hazardous materials, which carries the TSA fee of $85.25 for the threat assessment and fingerprinting.¹²

The state fees are only part of the total. Budget separately for the DOT physical ($50 to $200), ELDT tuition (which varies widely by school and class), and third-party skills test fees if you don’t test at an FLHSMV office. Retesting on a single portion of the skills exam typically costs less than the full test, but the charges add up quickly if you fail more than once.

What Can Disqualify You

Florida mirrors federal disqualification rules. A single conviction for any of the following results in a one-year disqualification from commercial driving, whether you were in a commercial vehicle or your personal car:

DUI (alcohol or a controlled substance)
Operating a commercial vehicle with a BAC of .04 or higher
Leaving the scene of a crash
Using a vehicle to commit a felony
Refusing a legally required alcohol test
Driving on a suspended, revoked, or disqualified CDL
Causing a fatality through negligent operation of a commercial vehicle

If you were hauling hazardous materials at the time, the one-year disqualification stretches to three years. A second conviction from a separate incident results in permanent disqualification.¹³

Using a commercial vehicle in a felony involving controlled substance trafficking brings an automatic lifetime disqualification with no reinstatement. For other lifetime disqualifications, Florida may allow reinstatement after 10 years if you complete an approved rehabilitation program. Serious traffic violations, such as excessive speeding, reckless driving, or texting while driving a commercial vehicle, carry shorter disqualifications when two or more occur within three years.¹⁴

Keeping Your CDL Current

A Florida CDL expires eight years after your last birthday before issuance. Renewal costs $75 and requires a visit to an FLHSMV office or tax collector, along with any required exams. If your license lapses more than 12 months, you’ll likely need to retake both the knowledge and skills tests instead of simply renewing. A late renewal within 12 months of expiration adds a $15 delinquent fee.¹⁵

Your DOT medical certificate must be renewed every 24 months if you’re in a non-excepted category. Examiners transmit results electronically, so the FLHSMV updates your record automatically, but getting the physical done on time is still your responsibility. If the medical card expires, the state can downgrade or disqualify your CDL until you provide a valid one. Holding a CDL in a non-excepted category without a current medical card is no longer allowed, even when you aren’t actively driving commercially. If you don’t want to keep the medical card current, you’ll need to downgrade to a regular Class E license.⁴

Report any change to your medical status or driving record that could affect your ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle. A new medical condition, an out-of-state conviction, or a lapsed medical card can quietly put your CDL at risk if you don’t address it promptly.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver License – General Information
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Classes, Endorsements and Designations – Section: Commercial Driver Licenses
3
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. CDL Medical Information
5
FMCSA. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). ELDT Curricula Summary
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminstration (FMCSA). Find a Provider – Training Provider Registry
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.73 – State Procedures
9
Florida House of Representatives. 2025 Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 322 – Section: 322.12
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Certification for Waiver of CDL Skills Test for Military Personnel
11
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Military Skills Test Waiver Program
12
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
13
Florida House of Representatives. Florida Statutes 322.61 – Disqualification
14
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
15
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.18 – Original Applications, Licenses, and Renewals; Expiration of Licenses; Delinquent Licenses