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Employees advised to consider new CDL rules

If you drive for a living, new commercial drivers license (CDL) regulations that became effective July 1 could have a profound impact, even when you’re not operating a state vehicle.

Cheryl Rost, manager of employee safety for ITD, advised all department employees whose primary job duties require driving a state-owned vehicle to become familiar with the new regulations.

They apply to all CDL holders in Idaho and are implemented as part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999, Rost says.

“If a condition of your employment with the department is to have a valid CDL, these regulations are important and should be noted.”

The department will consider its CDL holders as if they were operating a commercial motor vehicle in terms of “major offenses,” regardless the type of vehicle the license holder operates.

“This means, for example, that if a CDL holder received a conviction for driving under the influence while operating a non-CMV (commercial motor vehicle), the license holder will be subjected to penalties as if he or she were operating a commercial motor vehicle.

“This scenario would result in a one-year disqualification of the CDL holder’s commercial driving privileges, with no restricted driving privileges during the entire period of withdrawal,” Rost explains.

Those penalties are separate and in addition to all other court-ordered or department-administered penalties.

In addition, any restricted permits issued by the department or by Idaho courts during suspension periods will not provide commercial driving privileges. The special permits will only provide regular (Class D) operator’s privileges.

Questions about the new regulations can be directed to Tyler Zundel, Suspension Unit Supervisor, or Hal Putnam, Driver Records Program Supervisor. The Driver Services phone number is 334-4466 or 334-4465.