This lack of training resulted in a large number of preventable traffic deaths and accidents.

Many drivers were operating motor vehicles that they may not have been trained or qualified to drive. Before implementation of the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Program in 1986, licensing requirements for driving larger vehicles and buses varied from state to state. ĭriving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), which are primarily tractor-trailers (or Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs)), requires advanced skills and knowledge above and beyond those required to drive a car or other light weight vehicle. The Act continued to give states the right to issue CDLs, but the federal government established minimum requirements that must be met when issuing a CDL.

The primary intent of the Act was to improve highway safety by ensuring that truck drivers and drivers of tractor trailers and buses are qualified to drive Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs), and to remove drivers that are unsafe and unqualified from the highways. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 was signed into law on October 27, 1986. This includes (but is not limited to) tow trucks, tractor trailers, and buses. A Commercial Driver's License is required to operate a tractor-trailer for commercial use.Ī Commercial Driver's License ( CDL) is a driver's license required in the United States to operate any type of vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 lb (11,793 kg) or more for commercial use, or transports quantities of hazardous materials that require warning placards under Department of Transportation regulations, or that is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver.

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