The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday issued a final rule that will keep truck drivers from using multiple licenses to avoid the consequences of traffic violations.
The rule will 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, 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.
All that will end when the rule becomes effective on Sept. 27.