New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan this week 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 road tests. That would create more testing locations statewide and expand capacity at existing state-run sites, reducing the time it takes to get qualified CDL drivers on the road.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles will hold a public hearing on Jan. 26 to hear and review comments on the plan. The hearing will take place virtually via WebEx from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will be open for public comments following a brief introduction by DMV representatives. Written comments may be submitted to CDLThirdPartyTesting@dmv.ny.gov from Jan. 18 to Feb. 4.
Two-phase rollout
“As we continue to fight this pandemic, we remain committed to expanding opportunities for New Yorkers, supporting our schools, and doing all we can to address the supply-chain issues that have affected many businesses throughout our state and country,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement. “By enabling third parties to give the road test for truck and bus drivers, we will create new avenues for New Yorkers to begin exciting careers, for our children to get to school, and to ensure that vital goods get where they need to be.”
The DMV is proposing a phased rollout of this initiative that initially would allow other state agencies and authorities that have large fleets of commercial vehicles to conduct CDL road tests.
The second phase would include qualified private entities. The DMV will establish a rigorous monitoring system to ensure that qualified CDL trainers safely administer the road tests in compliance with state and federal regulations. The DMV will use the feedback gathered during the public hearing to evaluate and develop an implementation plan.
“We at DMV know how important it is to have qualified truck and bus drivers on the road, and we are committed to doing what we can to address the need.” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said. “We look forward to gathering public input at this hearing and then acting to enable qualified third parties to offer CDL road tests to give New Yorkers greater opportunity to take the test and to get good jobs driving these essential vehicles.”
Other steps addressed shortage
This new proposal is part of a series of actions the state has taken to remove barriers and recruit more drivers. In September, Gov. Hochul introduced a variety of measures by multiple state agencies to address a shortage of school-bus drivers.
As part of that effort, the DMV expedited the process for obtaining a CDL by removing the 14-day waiting period between the permit test and the road tests. The state also increased capacity to administer road tests and, through cooperation with county-operated DMV offices, to increase testing capacity for written exams.
In addition, New York opened new CDL Driver Testing sites by partnering with SUNY, the Thruway Authority, New York Racing Association and the Office of General Services to use large lots on their various sites for road tests. For school staff members who held an existing CDL, the state set up expedited testing so they could obtain a permit to drive vans and buses temporarily.
Those interested in obtaining a Commercial Driver License can find more information at https://dmv.ny.gov/commercial-drivers.
Related:
New York launches plan to address school bus driver shortage
