Commercial Driver's License

Having a Commercial Driver License (CDL) is a privilege, and drivers must adhere to many safety rules and traffic guidelines to drive their trucks, rigs, and passenger vans. Every state has their own licensing laws for CDL. However, there are federal standards that apply to every state that were introduced with the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. Prior to this law, there was no federal regulation for issuing a CDL, and some states let drivers with just a regular license operate complicated commercial vehicles without any special training. The purpose of the act was to develop higher safety standards for commercial drivers and also the driving population as a whole. The main laws that resulted from the act include:

1. Making it illegal for drivers to hold more than one license; before the law, bad drivers with traffic convictions were able to get another license because there was no way for the authorities to check their record - the law established a federal database for drivers

2. Establishing minimum licensing standards for every state issuing CDLs; the state is then responsible for individual testing and training

3. Requiring every state to have knowledge and skills tests for potential commercial drivers to make sure they are trained on their specific trucks, rigs, or vans.

The classes of a commercial driver license are the same in every state. They include:

1. Class A - for vehicles with a weight of 26,001 pounds or higher with the towed vehicles weighing 10,000 or more pounds

2. Class B - for vehicles with a weight of 26,001 pounds or higher with the towed vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds

3. Class C - for a vehicle that does not meet the classification of Class A or Class B but is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or carry hazardous material.

Drivers may also obtain special endorsements or restrictions based upon their vehicle and type of driving. These include:

1. T - double or triple trailers (knowledge test)

2. P - passenger vehicle (knowledge and skills test)

3. N - tank vehicle (knowledge test)

4. H - hazardous material (knowledge and TSA test)

5. X - combination of N and H

6. S - school bus (knowledge and skills test).