Tennessee F Endorsement Test: Eligibility, What to Bring, and Test Day

The Tennessee F endorsement test is a computer-based knowledge exam you take at a full-service Driver Services Center to add the for-hire (F) endorsement to your Class D license. Questions come from Section B of the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, covering general safe-driving knowledge rather than for-hire rules specifically.¹ The total fee is $4.50.²

What the Test Covers

The exam pulls from Section B of the driver license manual, which is the same body of material any Tennessee driver is expected to know. That surprises applicants who show up expecting questions about taxi operations or delivery logistics. The topics tested include:

Traffic signs and signals, pavement markings, and railroad crossing rules
Rules of the road: lane usage, turning, right-of-way, passing, parking, stopping distances, and speed limits
Safe driving practices, including defensive driving, poor-weather driving, night driving, fatigue, distracted driving, and sharing the road with cyclists and pedestrians
Vehicle control: steering, braking, backing, and basic maneuvering
Impaired driving laws, DUI penalties, and implied consent

Tennessee does not publish the exact question count or passing score for the F endorsement exam. The test is computer-based, and your result comes up as soon as you finish.³

How to Prepare

Download the Comprehensive Driver License Manual from the Department of Safety’s website or pick up a copy at any Driver Services Center.¹ Work through Section B. Even if you passed the Class D knowledge test years ago, review it. The F endorsement test is a separate exam, and going in on memory alone is a common way to fail. Right-of-way rules, stopping distances, and impaired driving laws are the areas where experienced drivers most often lose points.

Who Needs to Take It

If your primary job is transporting people or property in a regular passenger vehicle for pay, Tennessee requires the F endorsement on your Class D license. That includes taxi drivers, shuttle operators, couriers, and delivery drivers.³ If driving is incidental to your actual job, such as a plumber going to a job site or a real estate agent taking clients to showings, you do not need it. Volunteers driving passenger vehicles are also exempt.

Uber, Lyft, and other transportation network company drivers are not covered by the F endorsement rules. Tennessee law states that a TNC driver is not a chauffeur and is not subject to commercial driver license requirements.⁴ Some employers still require the endorsement for insurance or safety reasons regardless of whether state law forces the issue, so follow your employer’s instructions if you were told to get it.³

Eligibility Before You Can Test

You have to clear the eligibility bar before the state will let you sit for the exam:

Be at least 18 years old.³
Have at least two years of unrestricted driving experience before the date you apply.⁵
Satisfy the Department of Safety as to your good character, competency, and fitness.⁵
Pass a vision screening showing at least 20/40 acuity in each eye, with or without corrective lenses.⁶
Be operating only a Class D (standard passenger) vehicle.⁵

The two-year rule catches newer drivers off guard. Time on a learner’s permit or intermediate license does not count, because those are restricted. If your unrestricted Class D is less than two years old, you have to wait.

What to Bring

Come with proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, such as a birth certificate or valid U.S. passport.⁷ Bring your Social Security number and proof of Tennessee residency showing your name and physical address, like a utility bill or lease.³ If you already hold a current Tennessee Class D license, some of this may be on file. Bring it anyway. The examiner verifies everything before you can test, and missing paperwork means a wasted trip.

Test Day at the Driver Services Center

Everything happens at a full-service Driver Services Center. Some locations take appointments for knowledge tests, others work on a walk-in basis, and availability varies, so check the Department of Safety website before you go.⁸ If you have an appointment, arrive at least 15 minutes early. Late arrivals lose the slot and get moved to the walk-in line.

After you check in, the sequence is:

Document review by a state official
Vision screening (bring your glasses or contacts if you use them; if your vision falls below 20/40, you’ll get a form to take to an eye doctor before returning)⁶
The computer-based knowledge test
Fee payment of $4.50, which covers the endorsement added to your existing license²

If You Fail

Failing is not the end. For Tennessee’s standard knowledge tests, applicants who fail must wait at least 24 hours before retesting.⁹ Use the wait to go back through Section B, especially the topics where you felt shaky. Most people who fail were underprepared because they assumed general driving experience would be enough.

After You Pass

You get a paper temporary permit on the spot once you pass and pay the fee. That paper is legal proof of your F endorsement and lets you begin for-hire work right away while the permanent card is produced.

The Department of Safety mails the updated license to the address on your application. Most licenses arrive within 10 to 20 days after the print date.¹⁰ If the post office returns it, the timeline can stretch to 45 days, so confirm your mailing address before you leave. The endorsement stays valid until your Class D license expires, and you renew both together.²

1
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual
2
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Driver License Fees
3
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Regular (Class D) Driver License with (F) For-Hire Endorsement
4
Tennessee Code. Tennessee Code 65-15-302 – Transportation Network Companies
5
Tennessee Code. Tennessee Code 55-50-302 – Classes of Licenses – Endorsements
6
State of Tennessee. What If I Cannot Pass the Vision Screening
7
FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 55 – 55-50-321
8
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Locations and Appointments
9
Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online
10
State of Tennessee. I Did Not Receive My License or ID in the Mail What Should I Do