Florida asks FMCSA for leeway for CDL applicants who fail their pre-trip test

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for extra leeway for CDL applicants who fail their pre-trip test.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on December 5, 2023, the FLHSMV asked for an exemption from the commercial driver’s license (CDL) skills testing regulation requiring the three-part CDL skills test to be administered and successfully completed in the following order: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control skills, and on-road skills.

Florida officials want the FMCSA to allow testers to continue testing an applicant who fails the pre-trip inspection or basic vehicle controls segments of the CDL test, and to allow the applicant to come back later to retake the failed parts of the test only.

According to the Federal Register notice, “The applicant cites that the most failed segment of the test is the pre-trip inspection, and if the exemption is granted, the tester could continue to test basic vehicle control skills and on-road skills in this instance. If the CDL applicant passed these other portions of the test, they could return at a later date and retake just the pre-trip inspection portion of the test. The exemption applicant further states that, if granted, the exemption would allow their compliance staff to better utilize their time and resources in completing the required monitoring of third-party testers.”

The FLHSMV believes that the exemption would not compromise highway safety.

The FMCSA is accepting public comment on the FLHSMV’s request through January 4, 2024. You can click here to submit a comment.