Commercial driver's license

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A commercial driver's license or CDL is required in the United States to operate any type of vehicle with a weight over 26,000 lb (11,793 kg) including (but not limited to) tow trucks, tractor trailers and buses. ^[1]

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 was signed into law on October 27, 1986. The main purpose for the Act was to improve highway safety by making sure truck drivers and drivers of tractor trailers and buses have passed a written and driving test to become qualified to drive Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV's), and to remove drivers that are unsafe and unqualified from the highways. The Act continued to give State's the right to issue CDL's, but the national government established minimum requirements that must be met when issuing a CDL.

The Act insures the problems before 1986 by making it illegal to hold more than one license and by requiring States to adopt testing and licensing standards for truck and bus drivers.

1 Pre 1986
2 CDL Class Definitions
3 CDL Endorsements
4 CDL Test Requirements
5 CDL Testing Facilities
6 CDL contents
7 CDLIS Clearinghouse
8 If Convicted while driving a CMV
9 References

[edit] Pre 1986

Driving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), or tractor-trailers requires advanced skills and knowledge beyond that of driving a car or light truck. Before implementation of the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Program requirements for driving larger vehicles and busses varied from state to state and in many states and the District of Columbia anyone licensed to drive an automobile could also legally drive a tractor trailer or a bus. As the trucking industry grew there were many drivers that had a legal license from a state but not the necessary training or skills to drive a large truck or bus on highways. This lack of training resulted in a large increase in traffic deaths and accidents caused because of the poor quality of driver training. ^[2] Many drivers were able to obtain driver's licenses from more than one State and hide or spread convictions among several driving records and continue to drive unaffected. Public outcry and the trucking industry itself saw this needed to be changed thus Commercial Motor Vehicle of 1986 legislation passed and became law.

[edit] CDL Class Definitions

Since April 1, 1992 this Act became law and required all drivers have been required to have a CDL in order to drive a Commercial Motor Vehicle. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed testing standards for licensing drivers. States are able to issue CDL's only after a written and driving test have been given by the State or approved testing facility. A driver will need a CDL if the vehicle meets one of the following definitions of a CMV: ^[3]

Class A Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg).

Class B Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds (11,793 kg), or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds (4536 kg) GVWR.

Class C Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials.

States may require drivers of additional vehicles to have CDLs. For examples:

New Jersey requires a driver to have a CDL to drive any bus, limousine or van used for hire and designed to transport 8 to 15 passengers.^[4]
New York State requires drivers to have CDLs to transport passengers in vehicles defined as under Article 19-A of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, such as school buses.^[5]

[edit] CDL Endorsements

Additional tests to obtain any of the following endorsements on their CDL have to be passed as well. These are only obtained after a CDL has been issued to the driver.

T Semi trailer Double or Triple (Written Test)
- (Certain states prohibit triple trailers statewide, such as California^[6] and New York^[5].)
P Passenger Vehicle (Written and Driving Tests)
S School Bus (Written and Driving Tests and P endorsement)
N Tank Truck (Written Test)
H Hazardous materials (Written Test)
X Combination of Tank Vehicle and Hazardous Materials (Written Test)

Hier is a list of Image:CDLSampleQuestions.pdf

[edit] CDL Test Requirements

A prospective driver must pass a written test on highway safety and as well as test about different parts of a truck with a minimum of 30 questions on the test. To pass this knowledge tests student drivers must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions. To pass the driving skills test the student driver must successfully perform all the required driving maneuvers this portion of the test requires. The driving skill test must be taken in a vehicle that the driver operates or expects to operate.

[edit] CDL Testing Facilities

Employers, training facilities, States, governmental departments, and private institutions can administer knowledge and driving test for the State. The test must be the same as those given by the State issuing the CDL and the instructors must meet the same professional certification as State instructors.

States are required to conduct an inspection of the testing facility and evaluate the programs by taking an actual test as if they were testing driver at least once a year, or by taking a sample of drivers tested by the third party and then comparing pass/fail rates.

In addition, the State's agreement with the third party testing centers must allow the FHWA and the State to conduct random examinations, inspections, and audits without notice.

[edit] CDL contents

A CDL must contain the following information:

The words Commercial Driver's License or CDL.
Driver's full name, signature, and address.
Date of birth, sex, and height.
A color photograph or digitized image of the driver.
Driver's State license number, issuing State name, date issued, and expiration date of the license
The class(es) and endorsements that the driver is authorized.
Learner's permits for a driver training on public highways accompanied by another driver with a valid CDL appropriate for that vehicle.

[edit] CDLIS Clearinghouse

The Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) and the National Driver Register (NDR) exchange information on traffic convictions, and driver disqualifications about commercial drivers. States have to use both CDLIS and NDR to check a driver's record before any State can issue a CDL. To gain access to these databases, CDLIS and NDR, respectively, one should visit the FMCSA Technical Support Web site for instructions on how this information is accessed and who can access it. Trucking companies can use a commercial company that has clearance for providing this information before hiring any driver for employment.

[edit] If Convicted while driving a CMV

Driving without a CDL, or suspended CDL, is a civil penalty of up to US$2,500 or, in aggravated cases, criminal penalties of up to US$5,000 in fines and/or up to 90 days in prison.

An employer is also subject to a penalty of up to US$10,000, if he or she knowingly uses a driver to operate a CMV without a valid CDL.

Two or more serious traffic violations, including excessive speeding, reckless driving, improper or erratic lane changes, following the vehicle ahead too closely, and traffic offenses in connection with fatal traffic accidents, within a 3-year period: 90 days to 5 years suspension.

One or more violations of an Motor vehicle declared out of service order within a 10-year period. 1 Year Suspension.

Driving under the influence of a controlled substance or alcohol, or leaving the scene of an accident, or using a CMV to commit a felony. 3 Year Suspension.

Any of the 1-year offenses while operating a CMV for hazardous materials or second offense of any of the 1-year or 3-year offenses, or Using a CMV to commit a felony involving manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing controlled substances. Life Suspension.

States can reduce certain lifetime disqualifications to a minimum disqualification period of 10 years if the driver completes a driver rehabilitation program approved by the State. Not all states do this. For example, this waiver of lifetime disqualification is available in Idaho^[3] and New York State^[5] but not California^[6] or New Jersey.^[4]

If a CDL holder is disqualified from operating a CMV they can not be issued a "conditional" or "hardship" CDL, but can continue to drive non-commercial vehicles.

Any conviction are reported to the drivers home State and Federal Highway Administration and these convictions are treated the same as convictions for violations that are committed in the home State.

The Commercial Drivers License Program collects and stores all convictions a driver receives and transmits this data to the home State so that any disqualification or suspension can be applied.

The FHWA has established 0.04% as the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level at or above which a CMV driver is deemed to be driving under the influence of alcohol and subject to lose his/her CDL.

A driver must report any driving conviction within 30 days, except parking, to their employer regardless of the nature of the violation.

Employers must be notified if a driver's license is suspended, revoked, or canceled. The notification must be made by the end of the next business day following receipt of the notice of the suspension, revocation, cancellation, lost privilege or disqualification.

Employers cannot under any circumstances use a driver who has more than one license or whose license is suspended, revoked or canceled, or is disqualified from driving. Violation of this requirement may result in civil or criminal penalties.