New CDL Rules Coming

The 14-year-old Commercial Driver License (CDL) program is getting a 16-point tune-up, mandated by Congress. These changes were ordered in the 1999 law that also created the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Here are some highlights of these soon-to-be-proposed changes:

• Authority to suspend a truck driver's CDL for offenses committed in a passenger vehicle;

• Merging of the CDL application and medical examination process;

• Rules prohibiting states from issuing hardship CDLs to drivers who have had their licenses revoked;

• Rules allowing the federal Department of Transportation to withhold truck safety enforcement funds from states found to be running CDL programs not in compliance with federal rules.

The FMCSA hopes to finish this rulemaking by December, encompassing all the CDL changes mandated by Congress. One requirement not expected to change is the need for a HAZMAT endorsement on a CDL for drivers transporting diesel fuel in containers with a capacity greater than 119 gallons.

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