All written, oral and skills tests for all driver’s license categories in Florida must be done in English beginning Feb. 6.<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Starting Friday, Feb. 6, all\u00a0driver\u2019s license knowledge and skills exams<\/a> in Florida will be administered only in English, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.<\/a><\/p>\n The change eliminates all translated tests and interpreter services and applies to every license classification, including commercial learner\u2019s permits and commercial driver\u2019s licenses.<\/p>\n In a statement, FLHSMV said that under the updated policy, \u201call driver license knowledge and skills testing will be conducted in English.\u201d Previously, knowledge exams for most non-commercial licenses were available in multiple languages, while commercial exams were offered in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n Jose Ortiz Velasquez, who speaks English and Spanish, passed his commercial driver\u2019s license skills exam just days before the new policy is scheduled to take effect. He said the process was challenging due to the language barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a person that speaks more Spanish and more fluently in Spanish, trying to understand it, in a Spanish point of view, it\u2019s a little more difficult then, understanding it in English,\u201d Ortiz Velasquez said.<\/p>\n Velasquez said he believes preparation is key for future test takers who are not fluent in English.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not doing it in a different language anymore, so they\u2019re just doing it in one,\u201d he said. \u201cSo what I advise because I speak two languages, is that, just practice: practice, practice, practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Shawn Davis, the owner of CDL School Inc. in Jacksonville, said he supports requiring commercial driver testing to be conducted in English, citing safety concerns and industry standards.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about just the test, it\u2019s also the job and legitimate trucking carriers like Werner, Covenant, Swift, all of those major carriers are going to do an English proficiency test when they get there,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n Davis said the ability to communicate in English is essential for safe driving, even if full fluency is not required.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say proficiency. It says sufficiently,\u201d Davis said. \u201cSo being able to have a simple conversation, understand road signs, understand directions or guidelines is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n The policy change follows heightened scrutiny of commercial driver safety after a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike<\/a> involving a commercial truck driver who made an illegal U-turn, resulting in the deaths of three people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the driver, Harjinder Singh, entered the country illegally, could not speak English and could not read the road signs.<\/p>\n At the federal level, Duffy signed a directive in May of 2025 enforcing an executive order from President Donald Trump<\/a> that allows truck drivers to be taken off the road if they are not able to read or speak English sufficiently. The order reinstates penalties that had previously been reduced to citations under the Obama administration.<\/p>\n In a statement, FLHSMV said its statewide system has already been updated to implement the new English-only testing requirements.<\/p>\n