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Oregon to tighten commercial driver safety laws
September 26, 2005 05-121
Oregon is tightening the requirements for people who are employed to drive commercial vehicles – both in obtaining and keeping those driving privileges.
When Congress passed the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999, it set new requirements and standards for commercial motor vehicle drivers. States must comply with these heightened safety regulations by Sept. 30, 2005, and the 2005 Oregon Legislature adopted the changes under House Bill 2107.
“With the passage of House Bill 2107, these changes bring Oregon into compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety rules,” said Valerie Schoenfeldt, DMV implementation manager.
To meet the federal requirements, DMV will adopt the following effective Sept. 30, 2005:
- Depending on the number of offenses, commercial drivers can be suspended for one to five years, or even for life. These offenses include being under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, having a blood alcohol content of 0.04 or greater while operating a commercial motor vehicle or refusing to take an alcohol test as required under implied consent laws.
- New traffic violations that may result in CDL suspensions include operating a commercial motor vehicle without appropriate driving privileges or operating a commercial motor vehicle without a CDL in the driver’s possession.
- A new failure-to-appear or failure-to-comply suspension of an Oregon CDL driver license if ordered by another state when the offense is a traffic violation that would lead to suspension if it occurred in Oregon.
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can notify DMV that a driver is disqualified from operating a commercial motor vehicle because he or she has been determined to be an imminent hazard.
- Courts are not allowed to offer diversions to keep tickets from appearing on driving records when the person has a CDL or was operating a commercial motor vehicle at the time they got the ticket. For example, a court can no longer authorize an alcohol diversion for DUII, if the person has a CDL or was operating a commercial motor vehicle at the time the offense was committed.
- Drivers must now pass a school bus skills test and knowledge test to obtain a school bus endorsement.
For additional information, go to DMV's Web site: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/
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For more information, contact:
DMV Public Affairs
(503) 945-5270
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