Who is ultimately responsible for determining if a driver
is qualified to operate a vehicle for the company? Most employees believe that it is the companies’
responsibility, while most employers believe it is the drivers’
responsibility. The truth is that is
both the employee and the employer's responsibility to ensure that the driver
is qualified to operate the vehicle.
The next question you probably have is what does QUALIFIED mean?
If a driver is operating a tanker vehicle without a
tankers endorsement then they are NOT qualified to operate that vehicle. Or if they are operating a CDL vehicle
without holding a valid CDL then they are NOT qualified. Or if they are operating a non CDL (GVWR
under 26,000lbs) without possessing a valid medical card, then they are NOT
qualified. Or if the company does not
have a valid driver file for the CMV driver that is up to date, that driver is
NOT qualified. In this newsletter we
will dig deeper into all of the qualifications and how to ensure your drivers
meet the federal regulations.
Let’s
get started with the basics. Any vehicle
with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) over 26,000lbs requires a CDL
(Commercial Driver License). Unless it
is an emergency response vehicle responding to or from an emergency, or a
vehicle owned and operated by an agriculture producer and is within a 150
air-miles of the farms home-base.
If you are operating a Commercial Motor Vehicle
(CMV) any vehicle used for commerce that has a GCWR over 10,000lbs. Then you
must have a valid driver license and a valid DOT medical card. To put that into perspective if you are
driving a Ford Ranger with a GVWR of 3500lbs and you hook up to a trailer with
a GVWR of 7,000lbs your GCWR would be 10,500lbs. If you are trying to make money and crossing
state lines then you are required to be a Commercial Driver, and your vehicle
is required to have meet the Federal Motor Carrier Regulations (FMCSR’s). Crazy right!
How do I find the GVWR on a vehicle? The best way is when you open the drivers
door there is typically a tag with the VIN number on it. That is where the GVWR is listed. On a trailer it will be listed on the VIN
plate. The Vin plate can be found on the
neck of the trailer or on a larger trailer it can be riveted to the frame by
the landing gear.
Did you know that pickups have upped their GVWR in
the past 15 years? In 2005 the typical 1
ton single wheel pickup truck had a GVWR of about 9500lbs. In 2010 the GVWR was
typically 10,000lbs, & in 2020 the typical GVWR is 11,500lbs. That’s over a ton difference. It’s great that vehicles are now able to haul
more, its bad because if your company used to buy 1 ton pickups they weren't
DOT regulated vehicles now they are! The
1 ton duly used to be rated to 12,000lbs and now are rated at 14,000lbs or
more. Why is this so important to
know. Because you used to be able to
hook up to a 14,000lbs trailer and not need a CDL. Now when you connect to that same trailer
rated at 14,000lbs your new GCWR is now 28,000lbs and you must have a Class A
CDL to operate that vehicle legally.
Regular
License. States have
different Classes for their regular licensees,
Colorado uses a Class R, Texas Class C, New Mexico Class D. There is no federal regulation for the Class
of a regular driver license.
Commercial Driver License (CDL). The CDL is required to have the
same Classes no matter which state the license was issued in. There are also a few more details that you
should know about the CDL. There is a maximum
of 8 years that the license can be valid for by federal regulation. Some endorsements shorten the length that a
license is valid. If a medical card is
not uploaded into the CDLIS (Commercial Driver License Information System) then
the CDL is not valid and the state must downgrade the license to a regular
driver license.
CDL Class A. Any
combination vehicle that has a GCWR over 26,000lbs where the trailer has a GVWR
of over 10,000lbs. Let’s say that you
are operating a dump truck with a GVWR of 26,000lbs & you’re pulling a trailer
with a GVWR of 10,000LBS. Are you required to have a CDL? NO.
Because the trailer is rated at exactly 10,000lbs and the truck is rated
at 26,000lbs you do not have to have a CDL.
If the trailer was rated at 10.001lbs then you would be required to have
a Class A CDL.
CDL Class B. Any vehicle that is rated over 26,000lbs
requires a Class B CDL. That means that
if you are operating a crane that has 2 steer axles and 4 drive axles &
weighs 110,000lbs would require a Class B CDL.
If the boom of the crane rests on a dolly then a Class A CDL would be
required, because the dolly is considered a trailer.
CDL Class C. Any
vehicle under 26,000LBS where a CDL is required to operate. Examples would be buses designed to carry 16
or more passengers including the driver, or any vehicle carrying a placaradble
amount of hazardous materials. A
commonly mistaken vehicle is an airbrake equipped vehicle. You MAY operate a vehicle that has airbrakes
WITHOUT a CDL as long as the vehicles GVWR is less than 26,000lbs.
CLP (Commercial Learners Permit). This is given to a person who
passes the CDL written exams. The CLP
will be good for 6 months and can be renewed one time before the CLP holder
will have to retake the written exams.
When a driver holds a CLP they can not operate a CDL vehicle unless
there is another person in the font seat that is properly qualified to operate
the vehicle that is being operated.
Example: If the vehicle requires a P endorsement both the CLP and the
CDL holder must posses the P endorsement on their licenses. If it is a Class A vehicle then both the CLP
must hold a Class A CLP and the CDL holder must have a Class A License.
