New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a plan Wednesday to help address a critical shortage of truck and bus drivers by significantly expanding the availability of road tests for commercial driver license (CDL) applicants.
The initiative would allow qualified third parties to offer the driving tests, creating more testing locations across the state and expanding capacity at existing state-run sites, reducing the time it takes for CDL-qualified drivers to drive. be on the road.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, January 26, to hear and review comments on the plan.
During the public hearing, DMV will provide an overview of the proposal calling for a phased implementation of this initiative that would initially allow other state agencies and authorities that have large fleets of commercial vehicles to begin conducting CDL road tests.
The second phase would include qualified private entities. DMV will establish a rigorous monitoring system to ensure that qualified CDL instructors safely administer road tests in accordance with state and federal regulations. DMV will use the comments collected during the public hearing to evaluate and develop an implementation plan.
As part of that effort, the DMV expedited the process for obtaining a CDL by eliminating the 14-day waiting period between the permit test and driving tests. The State also increased capacity to administer road tests and, through cooperation with county-operated DMV offices, to increase testing capacity for written tests.
Additionally, New York opened new CDL road test sites by partnering with SUNY, the Expressway Authority, the New York Racing Association and the Office of General Services to use large lots at their various road test sites. For school personnel with an existing CDL, the state established expedited testing for a permit that allows them to temporarily drive vans and buses.
Those interested in obtaining a commercial driver’s license can find more information at https://dmv.ny.gov/commercial-drivers.
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