The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to immediately suspend states’ ability to issue non-domiciled CDLs.
In a letter to transportation secretary Sean Duffy, OOIDA said that it wants the suspension in place until USDOT has completed its review of non-domiciled CDL issuance and implemented appropriate measures to ensure CDLs are only issued to qualified drivers.
The association added that it supports requiring CDL testing be conducted only in English.
It added USDOT should be looking into how drivers are being recruited, compensated, and treated, as well as the safety records of motor carriers utilizing these CDL holders.
“Once the audit is complete, USDOT should at a minimum require a thorough review of a non-domiciled applicant’s driving history before they are eligible to receive their licence. Specifically, there should be a review that encompasses the last 10 years of driving history and includes all types of motor vehicles and all jurisdictions. This would help ensure that non-domiciled applicants face the same level of scrutiny as U.S.-domiciled applicants, who are currently subject to this 10-year review. In short, no one should be getting a CDL if they have an unsafe driving history,” the letter stated.
OOIDA wants the department to ensure motor carriers are complying with safety regulations that keep drivers with an unsafe history off the road. “By cracking down on carriers skirting these requirements, USDOT can immediately remove unsafe drivers and operations from the road,” the letter said.
The association said that USDOT can also improve safety by enhancing oversight of new carrier applicants prior to granting operating authority. Currently, bad actors and unqualified drivers can quickly obtain operating authority because the barriers to entry are simply too low, the association noted.
