NHTSA Proposes Tighter CDL Checks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a proposed rulemaking that would keep truck drivers from using multiple licenses to avoid the consequences of traffic violations. The proposed rule would require states to check both the National Driver Registry (NDR) and the Commercial Driver License Information System (CDLIS) before renewing and issuing any type of driver’s license.

Marilyn Wilson

April 2, 2004

2 min read

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a proposed rulemaking that would keep truck drivers from using multiple licenses to avoid the consequences of traffic violations.

The proposed rule would require states to check both the National Driver Registry (NDR) and the Commercial Driver License Information System (CDLIS) before renewing and issuing any type of driver’s license.

Currently, states are required to check only the NDR before issuing licenses. This means that when a driver with a CDL from State A applies for a motor vehicle license from State B, for example, State B may issue the license, unaware that the applicant already has a license—a CDL—from another state. And when the driver renews the CDL, any violations associated with the motor vehicle license do not come to the attention of the CDL-issuing state.

The notice, which was published in the Federal Register on March 31, also recommends the following:

An update of NDR reporting codes;
Records reported to NDR be limited to “individuals who have been convicted or whose license has been denied, canceled, revoked or suspended for one of the offenses in the Appendix.”

Deadline for comments is June 1, 2004. They can be submitted in writing to Docket Management Facility, Docket No. NHTSA-04-17326, 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590; or online at http://dms.dot.gov.