Minnesota requested a waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to be exempted from the test methods for federal CDL skills tests, as the state said its current model already complies with regulations but is more efficient than the federal model.
The requested exemption deals with Code of Federal Regulations 383.133, which requires the CDL skills test to be conducted in three parts: Pre-trip inspection, vehicle control skills (backing) and on-road driving. A driver cannot proceed onto the next test segment unless the previous one is passed. But Minnesota’s CDL skills test, which pre-dates the implementation of the federal CDL program in 1986, has always been conducted in two parts, the pre-trip portion and the on-road driving segment that includes backing, said Debra Carlson, Minnesota’s driver exam program manager with the Department of Public Safety.
She added that the Minnesota’s test, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 1973, also complies with all elements of the 2005 test model from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
If FMCSA approves the exemption request, Carlson said nothing will change for Minnesota’s CDL applicant and school bus licensure process. But if FMCSA denies the request, “then the testing and licensing process for CDL and school bus applicants in Minnesota will become less efficient and a longer process than it currently is today.”
“Many of our examination test sites across the state have the backing skills conducted at locations a fair distance from the driver examination station, so it made sense to start the driving test from the examination station and include the backing elements into that segment of the driving test,” she explained. “Currently if a driver fails the pre-trip inspection in Minnesota, for efficiency reasons the second half of the test is still given. The examiner is scheduled for the full 90 minutes and it is more convenient for the driver to complete as much of the testing process as possible in the one visit to the driver license examination station.”
At national CDL coordinator conferences, Carlson said FMCSA representatives stated multiple times over the past four years that to be in compliance a state must use the 2005 AAMVA test model or comparable model.
“Minnesota believed we used a comparable model until this was identified as a deficiency during the November 2015 CDL program audit,” Carlson added.
Lt. Brian Reu, state director of student transportation for the Minnesota State Patrol, said to date FMCSA has not shown any concern regarding the request but simply has advised that the state would need to receive approval to remain compliant.
