FMCSA Says Third-Party CDL Test Waiver Not Permanent

A 2020 waiver implemented to allow third parties to administer commercial driver’s license (CDL) tests is going away in the name of safety concerns. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) outlined its plan in a May report to Congress. The initial waiver was implemented to help get potential drivers certified during the pandemic, when many licensing offices were shut down.  

These third-party instructors could administer a knowledge test without going through the typical state certification process. 

FMCSA says its primary concern with making the waiver indefinite is “the lack of regulatory requirements for states to audit and monitor the operations of third-party knowledge examiners to ensure” that the knowledge tests are given “equitably and without fraud,” according to the report. 

Also in the report, the agency notes it is drafting “minimum regulatory standards for states opting to allow third-party knowledge testing” while saying states may continue to use third-party testing until those standards are proposed.