Trucking company asks FMCSA to allow CLP holders to haul freight without a CDL holder in the front seat

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is considering an exemption request that would allow a trucking company’s commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders to operate without a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder in the front passenger seat under certain circumstances.

FMCSA is currently accepting public comment on an exemption renewal request from trucking company Landair Transport LLC, doing business as Covenant Logistics, according to a Federal Register Notice to be published on April 21, 2026.

Covenant asks for relief from the rule requiring that a CLP holder be accompanied by a CDL holder with the proper CDL class seated in the front seat while the CLP holder operates the commercial motor vehicle (CMV).

Specifically, the exemption would apply to CLP holders who have successfully passed their CDL skills test.

FMCSA said that the exemption “would allow Covenant Logistics to employ a driver to transport freight immediately after the driver passes his or her CDL skills test and while the driver’s CDL documentation is being processed by his or her State of domicile.

From the Notice:

“Covenant Logistics’ application states that it recruits and develops driver candidates with good safety records who have graduated from established driver training schools. On an annual basis, it hires approximately 1,200 new drivers each year through driver training schools. Covenant Logistics estimates that approximately 2,000 drivers annually would operate CMVs under the requested exemption. The applicant asserts that prior to the implementation of 49 CFR 383.25(a)(1), States routinely issued temporary CDLs, valid only in the State of domicile, to drivers who had successfully passed a CDL skills test. This process made it possible for Covenant Logistics to immediately designate a new driver as on duty, and direct that driver to his or her State of domicile without using a second driver in on-duty status.“

Covenant says that the exemption would not negatively impact highway safety because “a CLP holder affected by this exemption will have already completed all the necessary steps to qualify for a CDL, including passing the CDL skills test, with the remaining requirement being the administrative function of obtaining the actual CDL from his or her home State.”

Covenant is currently operating under an exemption from this rule that is effective from July 30, 2024 through July 30, 2026. The company is asking FMCSA for another five years of relief from the rule.

FMCSA will accept public comment on the exemption request following publication in the Federal Register.