U.S. Plans to Tighten CDL Data Sharing
The 13-year-old commercial driver license program is about to get a fine-tuning.
Motor carrier safety legislation awaiting President Clinton’s signature will make it harder for truck or bus operators with bad driving records — either on-duty or off-duty — to keep their CDL. The bill, approved by the House on Nov. 18 and the Senate a day later, also aims to improve the sharing of driving records among local, state and federal agencies.
First came the fatal collision between an Amtrak train and a tractor-trailer on March 15 at a grade crossing in Bourbonnais, Ill. The crash killed 11 train passengers and involved a truck operator with a history of license suspensions. John R. Stokes was driving the rig under a probationary license at the time of the crash, despite having his CDL suspended for 60 days because of three speeding tickets in that state ("CDL Crackdown Sought," 3-29, p. 1).
For the full story, see the Nov. 29 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
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|  DOT to Scrutinize CDL Program (Sept. 24)Feds Attempt to Plug the Holes in Commercial Driver Licensing (Sept. 8)Feds Stiffen Some CDL Penalties (Sept. 8)(Note: To return to this story, click the "Back" button on your browser.) |
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Though the Federal Highway Administration was working on improvements to the reporting process, it took two accidents last spring to spur Congress into action.
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