CDL
Endorsements: If a vehicle is
rated over 26,000lbs and meets certain criteria then a special endorsement is
required to operate that vehicle.
N (Tanker). If a vehicle is equipped with a
permanently mounted tank that is over 119 gallons or tank that is 1000 gal or
more and is not permanently fixed to the vehicle you are required to have a
tanker endorsement on your CDL. What
does permanently mounted mean? Welded to
the frame of the vehicle. If the tank is
bolted or if the bed is bolted to the frame then it is not considered
permanently attached to the truck. Written Test Only
T (Double & Triples). If you
are pulling more than one trailer then a T endorsement will be required to
operate that vehicle. Lets dig in a
little deeper. Does this include a
lowboy trailer with a jeep? Yes it does.
Written Test Only
H (Hazardous Materials). Anytime you are transporting a
placardable amount of hazardous materials then you must have the Hazmat
endorsement on your CDL. Even if the
vehicle is not rated over 26,000lbs then you still need an H endorsement if
moving a placardable quantity. Written Test and Background Required
X (Hazmat Tanker Combo). An X endorsement is required when a driver is
transporting a placardable amount of hazardous materials in a tank that is
mounted to the vehicle. If a driver has
an X endorsement then they will not have the N (tanker) or H (hazmat)
endorsements listed on their CDL. This
endorsement combines those 2 endorsements into one. Written Test and Background Required
P (Passenger). If the vehicle was designed from the
manufacture to transport 16 or more passengers including the driver then a P
endorsement is required. The GVWR of the
vehicle does not need to be over 26,000lbs to require a CDL with the P
endorsement. One of the biggest
questions for this one is, “What if the vehicle was originally designed to
transport more than 16 people but we removed all but 5 seats from the bus and
its GVWR is 16,000lbs? Do I still have to have a CDL with the P endorsement?” The answer is YES you do. The way the regulation reads is based on how
the vehicle was manufactured. Written Test and Skills Test in Passenger Vehicle Required
S (School Bus). If you are transporting students
to or from school or an event then a S endorsement is required. Written Test and Skills Test in School Bus Required
CDL
Restrictions. Restrictions are
just as important as Endorsements to look for an a CDL
C (Corrective Lenses). The driver is required by law to
have corrective lenses while operating any motor vehicle on public roadways.
E (Automatic Transmission). When a
CDL driver takes their skills test in an automatic truck then they will be
issued an E restriction on their license.
They will not be able to operate a vehicle requiring a CDL that has a
standard transmission. To remove this restriction the
drive must get their CLP and take a skills test in a vehicle equipped with a
manual transmission.
K (Intrastate). A driver with a K restriction will
not be able to operate a CDL vehicle outside of the state where their license
was issued. For example a person with a
K restriction who holds a Colorado Driver license would not be able to operate
a vehicle outside of the state of Colorado.
This restriction will be added to anyone who is under the age of 21, or has
certain medical waivers issued by the licensing state.
L (Air Brakes). Anytime
the L restriction is listed the driver may not operate a vehicle with a GCWR
over 26,000lbs that is equipped with airbrakes. To remove this restriction the drive must get their CLP and
take a skills test in a vehicle equipped with airbrakes.
M (No Class A Passenger). The M restriction limits a CDL driver from
operating a Class A Passenger vehicle.
What does this mean? Any vehicle
pulling a trailer that is designed to transport passengers on public roadways. To remove this restriction the drive must get their CLP and
take a skills test in a Class A passenger vehicle.
N (No Class B Passenger). The N restriction limits a CDL driver from
operating a Class B Passenger vehicle. To remove this restriction the
drive must get their CLP and take a skills test in a Class A or B passenger
vehicle.
O (No
Tractor Trailer). The O restriction limits the driver from operating a
tractor trailer rig. Really what it
means is that the CDL holder tested in a Class A truck and trailer that did not
utilize a 5th wheel style connection.
Most likely they tested in either a pickup pulling a trailer or a truck
and pintle hitch setup. To remove this restriction the
drive must get their CLP and take a skills test in a Class A Tractor Trailer
vehicle.
P (No Passengers). The P restriction limits a CLP driver from
operating a Passenger vehicle with passengers present in the vehicle. What does this mean? They can operate vehicles equipped to
transport 16 or passengers, but can not transport any passengers on said
vehicle. To remove this restriction the
drive must take a skills test in a passenger vehicle.
X (No Liquid in Tank). The X restriction limits a CLP driver from
operating a tanker vehicle with liquid in the tank. To remove this restriction the drive must take a skills
test.
Z (Air over Hydraulic Brakes). If
you tested in an Air over hydraulic brake vehicle then you will have the Z
restriction. To remove this restriction the
drive must take a skills test in a full airbrake vehicle.
W (Licensed Operator Front Seat [LOFS]. This will only be found on CLP’s or
permits. And only some states will have
this restriction. (NM is one of those states)
it is stating that the CLP holder must have a CDL holder in the front seat with
them while they are operating a CDL vehicle.
Those are the facts about CDL’s. Continue to follow us for more valuable
information.
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