FMCSA issued a final rule that increases the time a prospective commercial driver must hold a learner’s permit before taking a CDL skills test.
During the rulemaking process, NSTA commented on two main topics of interest to the industry including the required time to hold a learners’ permit prior to taking a CDL skills test and on the minimum number of tests a third party tester must conduct to maintain certification.
In the proposed rulemaking, the FMCSA proposed a learners’ permit must be held for 30 days. The final rule reduced the time to hold to 14 days. FMCSA also considered requiring a third-party tester to perform 50 examinations a year to keep their testing certification.
In the final rule, FMCSA removed the required amount and made some allowances for examiners to maintain certification by demonstrating their skills to a state examiner or by taking a refresher course.
