Guilty Drivers Hold on to CDLs

An audit of the commercial driver license program found the primary goal of limiting truckers to one CDL has largely been achieved, but states are not disqualifying convicted holders as required by law, allowing unsafe drivers on the road.

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The finding came in an Office of Inspector General report released by the Department of Transportation. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is supposed to reply by July 30 to a list of recommendations on how to improve licensing.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had asked for a review of the CDL program to see what states were doing to disqualify truckers convicted of certain violations from driving. Violations that are supposd to trigger immediate disqualification include driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, leaving the scene of an accident and violating an out-of-service order.

Controversy surrounds the issuance of CDLs, with more than 30 state officials being charged with selling licenses to unqualified people in Illinois, while an investigation into similar activity alleged in Florida is under way.

For the full story, see the July 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.